Located in the northeastern part of Huabei Plain, Tianjin became a direct-administered municipality in 1967 from the capital of Hebei Province. The city rests on the shores of the Bohai Sea and lies at a point where the five branches (Yongding River·Dawen River·Ziyahe River·South Canal·North Canal) of the hydrosphere combine. Such geography allowed the city to develop an advanced inland transportation system and the largest port in Northern China. Construction of the Tianjin New Port made the berthing of large-sized vessels possible. As the point of intersection for the Jingshan and Jinpu railways, the city is a hub for land transportation.
Tianjin is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of China (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing), and the largest commercial and trade center in Northern China. Since the implementation of the Chinese economic reform, the Tianjin Economic-Technological Developement Area, Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, and Tianjin-Nangang Industrial Zone were established in the city. Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor: HUR Nam-sik) and Tianjin(Mayor: Dai Xiang Long) signed a sister city agreement on July 23, 2007.