Ninghai County (simplified Chinese:宁海县; traditional Chinese:寧海縣; pinyin:Nínghǎi Xiàn; literally: "peaceful sea") is a county under the administration of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, People's *****************. It is located midway up the East Zhejiang's coastal line, adjoining Hangzhou and Shanghai on the south. It was one of the first regions in China that opened itself to the outside world. It covers an area of 1,931 km (746 sq mi) and has a 176 km (109 mi) coastline. It has 17 towns and a population of 580,000.