Shaanxi is a north-westernl province of the People’s Republic of China, which has an area of 75,600 sq mi (195,800 sq km). It includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province.
By regular Hanyu Pinyin rules, both Shaanxi and the neighboring province of Shanxi should be spelled "Shanxi" .To make the difference clear without tonal marks, the spelling "Shaanxi" was contrived (following the romanization system of Yuen Ren Chao) for the province of Shǎnxī, while "Shanxi" is used for the province of Shānxī.
Geography and climate
From north to south Shaanxi has four main regions—the loess plateau, fertile but dry; the Wei River valley, rich agriculturally and the center of population; the Qinling divide, the highest range of the province; and the upper Han River valley.
The northern part of Shaanxi is cold in the winter and very hot in summer with dry winter and spring. Its southern portion generally receives more rain. Annual mean temperature is roughly between 9°C and 16°C (48 and 61℉)with January temperature ranging from −11°C to 3.5°C (12 to 38℉)and July temperature ranging from 21°C to 28°C(70 to 82℉).