一.引言都市是人类劳动在地面上创造的最高型式之成果,地理学者需要详加研究。南京为我国人口百万以上的八大都市之一,六朝以降,曾先后充任首都四百四十七年,不论在政治、经济或文化上,都具有独特地位,像这种重要都市,自然更值得一番探讨。

Nanking, one of eight Chinese metropolis with a population above a million and an old Chinese capital of 447 years, invites our special attention. The present article is only a’ preliminary study, based upon the statistical data up一to May, 1950 and authors' own Geld works from September 1949 to June, 1950. It is presented in five parts as follows: I. The Geographic Background Nanking enjoys an excellent location. The Yangtze River, after swinging northeastward and cutting through the Nanking Hills, flows eastward around Nanking and starts i.ts delta-building. Nanking is thus the nearest Lower Yangtze city to the North China, and lies in a strategical hilly region where the local relief helps defense and the Yangtze River narrows down to 1100 meters. This might explain why Nanking becomes an old political center, and the modern communication junction between the north- southward Peking-Shanghai Railway, and commands a key position on the mighty west-eastward Yangtze artery, with a distance of 2500 kilometers navigable. Nanking}has a monsoon climate. From October to March, the dry, cold winter monsoons dominate. In January, the mean temperature is as low as 2.2℃ in a latitude of 32°3'N, with a mean precipitation of 37.9 mm. From April to early June, the winter monsoons retreat gradually before the advancing summer monsoons, resulting in many frontal activities and the "Plum rain". From July to early September, the wet and warm summer monsoons predominate, with a mean temperature of 27.7℃ and a mean precipitation of 182.6 mm in July. After the end of September, the winter conditions enter agaiq rather rapidly. The growing season totals 233 days.