Jinan (Chinese: 济南; alternately romanized as Tsinan) is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. With a population of 6.8 million as of the 2010 census, it is the second-largest city in Shandong after Qingdao. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilization and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub.