43,5 m above sea level. Founded in 1057 BC. Capital of China since 1421 during the Ming Dynasty. Historically known as Ji, Zhonghu and Dadu. Population 7,362,000 (WUP 1990) 10,718,000 (WUP 2005); 11,741,000 (WUP 2010). Beijing Statistics Bureau estimated an additional 5,400,000 in "floating population" in 2007, source: http://china.org.cn/Beijing/population. According to UN estimates, the urban agglomeration of Beijing will reach 12.8 million in 2015 and rank 6th among the world's largest cities.
