China in Brief

       China, officially People's Republic of China, nation in East Asia, the world's third-largest nation by area and the largest by population. Officially the People's Republic of China, it is bordered on the north by the Mongolian Republic and Russia; on the north-east by Russia and North Korea; on the east by the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea; on the south by the South China Sea, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan, and Nepal; on the west by Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan; and on the north-west by Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. China includes more than 3,400 offshore islands, of which Hainan, in the South China Sea, is by far the largest. The total area of China is about 9,571,300 sq km (3,695,000 sq mi), not including Nationalist China or Taiwan.

       Beijing is the capital of China, the nation's largest city is Shanghai. About fifth of the world's total population lives within China's borders. China gave birth to one of the world's earliest civilizations and has a recorded history that dates from some 3,500 years ago. Zhonghua, the Chinese name for the nation, means "central land", a reference to the Chinese belief that their nation was the geographical centre of the Earth and the only true civilization.

Full Country Name: The People's Republic of China

 Area: 9,600,000 sq km

 Population: 1.31 billion

 Capital City: Beijing (pop 14 million)

 Population Density

            126 people/sq km

            (326 people/sq mi)

Urban/Rural Breakdown

            36% Urban

            64% Rural

Largest Cities

            Shanghai 8,760,000

            Beijing 6,560,000

            Tianjin 4,970,000

            (2002 estimates)

Largest Metropolitan Areas

            Shanghai 14,150,000

            Beijing 12,510,000

            Tianjin 9,420,000

            (2002 estimates)

Ethnic Groups

            93% Han (Chinese)

            7%  Other

            including Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Yi, Miao, Manchu,

            Tibetan, Mongol, Tujia, Bouyei, Korean,

            Dong, Yao, Bai, Hani, Kazakh, Dai, and Li minorities

Languages

Official Language

            Mandarin Chinese (Putongua)

Other Languages

            Six other major Chinese dialects

Religions

            69% Non-religious or atheist

            20% orthodox Chinese beliefs

Mainly Confucianism and Daoism

            9% Buddhism

            2% Other

            including Islam and Christianity

Government: The National People's Congress

 Head of State: Hu Jintao