Southern Shaanxi

Shaannan (simplified Chinese: 陕南; traditional Chinese: 陝南; pinyin: Shǎnnán) or Southern Shaanxi refers to the portion of China's Shaanxi province south of the Qinling Mountains.

Its name derives from the province's abbreviation "Shaan" (陕) combined with the word "Nan" (南, lit.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the area began to be merged with what is the Guanzhong Plain to form Shaanxi province.

It is geographically considered part of the Sichuan Basin's northern fringe and the three prefectural cities in the Shaannan region are mainly based along the valleys and drainage basins of the Han River's tributaries, all part of the Yangtze river system.

The Sichuanese group of the Southwestern dialect are mostly "guest dialects" brought in by large influx of migrants from Hubei, Hunan and northern Guangdong during the early Ming and early Qing dynasties.