Official English Name: People’s Republic of China
Official Local Name(s): 中华人民共和国
Common English Name: China
Capital: Beijing

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Official Language(s)

Mandarin
Secondary Languages: Yue, Wu, Minbei, Minan, Xiang

Resources

Coal, Iron ore, Petroleum, Natural gas, Mercury, Tin, Tungsten, Antimony, Manganese, Molybdenum, Vanadium, Magnetite, Aluminum, Lead, Zinc, Rare earth elements, Uranium, Hydropower

Neighbors

Russia (Northeast and Northwest), North Korea (Northeast), Mongolia (North), Kazakhstan (Northwest), Kyrgyzstan (West), Tajikistan (West), Afghanistan (Southwest), Pakistan (Southwest), India (South), Nepal (South), Bhutan (South), Myanmar (South), Laos (Southeast), Vietnam (Southeast)

Ethnic groups

Han Chinese (91.65%), Zhuang (1.27%), Hui (0.79%), Manchu (0.78%), Uyghur (0.76%)

People

Est. Population:

1,384,688,986

Demonym:

Chinese

Religions:

Unaffiliated (52.2%)
Folk religion (21.9%)
Buddhist (18.2%)
Christian (5.1%)
Muslim (1.8%)

Largest City:

Shanghai (20,217,700)

Other Cities:

Beijing (16,446,900)
Chongqing (11,871,200)
Guangzhou (10,641,400)
Shenzhen (10,358,400)
Tianjin (9,562,300)

Geography

Region:

Eastern Asia

Bodies of Water:

Yellow Sea (East)
South China Sea (Southeast)
East China Sea (East)
Pacific Ocean (East)

Total Area:

9,596,960 km2 (97.2% land, 2.8% water)

Total Land:

22,457 km

Total Coastline:

14,500 km

Climate

Tropical in south
Subarctic in north

Terrain:

Mountains, plateaus, and desert in the west
Plains, deltas, and hills in the east

Highest Point

Mount Everest (8,850 m)

Lowest Point

Turpan Pendi (-154 m)

Natural Disasters

Typhoons
Flooding
Tsunamis
Earthquakes
Droughts

Government

Type:

Communist state

Head of State:

President Xi Jinping

Head of Government:

Premier Li Keqiang

Admin. Divisions

23 Provinces

Independence:

1 October 1949 (Establishment of People’s Republic)

Nat'l Symbol:

Dragon

Nat'l Anthem:

Yiyongjun Jinxingqu

Economy

GDP Per Capita

$14,300 (USD)

Currency

¥ (Yuan)

Exchange Rate

$1 (USD) = ¥ (Yuan)6.80

Communication

Internet Code

.cn

Telephone Code

+86

Episodes Mentioned In

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Cultural Notes

When using chopsticks, avoid holding them in a way that points your index or middle finger at somebody.
During their free time, the most Chinese enjoy playing Mahjong.
Greetings occur with a nod and smile.
In conversation, do not be too animated and avoid using hand gestures.
During mealtime, slurping and belching are acceptable as it shows that you are enjoying your meal. Never take the last bit of anything unless the host offers it to you.
Gift-giving is prominent but also very precise. They are always presented with two hands. Acceptable gifts include anything from your country, and unacceptable gifts include flowers (which are common in funerals), clocks, or anything sharp. Gifts should never be wrapped in black, blue, or white.
During business negotiations, understand that the Chinese have a very difficult time saying no, and that mobile phones will constantly be ringing. In addition, never show them that you are anxious, upset, or impatient.

Sources

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html (Majority of information)
http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/Statisticaldata/CensusData/rkpc2010/indexch.htm (Ethnicity and city population data)
Wolfram|Alpha (Currency exchange data)
Information accurate to best of ability as of 30 October 2016