Dialing code +86
ISO 2 code CN
ISO 3 code CHN
Capital Beijing
Main Language Simplified Chinese
Currency Yuan Renminbi (CNY)
GDP $7.8 trillion 2nd
Population 1,330,044,000 1st

Geography

Continent Asia
Location Eastern Asia bordering the East China Sea Korea Bay Yellow Sea and South China Sea between North Korea and Vietnam
Land 9,596,960 km2 4th
Terrain Mostly mountains high plateaus deserts in west; plains deltas and hills in east
Climate Extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Natural Hazards Mostly mountains high plateaus deserts in west; plains deltas and hills in east
Note: World's fourth largest country (after Russia Canada and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

Neighbouring Countries

Afghanistan Bhutan India Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Laos Mongolia Myanmar Nepal North Korea Pakistan Russia Tajikistan Vietnam

History

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences but in the 19th and early 20th centuries the country was beset by civil unrest major famines military defeats and foreign occupation. After World War II the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that while ensuring China's sovereignty imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978 MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded yet political controls remain tight.
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Demographics

Life Expectancy 73.47 years 94th
Median Age 34.1 years 62nd
Birth Rate 14.0 births/1,000 population 140th
Death Rate 7.06 births/1,000 population 119th
Sex Ratio 0.91 male(s)/female 35th
Literacy 90.9% 110th
Population

1.3 billion

Transportation

Roadways 1.9 million km 3rd
Railways 77834 km 3rd
Airports 477 15th
Waterways 110000 km 1st
Heliports 35 4th
Airports paved 21 3rd

Economy

Currency Yuan Renminbi (CNY)
GDP $7.8 trillion 2nd
GDP per capita (PPP) $6000 120th