The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With 8,472 square miles (21,940 km2) and a population of more than 2.2 million people, it is the second-largest metropolitan area centered in Missouri (after Greater St. Louis) and is the largest metropolitan area in Kansas, though Wichita is the largest metropolitan area centered in Kansas. Alongside Kansas City, Missouri, these are the suburbs with populations above 100,000: Overland Park, Kansas; Kansas City, Kansas; Olathe, Kansas; Independence, Missouri; and Lee's Summit, Missouri.
Luding County, located in the southeast of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, is located in the transitional zone from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to Sichuan Basin, bordering Tianquan and Laojing in the east, Kangding and Kowloon in the west, and Shimian County in the south. The county is 236.2 kilometers away from Chengdu and 49 kilometers away from Kangding. The county seat is 1321 meters above sea level, with 7 towns, 5 townships and 145 administrative villages within its jurisdiction, covering an area of 2165.35 square kilometers. It is inhabited by 17 ethnic groups, including Han, Tibetan and Yi, with a total population of 87065 at the end of 2017. It is a mountainous multi-ethnic county with the smallest land area, relatively high population education, the densest population and rapid economic development. it is also a regional trade center in the eastern part of Ganzi Prefecture and a supply base for agricultural and sideline products in various counties in Ganzi Prefecture. It is known as the "Dongda" of Ganzi Prefecture.