It is the capital of Heilongjiang Province and a port and rail junction on the Sungari (Songhua) River. Population (1990) 2,443,398.
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Harbin is a major commercial, industrial, and transportation center, it is situated in a productive farming region.
Manufactures include electrical equipment, ball bearings, machinery, chemicals, processed food, and cement.
The city, founded as a rail center in 1900 by Russian financiers, was known as Pinkiang while part of the former Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo (1932-45). After 1949 it developed into a diversified industrial center.
Major cities near Harbin: