China

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the People's Republic of China. For the Republic of China, see Taiwan. For
other uses, see China (disambiuation! and PRC (disambiuation!.
People's Republic of China

Zhnghu Rnmn Gnghgu
Fla "ational #mblem
Anthem:

Yyngjn Jnxngq (Pinyin!
$%arch of the &olunteers$
%enu
'(''
)rea controlled by the People's Republic of China shown in dark reen*
claimed but uncontrolled reions shown in liht reen.
"ote( )lthouh Taipei is shown as one of the cities of the PRC, China
does not hold actual so+ereinty o+er Taiwan and its capital Taipei.
Capital
,ei-in
.a/
012334" 5562704#
Largest city 8hanhai
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Official languages 8tandard Chinese
.7/.b/
Reconised reional lanuaes
%onolian
Tibetan
9yhur
:huan
+arious others
;fficial written lanuae &ernacular Chinese
;fficial script 8implified Chinese
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Ethnic groups
15.35< =an
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33 minorities
.c/
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Demonym Chinese
Government 8inle>party socialist state
> President ?i @inpin
.d/
> Premier Ai BeCian
> Conress Chairman :han De-ian
> Conference Chairman Eu :henshen
Legislature
"ational People's
Conress
ormation
>
9nification of China under
the Fin Dynasty
775 ,C#
> Republic established 5 @anuary 5157
> People's Republic proclaimed 5 ;ctober 51G1
Area
> Total
1,316,165 km
7
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(0rdHGth!
0,I'3,G'I sC mi
> Water (<! '.7J<
.f/
Population
> 7'57 estimate 5,03',613,'''
.J/
(5st!
> 7'5' census 5,001,I7G,J37
.1/
(5st!
> Density
7'55 estimate(
.5'/
5GGHkm
7

(J0rd!
0I0HsC mi
GDP (PPP! 7'5G estimate
> Total K5G.673 trillion
.55/
(7nd!
> Per capita K5',613
.57/
(JJth!
GDP (nominal! 7'5G estimate
> Total K5'.'7J trillion
.57/
(7nd!
> Per capita KI,000
.57/
(J7nd!
Gini (7'5G!
33.'
.50/.5G/
hih
!D" (7'50!
'.I51
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hih # 15st
Currency
Renminbi (yuan!(L!
./

(C"E!
$ime %one
China 8tandard Time
(9TCMJ!
Date format
yyyy>mm>dd
or yyyy md

(C#* C#>51G1!
Drives on the riht
.h/
Calling co&e MJ6
"'O ()** co&e C"
"nternet $LD
.cn
.
.
China (
i
Hta n N H* simplified Chinese( * traditional Chinese( * pinyin( :hOnuP!,
officially the People's Republic of China (PRC!, is a so+erein state located in #ast )sia. Qt is the
world's most populous country, with a population of o+er 5.03 billion. The PRC is a sinle>party
state o+erned by the Communist Party, with its seat of o+ernment in the capital city of ,ei-in.
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Qt eRercises -urisdiction o+er 77 pro+inces, fi+e autonomous reions, four direct>controlled
municipalities (,ei-in, Tian-in, 8hanhai, and ChonCin!, and two mostly self>o+ernin special
administrati+e reions (=on Bon and %acau!. The PRC also claims the territories o+erned by
Taiwan, a separate political entity officially known as the Republic of China (R;C!, as its 70rd
pro+ince, a claim which is contro+ersial due to the compleR political status of Taiwan.
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Co+erin approRimately 1.6 million sCuare kilometers, China is the world's second>larest country
by land area,
.5J/
and either the third or fourth>larest by total area, dependin on the method of
measurement.
.i/
China's landscape is +ast and di+erse, ranin from forest steppes and the Sobi and
Taklamakan deserts in the arid north to subtropical forests in the wetter south. The =imalaya,
Barakoram, Pamir and Tian 8han mountain ranes separate China from 8outh and Central )sia.
The EantTe and Eellow Ri+ers, the third> and siRth>lonest in the world, run from the Tibetan
Plateau to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline alon the Pacific ;cean is
5G,3'' kilometres (1,''' mi! lon, and is bounded by the ,ohai, Eellow, #ast and 8outh China
8eas.
The history of China oes back to the ancient ci+iliTation U one of the world's earliest U that
flourished in the fertile basin of the Eellow Ri+er in the "orth China Plain. For millennia, China's
political system was based on hereditary monarchies, known as dynasties, beinnin with the semi>
mytholoical ?ia of the Eellow Ri+er basin (c. 7''' ,C#!. 8ince 775 ,C#, when the Fin Dynasty
first conCuered se+eral states to form a Chinese empire, the country has eRpanded, fractured and
been reformed numerous times. The Republic of China (R;C! o+erthrew the last dynasty in 5155,
and ruled the Chinese mainland until 51G1. )fter the defeat of the #mpire of @apan in World War QQ,
the Communist Party defeated the nationalist Buomintan in mainland China and established the
People's Republic of China in ,ei-in on 5 ;ctober 51G1, while the Buomintan relocated the R;C
o+ernment to its present capital of Taipei.
China had the larest and most compleR economy in the world for most of the past two thousand
years, durin which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline.
.51/.7'/
8ince the introduction of
economic reforms in 51IJ, China has become one of the world's fastest>rowin ma-or economies.
)s of 7'50, it is the world's second>larest economy by both nominal total SDP and purchasin
power parity (PPP!, and is also the world's larest eRporter and importer of oods.
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China is a
reconiTed nuclear weapons state and has the world's larest standin army, with the second>larest
defence budet.
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The PRC has been a 9nited "ations member since 51I5, when it replaced the
R;C as a permanent member of the 9.". 8ecurity Council. China is also a member of numerous
formal and informal multilateral oraniTations, includin the WT;, )P#C, ,RQC8, the 8hanhai
Cooperation ;raniTation, the ,CQ% and the S>7'. China is a reional power within )sia and has
been characteriTed as a potential superpower by a number of commentators.
.70/.7G/