Location

It is found in Eastern Asia , bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea. It is between North Korea and Vietnam.

Area

9,596,960sq km

Climate

The climate is extremely diverse. It is tropical in south and sub arctic in the north.

Terrain

The land has mostly mountains, high plateaus. It has got deserts in west and plains, deltas, and hills in the east

Land Use

15.4% is cultivated.

Natural hazards

The land is affected by frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts and land subsidence

Demography

Population: 1,306,313,812 (July 2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.58% (2005 est.)
Migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s) per 1,000 population (2005 est.)
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Languages: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%

Government

Communist state

Administrative Divisions

23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province

Legal system:

a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law

Currency

Yuan (CNY)

Exchange rates

Yuan per US dollar - 8.2768 (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communication System

Telephones, cellular phones, Internet

Transport System

Railways, waterways, Airports and Highways

Major Cities

Beijing, Teipei, Shangai, Chongquing, Tianjin ,Hong Kong.