| Capital
city |
Beijing |
| National flag |
 Five-star red flag, length and width proportion: 3:2. |
| National anthem |
March of the Volunteers (lines: Arise, those who do
not want to be slaves! We will use our flesh and blood
to build another Great Wall. China has reached the brink
of national collapse. All the people have been making
their last outcry. Arise! Arise! Arise! All our hearts
become one. Let us face the angry guns. March on! Let
us face the angry guns. March on! March on! March on!
On!) |
| National Day |
October 1, the country was founded in 1949. |
| Top legislature |
National People's Congress (NPC). |
| Location |
In East Asia, by the west Pacific Ocean. |
| Territory area |
9.6 million square km, second to Russia and Canada. |
| Largest city |
Shanghai. |
| Currency |
Renminbi (RMB) yuan. |
| Exchange rate |
8.3 yuan=US$1. |
| Weights and measures |
Metric system. |
| Gross domestic product |
8,940.4 billion yuan (at the end of 2000). |
| Topography |
High in its west and low in its east: mountain areas
33.3%, plateaus 26%, basins 18.8%, plains 12% and hills
9.9%. |
| Islands |
Among the 5,400 islands, Taiwan Island (about 36,000
square km) is the largest, Hainan Island (about 34,000
square km) the second. |
| Mountains |
Among the 19 mountains over 7,000 meters high in the
world, seven are in China. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,
known as "the roof of the world", has many high mountains.
The Himalayas, with an average elevation of 6,000 meters,
have the world's highest peak Mount Qomolangma, 8,848
meters above sea level. |
| Rivers |
The Yangtze River, 6,300 km long, the third longest
in the world after the Nile and the Amazon. The Yellow
River, the second longest in China, stretching 5,464
km. |
| Canyon |
The canyon on the Yalu Tsangpo River, the world's
largest, 504.6 km in length and 6,009 meters in depth. |
| Man-made river |
The Grand Canal, 1,801 km long, the longest man-made
river in the world. Its cutting began in the fifth century
BC. |
| Lakes |
The Poyang Lake on the middle and lower reaches of
the Yangtze River is China's largest freshwater lake;
the Qinghai Lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the country's
largest salt lake. |
| Climate |
Most of the country in the temperate zone, although
geographically the country stretches from the tropical
and subtropical zones in the south to the frigid zone
in the north. |
| Wild animals |
China has a great variety of wildlife, over 4,400
vertebrates, more than 100 rare species of the world:
the giant panda, the golden monkey, the white-lipped
deer, the South China Tiger, Crossoplilon mantchuricum,
the white-flag dolphin, the Chinese alligator, and the
crowned crane. |
| Plants |
China has a great variety of plants, 32,000 species
of higher plants, including nearly all the major kinds
of vegetation found in the frigid and temperate zones
of the northern hemisphere. |
| Popular flowers |
Peony, azalea, primrose and felwort. |
| Population |
China carried out its fifth national population census
on November 1, 2000. It has a population of 1,295.33
million. Of which: the total population of the 31 provinces,
autonomous regions and municipalities (excluding Jinmen
and Mazu islands of Fujian Province hereafter) and of
servicemen on the mainland of China was 1,265.83 million;
the population of Hong Kong SAR was 6.78 million; the
population of Macao SAR was 440 thousand; the population
of Taiwan Province and of Jinmen, Mazu and a few other
islands of Fujian Province was 22.28 million. |
| Population growth rate |
Compared with the population of 1,133.68 million from
the 1990 population census (with zero hour of July 1,
1990 as the reference time), the total population of
the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities
and the servicemen of the mainland of China increased
by 132.15 million persons, or 11.66 percent over the
past 10 years and 4 months. The average annual growth
was 12.79 million persons, or a growth rate of 1.07
percent. |
| Average life-span |
71 years old by the end of 2000. |
| Population composition |
The males: 51.63%, the females: 48.37%; people aged
below 14: 22.89%; people aged 15-64: 70.15%; people
aged above 65: 6.96%; urban population: 36.09%; rural
population: 63.91%. |
| Ethnic groups |
China has 56 ethnic groups. Of the people enumerated
in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities
and servicemen of the mainland of China, 1,159.40 million
persons or 91.59 percent were of Han nationality, and
106.43 million persons or 8.41 percent were of various
national minorities. |
| Languages |
Of the 56 ethnic groups in China, the Hui and Manchu
use the same languages as Han people, while the rest
of groups have their own spoken and written languages. |
| Public holidays |
New Year's Day (January 1), the Spring Festival (the
New Year's Day by Chinese lunar calendar), International
Labor Day (May 1), and the National Day (October 1). |
