Beijing, abbreviated as "Jing", is the capital and a municipality directly under the Central Government of the People's Republic of China. It is the political, cultural, scientific, educational, military, and international exchange centre of China. Beijing is a global city, the third most populous city in the world and the most populous capital city. Located on the northern edge of the North China Plain, backed by the Yanshan Mountains, adjacent to Tianjin and Hebei Province, Beijing is an important component of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. Beijing is a renowned historical and cultural city with a history of over three thousand years of city building and over eight hundred and sixty years of capital building.