According to an old Chinese saying, "Sichuan roads are so high and dangerous that traveling there is harder than scaling the blue sky." The Sichuan Basin has been known as an out-of-the-way place since ancient times.

Long reputed as the "Land of Abundance," Sichuan has a better economy than Yunnan and Guizhou because it was developed earlier. The Chengdu Plain in the western part of Sichuan has stretches of flat and fertile land.

Southwest China has vast stretches of limestone. They make up 80 percent of the total area of Guizhou, and cover vast expanses in the eastem part of Yunman, making up more than half of the provine's total land area. The widespread karst topography is the result of damp and hot weather, as well as thousands of years of water erosion.

Southwest China has the largest stement of ethnic mi-norities, with the Yi and Miao having the highest popula-tions: more than 5 millin each. The Buyi, Tong, Bai, Hani and Tibetan minorities have a population of more than 1 million each. Other ethnic minrities have a smaller popula-tion, varying from tens of thousands to hundreds of thou-sands.