china info

• Geography
• Land Formation and Rivers
• Climate

• Population
• Ethnic Group
• Language
• Religion

• Capital
• Administrative Units
• Others

Land Formation and Rivers
China's land drops off in escarpments eastward to the ocean, letting in humid air current and leading many rivers eastward. Among the rivers totaling 220,000 kilometers in length in China, the Changjiang (Yangtze) and the Huanghe (Yellow) are world known.

China has beautiful scenery, with mountains and ranges, highlands, plains, basins, and hills. The highlands and hill regions account for 65 percent of the country's total land mass, and there are more than 2,000 lakes. The highest mountain peak is Qomolangma (Everest), the highest in the world, 8,848 meters above sea level; the lowest point is the Turpan Basin, 154 meters below sea level. (Top)

Climate
China is characterized by a continental climate. The latitude spans nearly 50 degrees. The greater part of the Chinese territory is situated in the Temperate Zone, its southern part in the tropical and subtropical zones, and its northern part near the Frigid Zone. Temperatures differ therefore rather strikingly across the country. The northern part of Heilongjiang Province has long winters but no summers; while the Hainan Island has long summers but no winters. The Huaihe River valley is marked by distinctive seasonal changes, but it is spring all year round in the south of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. In the northwest hinterland, the temperature changes dramatically. China’s high tundra zone is situated in the Qinghai-Tibet, where the temperature is low in all four seasons. Some desert areas are dry all year round.

The capital, Beijing is built as three rectangles, one within the other. The innermost rectangle is the Forbidden City; a museum and public park, formerly the residence of the Ming and Qing emperors. Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world is here
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Population
China has the largest population in the world. In 1998, there were 1,248.1 million people living on the mainland (excluding those living in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao), accounting for 22 percent of the world population.
   Male ------------------ 581.82 million, 51.5 percent of the total

   Female ---------------- 548.69 million, 48.5 percent of the total

   Growth rate ------------ 0.77%

   Birth rate ------------ 15.1 births/1,000 population

   Death rate ------------ 6.98 deaths/1,000 population

Population Density: 130.4 per sq km.
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Ethnic Groups (Chinese Minorites)
China is a multiracial country with 56 ethnic groups, including Achang, Bai, Bonan, Blang, Bouyei, Korean, Daur, Dai, De'ang, Dongxiang, Derung, Oroqen, Russian, Ewenki, Gaoshan, Gelao, Hani, Kazak, Han, Hezhen, Hui, Jino, Gin, ingpo, Kirgiz, Lahu, Li, Lisu, Lhoba, Manchu, Maonan, Mongolian, Monba, Miao, Mulam, Naxi, Nu, Primi, Qiang, Salar, She, Sui, Tajik, Tatar, Tu, Tujia, Va, Uygur, Uzbek, Xibe, Yi, Yuigur, Yao, Tibetan, and Zhuang. The Han people account for 92 percent of the population. No matter how big or small the population is, all peoples share equal rights.
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Religion
China is a multi-religious country. Taoism, Buddhism, lslamism, Protestantism and Catholicism have all developed quite a following in this country. Freedom of belief is a government policy, and normal religious activities are protected by the constitution.
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Administrative Units
At present,China was divided into 23 provinces (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Taiwan), 5 autonomous regions (Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Tibet), 4 municipalities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin), and 1 special administrative region (Hongkong).
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Capital
Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. A center for politics, economy and culture, Beijing has been developed into a world-class metropolis in which the modern world is blended harmoniously with the glory of an imperial past. (Top)

Language:
Language: The official language is Mandarin Chinese. Among the enormous number of local dialects, in the south, large groups speak Cantonese, Fukienese, Xiamenhua and Hakka. Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, which are autonomous regions, have their own languages. Translation and interpreter services are good. English is spoken by many guides.
Putonghua (Beijing dialect mandarin)
Religion: Officially atheist; Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism (no stats available); Muslim (14 million), Christian (7 million)
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Others

Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 86. Outgoing international code: 00. Antiquated internal service with public telephones in hotels and shops displaying a telephone unit sign. It is often easier to make international phone calls from China than it is to make calls internally.

Mobile telephone: GSM 1800 and 900 networks provide coverage in Beijing, Guangzhou (Canton) and Shanghai; GSM 900 networks also exist in most other major urban areas in the southeastern and eastern regions including Chengdu and Chongqing. Networks are operated by China Telecom.

Fax: A growing number of hotels offer fax facilities but are often incoming only. Rates are generally high.

Post: Service to Europe takes from between two days and a week. Tourist hotels usually have their own post offices. All postal communications to China should be addressed 'People's Republic of China'.

Press: The main English-language daily is the China Daily and China Travel. There is also the weekly news magazine Beijing Review, with editions in English, French, Spanish, Japanese and German. National newspapers include The People's Daily and The Guangming Daily, with many provinces having their own local dailies as well.

BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.

Electricity: 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in use.
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