Shandong , or Shan-tung conventional Shantung , Coastal province, eastern China. Area: 59,200 sq mi (153,300 sq km). Population: (2020) 101,527,453. Capital: Jinan. It borders the Yellow Sea and Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, and Hebei provinces. It contains the Shandong Peninsula and an inland zone that includes a fertile, intensely cultivated area that forms part of the Huang He (Yellow River) basin. The peninsula has been occupied since the 3rd millennium bce, and by the 8th century bce it had become a centre of political and military activity. It became northern China’s leading maritime centre in the 3rd century ce and retained that position for centuries. Devastating floods in the 19th century resulted in substantial emigration. It came under German, British, and Japanese influence in the late 19th century. The Japanese occupied it in 1937–45. It came under communist control in 1948. Its products include wheat, corn, iron ore, gold, fish, and silk. Confucius and Mencius were born in Shandong.
