Nantong is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth, Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north, Taizhou to the west, Suzhou and Shanghai to the south across the river, and the East China Sea to the east. The population is 7,282,835 at the 2010 census whom 1,994,708 live in the built up area made of 3 urban districts. The prosperity of Nantong has traditionally depended on salt production on the nearby seacoast, rice and cotton agriculture, and especially the production of cotton textiles.