Guangdong is a province on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English names, Canton Province or Kwangtung Province. It overtook Henan and Sichuan to become the most populous province in China in January 2005, registering 79 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants who lived in the province for at least six months. The provincial capital Guangzhou (also known as Canton) and economic hub Shenzhen are among the most populous and important cities in China.
Guangdong is one of China's most prosperous provinces. As of 2008, it has the highest total GDP among all provincial-level jurisdictions. According to latest figures its GDP has reached 3.57 trillion yuan, or US$522 billion, making its economy roughly the same size as that of Sweden. Guangdong contributes approximately 12% of national economic output. The province is home to the production facilities and offices of a wide-ranging set of multinational and Chinese corporations. Guangdong also hosts the largest Import and Export Fair in China called the Canton Fair which is hosted by the city of Guangzhou - Guangdong's capital city.
The province was the homeland and base of operations of Sun Yat-Sen, widely accepted as the founder of modern China.
