Map - Chongqing

Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation:, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking , is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The official abbreviation of the city, "", was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997. This abbreviation is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds into the Yangtze River. Chongqing is China’s major modernized manufacturing base, a financial center and an international transport hub in the Western China. Geographically, Chongqing is strategically positioned as a gateway to China’s west, a key connection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and a strategic base for China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Administratively, it is one of the four municipalities under the direct administration of the central government of the People's Republic of China (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin), and the only such municipality located deep inland. The municipality of Chongqing, roughly the size of Austria, includes the city of Chongqing as well as various discontiguous cities. Due to a classification technicality, Chongqing municipality can claim to be the largest city proper in the worldthough it does not have the world's largest urban area. Chongqing is the only city in China with a permanent population of over 30 million. Chongqing is the fourth largest Chinese city by urban population, with urban population of 16.34 million as of the 2020 estimation, after Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. According to the 2010 census, Chongqing is the most populous Chinese municipality, and also the largest direct-controlled municipality in China, containing 26 districts, eight counties, and four autonomous counties.

During the Republic of China (ROC) era, Chongqing served as its wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). The current municipality was separated from Sichuan province on 14 March 1997 to help develop the central and western parts of China.

Chongqing has an extensive history and a rich culture. As one of China's National Central Cities, it serves as a financial center of the Sichuan Basin and the upstream Yangtze. It is a major manufacturing and transportation center; a July 2012 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit described it as one of China's "13 emerging megalopolises". Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, a major aviation hub serving Chongqing metropolitan areas and Western China, is one of the top 50 busiest airports in the world, and the city's monorails system is the world's longest and busiest monorails system with the greatest number of stations (70). Chongqing is ranked as a Beta (global second-tier) city. Chongqing is also the headquarters of the Changan Automobile, one of the "Big Four" car manufacturers of China, and hosts more than 10 foreign consulates, making it the fifth major city to host more foreign representatives than any other city in China after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Chongqing is one of the top 50 cities in the world by scientific research outputs as tracked by the Nature Index, and home to several notable universities, including Chongqing University, Southwest University, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing Normal University, Sichuan International Studies University, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and Chongqing University of Technology.