BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's capital Beijing is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games from Aug. 8 to 24 and the Paralympic Games from Sept. 6 to 17.

    Some basic facts about the capital:

    NAME: Beijing, also known as Peking to Westerners, means "northern capital" in Chinese. It had been renamed several times in its history, such as "Dadu,""Zhongdu" and "Beiping." On October 1, 1949, the Communist Party of China (CPC), under the leadership of Mao Zedong, restored Beijing as China's capital and renamed the city back to Beijing.

    HISTORY: The earliest remnants of human habitation in Beijing, the caves of Peking Man, date back to 230,000 to 250,000 years ago. It essentially took its current shape after Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty took up residence in the imperial palace, also known as the Forbidden City in 1421.

    GEOGRAPHY: Beijing is situated at the northern tip of the roughly triangular North China Plain, which opens to the south and east of the city. Mount Dongling is the city's highest point, with an altitude of 2,303 meters. Two major rivers running through the city are the Yongding River and the Chaobai River, part of the Haihe River system.

    CLIMATE: The city's climate is monsoon-influenced humid continental climate, characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cold, windy, dry winters. The highest temperature ever recorded was 42 degrees Celsius and the lowest recorded was minus 27 degrees Celsius.

    AREA: Beijing covers an area of 16,808 square kilometers, including 735 sq km in the downtown area. It is China's second largest city after Shanghai which covers 6340.5 sq km.

    POPULATION: Beijing had a population of 17.43 million in 2007.

    OFFICIAL CITY FLOWER: The Chinese rose and chrysanthemum were designated as Beijing's official flowers by a public vote in 1986.

    FOOD: Mandarin cuisine is the local style of cooking in Beijing. Beijing Roast Duck is perhaps the most well-known dish to westerners. The Manhan Quanxi, literally meaning Manchu-Han Chinese full banquet, is a rare traditional banquet and remains very prestigious and expensive.