Guangzhou, known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the largest city and capital of China's Guangdong province. Located on the Pearl River approximately 120 kilometers northwest of Hong Kong, the city is one of five National Central Cities and a major international hub. The estimated population for the city in 2016 is over 13 million.
It's also the third largest city in China and the largest in the southern part of the country. The current 2016 population of Guangzhou is estimated to be over 13,000,000.
This shows an increase from the 12.78 million recorded at the 2010 census. The urban population of Guangzhou is 11,070,654, with the remainder living in the rural areas of the city. Some estimates, however, place the urban population as high as 25 million.
While Guangzhou's population is over 13 million, The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, which includes Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Zhongshan and parts of Zhaoqing and Huizhou, has an estimated population of over 50 million.