Zhengzhou is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China. The city lies on the southern bank of the Yellow River, and is one of the Eight Great Ancient Capitals of China.With 8,626,505 inhabitants according to the 2010 census and 3,980,250 in its built-up area, the city is one of the main built up areas of Henan region. Zhengzhou is now a rapidly growing city.Greater Zhengzhou was named as one of the 13 emerging megacities or megalopolises in China in a July 2012 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit.