evidence: Hainan is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. It is considered the smallest province in the country, and it is made up of different islands in the South China Sea. The largest island is called Hainan Island, and it is responsible for more than 97 percent of the landmass included in the province. The entire province itself is approximately 13,100 square miles, and Hainan Island measures more than 12,700 square miles. The rest of the province is made up of different islands and archipelagos scattered throughout the South China Sea. For many years, the region was considered to be a part of the Guangdong Province, but it was separated from Guangdong in 1988. It has been estimated that approximately ten million people live in Hainan, with the overwhelming majority of them living on Hainan Island. There are indigenous peoples that have lived on the island for thousands of years, and they speak of variety of Hlai languages. The Hlai are recognized as a major ethnic group by the Chinese government, but the majority of people who live in Haian today are Han Chinese, who speak a variety of Chinese languages. They include Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and Hakka Chinese.