On June 18, 1997, the city of Chongqing and its surroundings were removed from Sichuan province and elevated to the status of a directly-controlled municipality, of which the actual city only occupies a small part. Among China's cities with the status of a directly-level municipality Chongqing is number one in terms of land area and population. The region shares borders with the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou. Th…