Hefei

With former names: Ho-fei, Luzhou, Luchow, it is a prefecture-level city and the provincial capital of Anhui province, China. Located in central Anhui, it borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Chaohu to the southeast and Lu'an to the west. Hefei is located 130 km west of Nanjing. Hefei's annual average temperature is about 15.7 °C. Its annual precipitation is about 1000 mm. It snows irregularly in the winter. In the months of June, July, August, and often September, daily temperatures can reach highs of 37 °C with high humidity levels being the norm. May and June see the air quality level in Hefei diminish. The city is blanketed by a foul-smelling smog caused by the smoke generated as farmers outside the city burn their fields in preparation for planting the next crop. Chaohu Lake, a lake 15 km southeast of the city, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in China. However, the lake has unfortuneatly been polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus in recent decades. Area code: 551