| Leizhou Peninsula | |||||||||||||||||
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 A satellite image of the peninsula | |||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 雷州半岛 | ||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 雷州半島 | ||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Luichow Peninsula | ||||||||||||||||
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21°N110°E / 21°N 110°E /21; 110TheLeizhou Peninsula,alternately romanized as theLuichow Peninsula, is apeninsula in the southernmost part ofGuangdong province inSouth China. As of 2015, the population of the peninsula was 5,694,245.[1] The largest city by population and area on the peninsula isZhanjiang.
Trade was once welcoming at cities of Leizhou Peninsula.[2] During the 19th century, the area wasa hotbed of piracy; many pirates such asZheng Yi were based in the area.
The Leizhou Peninsula is the third largest peninsula inChina with an area of c. 8,500 square kilometers (3,300 sq mi) located on the southwestern end ofZhanjiang, Guangdong with theGulf of Tonkin to the west and the 30 km wideQiongzhou Strait to the south, separating the peninsula fromHainan Island.
Geologically,basaltterraces account for 43% of the peninsula's area. The rest is divided up betweenmarine terraces (27%) andalluvial plains (17%). Leizhou Peninsula is dotted with a few dormantvolcanoes, beaches, and low-lyingdiluvial plains.
Leizhou has two separatevolcanic fields: aPleistocene–Holocene field at the northern end of the peninsula west ofZhanjiang(雷北火山群,Leibei Huoshanqun) and the northern end of theQionglei or Leiqiong volcanic field, which extends across the strait into northern Hainan(雷南火山群,Leinan Huoshanqun). The volcanoes derive from the east-to-west tectonic extension and thinning of thelithosphere connected with the creation of theSouth China Sea's basin. Two Pleistocene-erabasalticstratovolcanoes areYingfengling(鹰峰岭) andTianyang(田洋), 15 km (9.3 mi) apart in the center of the peninsula.[3] There is also a third volcanic field responsible for some of the islands offshore(火山岩岛屿,Huoshanyan Daoyu).
Hepu National Sanctuary of Dugongs was created west of the peninsula to protect endangered wildlife especially marine mammals. Vicinity to the peninsula, such as the Leizhou Bay has declared to be parts of theChinese white dolphin sanctuary holding the second largest population in the nation.[4]Dugongs still occur in small number.[5] SomeBryde's whales,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]minke whales, andwhale sharks still occur in the adjacent waters includingHainan Island andGulf of Tonkin waters such as offTieshangang District, Islands ofWeizhou andXieyang.[13][14]
Critically endangered whales such asNorth Pacific right whales and westerngray whales,humpback whales, andblue whales were once known to occur around the peninsula[15] in the winter and spring to calve. Waters such as Wailuo Harbor were ideal habitats for these giants. These whales were heavily hunted and were wiped out byJapanese whalers in this regions. (Japanese whalers established whaling stations at various sites along the Chinese and Korean coasts including on the island of Hainan and atDaya Bay).
The peninsula has ahumid subtropical climate. The region is under the influence of continental northeasternmonsoons and maritime southeastern and southwestern monsoons.Typhoons occasionally occur, both from thePacific Ocean and theSouth China Sea. Annualprecipitation is 1,400 to 1,700 millimeters (55 to 67 in).
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