Nanjing (listen), alternatively romanized as Nanking and Nankin, also in the Nanjing dialect as Lanjin, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China and the second largest city in the East China region, with an administrative area of 6,600 km2 (2,500 sq mi) and a total population of 8,270,500 as of 2016.