Sunday, November 10, 2013

Wuxi is the Cleveland of China

Wuxi, Jiangu province, has a population of about 6.3 million and a GDP of about $110 billion/year, making it one of the top 100 cities in the world.  It is the "city by the lake", Lake Tai, which is the 3rd largest freshwater lake in China (behind Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake).  It is an inland port city, relying on the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal.  It is a manufacturing center, with two large industrial parks.  Lake Tai unfortunately has a problem with pollution and algae blooms.

Cleveland, Ohio has a population of about 3.5 million in its greater metropolitan area (including Akron), and has a GDP of about $135 billion/year.  It is on the southern shore of Lake Erie (the 4th largest freshwater lake in North America).  (Lake Erie has a surface area of 25,667 km2, while Lake Tai has an area of 2,250 km2). It became a manufacturing center owing to its location on the lake shore, as well as being connected to numerous canals and railroad lines.  It is located by the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, which is infamous for being so polluted that it caught on fire in the 1960s.  Through the Ohio and Erie Canal, it was connected to the Atlantic Ocean, although the canal has been abandoned today.

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