China Basics

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China Quick Facts - General Introduction

Full country name: People's Republic of China

Location: East Asia, on the west coast of Pacific Ocean

Area: 9,596,960 sq km

Land: 9,326,410 sq km

Water: 270.550 sq km

Land boundaries:

Total: 22,117 km

Border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

Capital city: Beijing (pop. 14 million)

Population: 1,330,044,605 (mainland, July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.1% (male 142, 085,665/female 125,300,391)

15-64 years: 71.9%(male 491,513,378/female 465,020,030)

65 years and over: 8% (male 50,652,480/female 55,472,661) (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

Total population: 73.18 years

Male: 71.37 years

Female: 75.18 years (2008 est.)

Literacy:

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 90.9%

Male: 95.1%

Female: 86.5% (2000 census)

Official language: Chinese Putonghua (based on Beijing Mandarin dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

Religion: Taoism (Taoism), Buddhism, Christian, Muslim

Ethnic groups: Han Chinese (91.5%), plus 55 ethnic minorities including Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)

Head of State: Hu Jintao

National Flag: Five-star red flag, length and width proportion: 3:2.

National Day: October 1, founded in 1949

Currency: Renminbi (RMB) yuan

Weights and Measures: metric system

GDP (official exchange rate): $3.251 trillion (2007 est.)