Map of China | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: 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 China was beset by civil unrest major famines military defeats and foreign occupation. After World War II the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that while ensuring China's sovereignty imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978 his successor DENG Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision-making. Output quadrupled by 2000. Political controls remain tight while economic controls continue to be relaxed.


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Location: Eastern Asia bordering the East China Sea Korea Bay Yellow Sea and South China Sea between North Korea and Vietnam

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N 105 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 9,596,960 km²
Land: 9,326,410 km²
Water: 270,550 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries
Total: 22,147.34 km
Border countries: (16) Afghanistan 76 km; , Bhutan 470 km; , Burma 2,185 km; , Hong Kong 30 km; , India 3,380 km; , Kazakhstan 1,533 km; , North Korea 1,416 km; , Kyrgyzstan 858 km; , Laos 423 km; , Macau 0.34 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

Coastline: 14,500 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Terrain: mostly mountains high plateaus deserts in west; plains deltas and hills in east

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)

Natural resources: coal iron ore petroleum natural gas mercury tin tungsten antimony manganese molybdenum vanadium magnetite aluminum lead zinc uranium hydropower potential (world's largest)

Land use
Arable land: 13.31%
Permanent crops: 1.2%
Other: 85.49% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 525,800 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence

Geography
Note: world's fourth-largest country (after Russia Canada and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak;


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Population: 1,286,975,468 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 10% (2001 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9% Zhuang Uygur Hui Yi Tibetan Miao Manchu Mongol Buyi Korean and other nationalities 8.1%

Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua based on the Beijing dialect) Yue (Cantonese) Wu (Shanghaiese) Minbei (Fuzhou) Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese) Xiang Gan Hakka dialects minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)

Religions
Note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.1% (male 155,473,656; female 141,737,406)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 461,223,219; female 433,154,970)
65 years and over: 7.4% (male 44,954,643; female 50,431,574) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 31.5 years
Male: 31.2 years
Female: 31.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0.6% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 12.96 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 6.74 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.23 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution (greenhouse gases sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.09 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.1 male/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male/female
Total population: 1.06 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 25.26 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 25.65 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 24.91 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.22 years
Male: 70.33 years
Female: 74.28 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 850,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 30,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86%
Male: 92.9%
Female: 78.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: People's Republic of China
Conventional short form: China
Local short form: Zhong Guo
Abbreviation: PRC
Local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

Government type: Communist state

Capital: Beijing

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng singular and plural) 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu singular and plural) and 4 municipalities** (shi singular and plural); Anhui Beijing** Chongqing** Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guangxi* Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Nei Mongol* Ningxia* Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanghai** Shanxi Sichuan Tianjin** Xinjiang* Xizang* (Tibet) Yunnan Zhejiang; note - China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Dependent areas

Independence: 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221 BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February 1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China 1 October (1949)

Constitution: most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Legal system: a complex amalgam of custom and statute largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil administrative criminal and commercial law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)
Elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress
Head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Vice Premiers HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)
Cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)
Election results: HU Jintao elected president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (4 delegates voted against him, 4 abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); 2 seats were vacant

Legislative branch
Elections: last held NA December 2002-NA February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-NA February 2008)
Election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA

Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military maritime and railway transport courts)

Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP

International organization participation: APEC ARF (dialogue partner) AsDB ASEAN (dialogue partner) BIS CDB ESCAP FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICRM IDA IFAD IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO ITU LAIA (observer) MINURSO MONUC NAM (observer) OPCW PCA SCO UN UN Security Council UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO IFC UNHCR UNIDO AfDB UNIKOM UNITAR UNMEE UNMIBH UNMOVIC UNTSO UNU UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
In the us fax: [1] (202) 328-2,582
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 328-2,500
In the us chancery: 2,300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.
From the us embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100,600 Beijing
From the us mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96,521-0002
From the us telephone: [86] (10) 6,532-3,831
From the us fax: [86] (10) 6,532-6,929
From the us consulates general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang

Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control the economic influence of non-state organizations and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities switched to a system of household and village responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprises in services and light manufacturing and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. In 2003 with its 1.3 billion people but a GDP of just $5,000 per capita China stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US (measured on a purchasing power parity basis). Agriculture and industry have posted major gains especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan where foreign investment has helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. The leadership however often has experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (windfall gains and growing income disparities). China thus has periodically backtracked retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due from provinces businesses and individuals; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises many of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities many subsisting through part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance changes in central policy and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program which is essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment notably air pollution soil erosion and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land: because of erosion and economic development. Beijing says it will intensify efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure - such as water control and power grids - and poverty relief and through rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on farmers. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen China's ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls and growing market influences. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer internet use. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable economic growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 8% (official data) (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 15.2%
Industry and construction: 51.2%
Services: 33.6% (2001)

Agriculture products: rice wheat potatoes sorghum peanuts tea millet barley cotton oilseed; pork; fish

Industries: iron and steel coal machine building armaments textiles and apparel petroleum cement chemical fertilizers footwear toys food processing automobiles consumer electronics telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate: 12.6% (2002 est.)

Labor force: 744 million (2001 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 50%
By occupation industry: 22%
By occupation services: 28% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2002 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 10% (2001 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.4%
Highest 10: 30.4% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 40 (2001)

Budget
Revenues: $224.8 billion
Expenditures: $267.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: -0.8% (2002 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $325.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment; textiles and clothing footwear toys and sporting goods; mineral fuels
Partners: US 21.5% Hong Kong 18% Japan 14.9% South Korea 4.8% (2002)

Imports: $295.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment mineral fuels plastics iron and steel chemicals
Partners: Japan 18.1% Taiwan 10.5% South Korea 9.7% US 9.2% Germany 5.6% (2002)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $149.4 billion (2002 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: yuan per US dollar - 8.28 (2002) 8.28 (2001) 8.28 (2000) 8.28 (1999) 8.28 (1998)


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Electricity
Production: 1.42 trillion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 80.2%
Production by source hydro: 18.5%
Production by source other: 0.1% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 1.2%
Consumption: 1.312 trillion kWh (2001)
Exports: 10.3 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 1.55 billion kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 30.3 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 30.3 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.29 trillion m³ (37,257)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 135 million (2000)
Mobile cellular: 65 million (January 2001)

Telephone system
General assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns
Domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place
International: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .cn
Service providers isps: 3 (2000)
Users: 45.8 million (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $55.91 billion (FY02)
Percent of gdp: 4.3% (FY02)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 500 (2002)
With paved runways total: 351
With paved runways over 3047 m: 32
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 108
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 143
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 29
With paved runways under 914 m: 39 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 149
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 4
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 25
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 48
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 71 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 13,845 km; oil 15,143 km; refined products 3,280 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 71,600 km
Standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (14,600 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines (2002)

Roadways

Waterways: 110,000 km (1999)

Merchant marine
Total: 1,817 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,047,962 GRT/27,035,740 DWT
Ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 348, cargo 824, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 150, liquefied gas 28, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 47, petroleum tanker 267, refrigerated cargo 26, roll on/roll off 21, short-sea passenger 42, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 2
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Germany 1, Hong Kong 16, Japan 2, Panama 2, South Korea 1, Spain 1, Taiwan 9, Tanzania 1, Turkey 1 (2002 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Vietnam and possibly Brunei; claimants in November 2002 signed the 'Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea' a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding 'code of conduct'; much of the rugged militarized boundary with India is in dispute but the two sides have participated in more than 13 rounds of joint working group sessions on this issue; India objects to Pakistan ceding lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement that India believes are part of disputed Kashmir; China as well as Taiwan claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) islands; negotiations with Tajikistan resolved the longstanding boundary dispute; China and Kazakhstan have resolved their border dispute and are working to delimit their large open borders to control population migration illegal activities and trade; Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court rules that 1270 km² ceded to China in 2000 delimitation agreement were legally transferred; certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is indefinite - China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; China continues to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the disputed alluvial islands with Russia at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers and a small island on the Argun river as part of the 2001 Treaty of Good Neighborliness Friendship and Cooperation; boundary agreements signed in 2002 with Tajikistan cedes 1000 km² of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China's relinquishing claims to 28,000 km²; demarcation of land boundary with Vietnam continues but maritime boundary and joint fishing zone agreement remains unratified; China occupies Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine