Luochuan County is a county in the south of Yan'an City, located in the north of Shaanxi province, China. The county has a total area of 1,791.3 km2, and a population of 219,900 as of 2012.

Etymology

The county is named for the Luo River, which passes through the county.

Administrative divisions

Luochuan County is divided into one subdistrict, seven towns, and one township. The county's sole subdistrict is Fengqi Subdistrict, which is home to the county's administrative offices. The county's seven towns are, , , , , , and Yongxiang. The county's sole township is.

Geography

The area is largely hilly, with an average elevation of 1072 m in height. The Luo River flows through the county from its north to its southeast. The county is approximately 95 km to the south of Yan'an's urban core, and approximately 200 km to the north of Xi'an's urban core.

Climate

Luochuan County has an average annual temperature of 9.2 °C, receiving an average annual rainfall of 620 mm, and an average of 2,525 hours of sunshine annually.

History

After the outbreak of the Japanese invasion of China, the Chinese Communist Party held a meeting in Luochuan known as the, for the purpose of formulating a plan as to how best repel the Japanese forces. The conference, which took place from August 22 to August 25, 1937 was attended by important figures within the party, such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De. The conference put forth the ideals of the "Ten Outlines to Resist Japan and Save the Country" proposed by Mao, which outlined how to mobilize and unify the country to fight the Japanese.

Economy

Luochuan County is known for its apple production. In 2010, there were 3.1 mu of apple orchards per capita, the highest ratio in the country. Inspired by a visit to orchards in Japan, the county began promoting a strategy of increased spacing between trees in 2006, which helped yield higher quality apples.

Transportation

A number of important highways run through the county, such as China National Highway 210, the G65 Baotou-Maoming Expressway, and Shaanxi Provincial Road 304. The Xi'an-Yan'an Railway also passes through the Luochuan County.