Located in far eastern Asia, China is the fourth-largest country in the world according to land mass, slightly smaller than the United States. It is bordered by 13 countries and has over 9,000 miles of coastline on the East China Sea, South China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Korea Bay. Mount Everest, the largest mountain in the world, is located on the border between Nepal and China.
China has the largest population in the world with more than 1.3 billion people. Over 90 percent of these are Han Chinese, but there are 56 minorities in China. The major language is Mandarin Chinese. Seven other regional languages are also spoken.
The government of China is the communist state officially known as the People’s Republic of China. It was created on October 1, 1949, by Mao Zedong with the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War when the Nationalist Party and its members were forced to the island of Taiwan. The Communist government has had issues with the Nationalists who want to declare Taiwan as an independent state. There is also tension between the Chinese government and Tibet, which is home to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet.
Shanghai is the largest city in China and is also one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world with more than 20-million people. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, it grew to prominence as an important fishing and textiles port city with easy access to the East China Sea. Since the early 20th century, Shanghai has become one of the commercial and financial centers of China.
It is a cultural center of China and was the birthplace of everything considered “modern”, including Chinese cinema and theater. It is home to many museums of national importance, such as the Shanghai Museum of art and history and the Shanghai Natural History Museum. Shanghai has hosted a number of world events, including the 2007 Summer Special Olympics and a Live Earth concert.
China Profile
Population: 1,330,044,605
Capital: Beijing
Head of Government: President Hu Jintao
Currency: Yuan
Literacy rate: 91 percent