Baiyin

Baiyin (simplified Chinese: 白银; traditional Chinese: 白銀; pinyin: Báiyín; lit. 'White-Silver') is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Gansu province, People's Republic of China. Established in the 1950s as a base for mining non-ferrous metals, its mines are becoming exhausted in recent decades, requiring the city to reinvent its economy.[3][4] Located around 60 km (37 mi) from Gansu's capital Lanzhou, it is part of the Lanzhou-Baiyin Economic Belt.[5] Baiyin is part loess plateau, part desert. Elevation ranges from 1,275 to 3,321 meters (4,183 to 10,896 feet) above sea-level. The climate is very arid with only 110–352 mm (4.3–13.9 in) of annual precipitation. Annual evaporation is 2,101 mm (82.7 in) resulting in a net loss of approximately 1,800 mm (71 in). The Yellow River flows from south to north for 214 km (133 mi) through Baiyin. The area is 20,100 km2 (7,800 sq mi), 3,345 km2 (1,292 sq mi) of that urban.