From wikipedia
Hainan, separated by the Qiongzhou Strait (瓊州海峽) from the Leizhou
Peninsula (雷州半島) of Guangdong, is the largest island administered by
the People's Republic of China. The size of Hainan is comparable to
the size of Belgium. The PRC, however, regard it as the second largest
island, since Taiwan is considered the largest. To the West of Hainan
is the Gulf of Tonkin. Wuzhi Mountain (1,876 m) is the highest
mountain in the island.
In the official PRC territorial claim, Hainan Province includes not
just one island, but also some two hundred South China Sea Islands.
Whilst the containment of the South China Sea Islands means that
Hainan Province has a very large water body, it has a
disproportionally small land area. James Shoal (曾母暗沙 Zengmu Ansha),
which is presently marked by the PRC, signifies the country's
southernmost border. But the Malaysians also claim it is on their
continental shelf.
Climate
Hainan has a tropical moist monsoonal climate. Its annual temperature
change is less than 15 degrees Celsius. The coldest months are January
and February when the temperatures drop to 16 to 21 degrees Celsius;
the hottest months are July and August, and the temperatures are 25 to
29 degrees Celsius. Except for the mountainous regions in the central
part of the island, the daily average temperature in Hainan is above
10 degrees Celsius, and the integrated temperature during the growing
season of the crops reaches eight thousand to nine thousand degree
Celsius-days. The summer in the north is swelteringly hot and, for
more than 20 days in a year, the temperature can be higher than 35
degrees Celsius. The average annual precipitation is 1500 to 2000 mm
and can be as high as 2400 mm in central and eastern areas, and as low
as 900 mm in the coastal areas of the southwest. The eastern part of
Hainan lies in the path of typhoons, and 70% of the annual
precipitation is derived from typhoons and the summer rainy season.
Major flooding occurs due to the typhoons and they can cause many
problems for the local residents.
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