Tianjin is the sixth largest city of the People's Republic of China in terms of urban population. Administratively it is one of the four municipalities that have provincial-level status, reporting directly to the central government. Also, its urban land area is the fifth largest in China, ranked only after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Tianjin's urban area is located along the Hai He River, which connects to the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers via the Grand Canal in Tianjin. Its ports, some distance away, are located on Bohai Gulf in the Pacific Ocean. Tianjin was once home to foreign concessions in the late Qing Dynasty and early Kuomintang (KMT) era. The municipality now incorporates the coastal region of Tanggu, home to the Binhai and the Technology and Economic Developing Area (TEDA). Tianjin Municipality borders Hebei province to the north, south, and west; Chinese capital Beijing is to the northwest, and Bohai Gulf to the east.
