Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country. Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with high elevations in the northwest and low elevations in the southeast. In the west, the relative height from mountain peaks to river valleys can be as much as 3,000 metres.
Yunnan is China's most diverse province, biologically as well as culturally. It has the second highest number of ethnic groups among the provinces and autonomous regions in China.