Hubei has a central plain, the Jianghan, surounded on three sides by high lands. The plain gives the province its nickname, the land of 1000 lakes, for it is studded with them. Through the south center of the plain flows the Yangtze (Chiang) from west to east. It starts in the southwestern mountains, continuing the Three Gorges that start in Szechuan(3). The Qing river (jiang) joins the Yangtze in these mountains. At Wuhan, in the middle of the plain, the Han river joins the Yangtze, coming from the northwest. This tributary flows through the northwest mountains and karst, extensions of the Qinling and Daba. There's a break in the highlands in the north center, an extension of Henan(4)'s Nanyang Plain. Further east are hills related to the Tongbai and Dabie mountains. In the south center is another break in the highlands, for here the Yangtze forms part of the provincial boundary. But they resume in the southeast, another area of mountains, hills and karst.
The capital of Hubei Province, in central_and_northeastern China is Wuhan, at one time three cities. There are 13 other cities (shi) with a million or more residents.
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(1) Hu-pei in Wade-Giles transliteration; translates as North of the Lake.
(2) Sheng in Wade-Giles transliteration.
(3) Can be transliterated from Chinese as Sichuan or Ssu-ch'uan. It can be translated as Four Rivers.
(4) Can also be transliterated from Chinese as Ho-nan. It can be translated as South of the River.