Xian, the capital of Shaanxi Province, was called Chang'an in ancient times. It is situated in the central part of Weihe Plain. The city is bounded by the Weihe River in the north and the Qinling Ranges in the south. As one of China's seven ancient national capitals, it served as the capital for 12 dynasties spanning more than 1,000 years. Xi'an therefore, has a great number of precious relics and historical sites. More than 4,000 historical sites and tombs have been excavated and over 120,000 historical relics remain unearthed. The main tourist attractions include The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses, Great Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Pool, BanPo Site, Stele Forest, Great Mosque, QianLing Mausoleum, Famen Temple and Maoling Mausoleum. Xi'an was the starting point of the Acient Silk Road that extended from Asia to Europe and played an important role in cultural inter flow between the East and West in ancient times. Shaanxi province, an inland province in China, is also called "Qin", or "Shaan" is one of the birthplaces of Chinese culture. Beishan Mountain and the Qinling Range stand as two boundaries that divide the province into three natural areas - the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, Guangzhong Plain, and the Qinba Hillyland. The plateau and hillyland make up most of the province's area. Shaanxi has a continental climate with distinctive four seasons. The months from March to November are the best tourist season. Shaanxi Province boasts an area of 205,600 square kilometers and a population of 36 million people.