Introduction
Capital of Anhui, China Not to be confused with Hebei. Prefecture-level city in Anhui, ChinaHefei 合肥市HofeiPrefecture-level citySwan Lake CBDBaogong ParkLord Bao TempleTemple on Chao LakeHua Tuo StatueLocation of Hefei City jurisdiction in AnhuiInteractive map of HefeiHefeiLocation in Eastern ChinaShow map of Eastern ChinaHefeiHefei (China)Show map of ChinaCoordinates (Hefei municipal government): 31°49′14″N 117°13′38″E / 31.8206°N 117.2273°E / 31.8206; 117.2273CountryChinaProvinceAnhuiCounty-level divisions7Municipal seatShushan DistrictGovernment • TypePrefecture-level city • BodyHefei Municipal People's Congress • CCP SecretaryVacant • Congress ChairmanWang Weidong • MayorZhang Quan • CPPCC ChairmanHan BingArea • Prefecture-level city11,434.25 km2 (4,414.79 sq mi) • Urban838.5 km2 (323.7 sq mi) • Metro7,055.6 km2 (2,724.2 sq mi)Elevation37 m (121 ft)Population (2022 census) • Prefecture-level city9,465,881 • Density827.8532/km2 (2,144.130/sq mi) • Urban5,118,199 • Urban density6,104/km2 (15,810/sq mi) • Metro7,754,481 • Metro density1,099.1/km2 (2,846.5/sq mi)GDP (2025) • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 1,421 trillionUS$ 206.03 billion • Per capitaCN¥ 120,579US$ 18,691Time zoneUTC+8 (CST)Postal code230000Area code551ISO 3166 codeCN-AH-01License plate prefixes皖AWebsitehefei.gov.cnCity trees Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.) City flowers Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans Lour.) Blossom of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) HefeiChinese合肥PostalHofeiLiteral meaning"Junction of the Fei Rivers"TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinHéféiWade–GilesHo2-fei2IPA[xɤ̌.fěɪ]WuRomanizationGheh入-vi平Yue: CantoneseYale RomanizationHahp-fèihJyutpingHap6-fei4IPA[hɐp̚˨.fej˩]Southern MinHokkien POJHa̍p-pûi Hefei is the capital of Anhui province, China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census. Its built-up (or metro) area is made up of four urban districts plus Feidong, Feixi and Changfeng counties being urbanized, and was home to 7,754,481 inhabitants.[clarification needed] Located in the central portion of the province, it borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Wuhu to the southeast, Tongling to the south, Anqing to the southwest and Lu'an to the west. A natural hub of communications, Hefei is situated to the north of Chao Lake and stands on a low saddle crossing the northeastern extension of the Dabie Mountains, which forms the divide between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. The present-day city dates from the Song dynasty. Before World War II, Hefei remained essentially an administrative centre and the regional market for the fertile plain to the south. It has gone through a growth in infrastructure in recent years. Hefei is the location of Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor. Hefei is a leading world city for scientific research, ranking at 12th globally, 8th in the Asia-Pacific, and 7th in China (behind Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Hangzhou), as tracked by the Nature Index in 2025. The city is represented by several major universities, including the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology, Anhui University, Anhui Agricultural University and Anhui Medical University. Notably, the University of Science and Technology of China is one of the top 100 comprehensive public research universities in the world.