Hainan , or Hai-nan, Province and island of China. Area: (excluding disputed island areas) 13,200 sq mi (34,300 sq km). Population: (2020) 10,081,232. Capital: Haikou. The province, which also includes several small islands near Hainan Island, is located in the South China Sea, separated from Guangdong province by a narrow strait. China claims as part of the province three island groups (qundao)—the Paracel (Xisha) and Spratly (Nansha) islands and Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha)—in the South China Sea, but these are also claimed by other countries, and there is no international recognition of sovereignty for any group of them. For centuries part of Guangdong, Hainan became a separate province in 1988, the southernmost province of China and the smallest. It was under Chinese rule from the 2nd century bce but was not closely controlled until the Tang dynasty (618–907 ce). Chinese began settling the island in the 16th–17th centuries, gradually forcing the indigenous peoples into the interior. Hainan was occupied by the Japanese in 1939–45, after which it reverted back to China. The island, designated a special economic zone after becoming a province, has since then experienced considerable economic growth.
