Leibo County is a mountainous county of southern Sichuan province, China, along the border with Yunnan. It is under the administration of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, and has a population of 223,000, 91% of whom are agricultural, residing in an area of 2932.46 km2; the Yi are the largest ethnic group, forming 45% of the population. Ayi Jihu, a singer signed to British company Shlepp Records, is from Leibo County.

Administrative divisions

Leibo County comprises 11 towns and 10 townships.

Geography and climate

Leibo County ranges in latitude from 27° 49' to 28° 36' N and in longitude from 103° 10' to 103° 52' E, and lies on the northern bank of the Jinsha River in the Hengduan Mountains in the eastern portion of Liangshan Prefecture. It borders Yongshan County (Yunnan) to the southeast across the river, the cities of Yibin and Leshan to the north, Meigu County to the west, and Zhaojue and Jinyang counties to the southwest. Elevations range from 325 m along the banks of the Jinsha, also the lowest point in the prefecture, to 4076.5 m at Mount Shizi, and generally increase from east to west. Due to its low latitude and elevation above 1150 m, Leibo has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwb/Cwa), with very warm, rainy summers and cool, damp winters. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 3.9 °C in January to 22.6 °C in July, while the annual mean is 14.0 °C. Rainfall is extremely common year-round, occurring on 207−208 days of the year, but over half of the annual total occurs from June to August. The frost-free period averages 270 days, and there are 1,225 hours of sunshine annually.