Hunan (Chinese: 湖南; pinyin:  Húnán; Hunanese, Shuangfeng dialect: [ɣəu˩˧nia˩˧]) is a province of thePeople's Republic of China, located in the south-central part of the country to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, which means "south of the lake").^[4]Hunan is sometimes called and officially abbreviated as "湘" (pinyin: Xiāng) for short,^[5] after the Xiang Riverwhich runs through the province.

Hunan borders Hubei in the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong to the southeast, Guangxi to the southwest,Guizhou to the west, and Chongqing to the northwest. The capital is Changsha.