A Brief Description
Much like the ancient Roman and Egyptian empires, China led most of the world in the arts and sciences for hundreds of years.
Then in the 19th Century, China experienced debilitating civil unrest, significant food shortages, military defeats, and foreign occupation.
With the end of World War II, the upstart Communists under the leadership of MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life, and cost the lives of tens of millions of people.
After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision-making.
Those efforts were successful as GDP output quadrupled by the year 2000. Today, political controls still remain tight, but more and more economic controls continue to be relaxed. China's economy is booming and its influence is growing worldwide.
Tourism, always popular in China, is a growth industry, as the country presents (quite possibly), the most fascinating destination on the planet.
Read more about the history of China here
Facts and Figures
 Name China
(long form) People's Republic of China
Population 1,306,313,800
Population & Density (all countries) here
Capital City Beijing metro (14.2 million)
Currency Yuan (CNY)
Currency Converter
here
Languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua,) Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan, Xiang, Gan and Hakka dialects
Flag here
National Day October 1
Religions Officially atheist, with small groups of Daoist, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian
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Geographic Coordinates
Latitude/Longitude (capital city)
39? 55' N, 116? 20' E
Relative Location China is located in both the eastern and northern hemispheres. It occupies a huge part of eastern Asia and is bordered by the Yellow Sea, South China Sea, Pacific Ocean and by (14 countries), including North Korea, Russian Federation, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
Fishing in Yangshou, China
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Land Statistics
Coastline 9,010 miles (14,500 km)
Land Areas
(land) 3,600,945 sq miles (9,326,410 sq km)
(water) 104,460 sq miles (270,550 sq km)
(TOTAL) 3,705,405 sq miles (9,596,960 sq km)
Land Area (all countries) here
Landforms
In the vast western reaches of China - mountains, high plateaus and deserts dominate the landscape, while in the central and east areas, the land slopes into broad plains and deltas.
The Himalayas, the world's most elevated mountain range, forms its southwestern borders with India, Nepal and Bhutan. In the far northeast, high mountains ring its border with the Russian Federation.
The Gobi Desert runs west to east along the border with Mongolia. Here the topography varies from sand desert, into the low mountain foothills and plateaus that stretch into Mongolia.
From the higher elevations in the west literally thousands of rivers drain the country; the most significant include the Yangtze (third longest river on the planet), and the Heilong (Amur), Mekong, Pearl and Yellow.
 Highest Point Mt. Everest - 29,025 ft. (8.850 m)
 Lowest Point Turpan Pendi (-154 m)
Land Divisions 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 municipalities:
provinces include Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang. Note that China views the island of Taiwan as its 23rd province.
autonomous regions include: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet).
municipalities include: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Tianjin.
special regions: Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of China.
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Maps
China (large color) Map here
China Outline Map here
China CIA version here
Hong Kong Map here here
Macau Map here here
Taiwan Map here here
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Asia Continent (printable) here
Asia Outline Map here
Asia (Southeast) Outline Map here
Asia (Name the Country) Map Test here
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Indian Subcontinent Map here
Indochina Map here
Middle East Landforms here
Middle East Map here
Middle East Outline Map here
Middle East Rivers here
Tsunami Map (December 2004) here
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World Outline Maps (printable) here
World Time Zone Map here
Recommended Links
China (Complete) info on the (GDP)
economy, imports and exports, natural resources, government, population, military, transportation, and more here!
Inside China (news) here
China the Beautiful here
China Guide here
China Photos at TrekEarth.com here
Chinese History Resources here
The Beijing Guide here
Time and Weather
Climate
A broad range of weather is common in the large country of China. There's mostly tropical weather in the south and southeast, much cooler (and colder) temperatures in the far north, and subarctic conditions in the far southwest in the Himalaya Mountain system.
Rainfall is heavy along the southern coastal areas, lighter in the western regions, while north (in the Gobi Desert areas) participation is generally sparse.
For timely travel weather forecasts for China, use the weather stations shown below for specific information.
Traveler Info
Attractions
China, the third largest country in the world, offers an endless variety of fulfilling and interesting attractions, including hundreds of ancient relic sites; countless museums; beautiful and interesting caves, gardens, grottos, lakes, mountains, rivers and waterfalls, as well as timeless monasteries, temples and villages.
Most visitor itineraries must/should include Beijing, its over 100 cultural and scenic spots, and its Forbidden City; sparkling Shanghai, the largest city; the Terra Cotta Warriors in Shaanxi province; a Yangtze River boat tour, and of course, the Great Wall of China.
When visiting the country note that the Chinese are now aggressively enjoying personal travel and tourism to the highest levels in their history, and many of the major attractions can be crowded, with long lines. The Forbidden City is one example and hours may be spent just waiting to get in.
Regardless, in China, as an old saying goes, "Patience is a Virtue," and those that follow that logic here will certainly be rewarded.
Country Dialing Code 86
Electricity China uses 220 volts AC (50 Hz)
Electrical adapters, products and tips here
Travel Warnings
here
PASSPORTS - TRAVEL VISAS
NOTE: Before making your travel plans to any worldwide destination, we strongly recommend you authenticate important details regarding all passport and visa requirements. The experienced people at Travel Visa Pro can answer all of your questions!
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Asian
Countries
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
British Indian
Ocean Terr.
Brunei
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia
China
? Hong Kong
? Macau
East Timor
India
? Andaman Is.
? Nicobar Islands
Indonesia
? Bali
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Philippines
Qatar
Russian Fed.
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
U.A.E.
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
British Indian
Ocean Terr.
Brunei
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia
China
? Hong Kong
? Macau
East Timor
India
? Andaman Is.
? Nicobar Islands
Indonesia
? Bali
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Philippines
Qatar
Russian Fed.
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
U.A.E.
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
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