rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and
early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major
famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War
II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic
socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed
strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of
millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and
other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by
2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living
standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal
choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. China
since the early 1990s has increased its global outreach and
participation in international organizations.
Geography ::China
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 references:
Asia
Area:
total: 9,596,961 sq km
country comparison to the world: 4
land: 9,569,901 sq km
water: 27,060 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries:
total: 22,117 km
border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km,
India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km,
Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 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
regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
Coastline:
14,500 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum,
lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential
(world's largest)
Land use:
arable land: 14.86%
permanent crops: 1.27%
other: 83.87% (2005)
Irrigated land:
545,960 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
2,829.6 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 549.76 cu km/yr (7%/26%/68%)
per capita: 415 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern
coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land
subsidence
volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes
including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or
P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been
relatively inactive in recent centuries
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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
People ::China
Population:
1,330,141,295 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.8% (male 140,877,745/female 124,290,090)
15-64 years: 72.1% (male 495,724,889/female 469,182,087)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 51,774,115/female 56,764,042) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 35.2 years
male: 34.5 years
female: 35.8 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.494% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Birth rate:
12.17 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
Death rate:
6.89 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Net migration rate:
-0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
Urbanization:
urban population: 43% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.17 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 114
male: 15.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.51 years
country comparison to the world: 93
male: 72.54 years
female: 76.77 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
700,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
39,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: Japanese encephalitis and dengue fever
soil contact disease: hantaviral hemorrhagic fever with renal
syndrome (HFRS)
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups:
Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi,
Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities
8.5% (2000 census)
Religions:
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Languages:
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing
dialect) (official), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei
(Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects,
minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
note: Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uighur is official in
Xinjiang Uygur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.6%
male: 95.7%
female: 87.6% (2007)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (1999)
country comparison to the world: 172
Government ::China
Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhongguo
abbreviation: PRC
Government type:
Communist state
Capital:
name: Beijing
geographic coordinates: 39 55 N, 116 23 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone;
many people in Xinjiang Province observe an unofficial "Xinjiang
timezone" of UTC+6, two hours behind Beijing
Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions
(zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular
and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei,
Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,
Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan,
Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur,
Xizang (Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries
for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Independence:
1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable
earlier dates: 221 BC (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January
1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China)
National holiday:
Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, 1
October (1949)
Constitution:
most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 with amendments in 1988,
1993, 1999, 2004
Legal system:
based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil
code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret
statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation;
party organs exercise authority over judiciary; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003); Vice
President XI Jinping (since 15 March 2008)
head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003);
Executive Vice Premier LI Keqiang (17 March 2008), Vice Premier HUI
Liangyu (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premier ZHANG Dejiang (since 17
March 2008), and Vice Premier WANG Qishan (since 17 March 2008)
cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president and vice president elected by National People's
Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
elections last held on 15-17 March 2008 (next to be held in
mid-March 2013); premier nominated by president, confirmed by
National People's Congress
election results: HU Jintao elected president by National People's
Congress with a total of 2,963 votes; XI Jinping elected vice
president with a total of 2,919 votes
Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
Dahui (2,987 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and
provincial people's congresses, and People's Liberation Army to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held in December 2007-February 2008 (date of next
election to be held in late 2012 to early 2013)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987
note: only members of the CCP, its eight allied parties, and
sympathetic independent candidates are elected
Judicial branch:
Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's
Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and
basic courts); Special People's Courts (primarily military,
maritime, railway transportation, and forestry courts)
Political parties and leaders:
Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered small
parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure groups and leaders:
no substantial political opposition groups exist
International organization participation:
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
BIS, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24 (observer), G-77, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS
(observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, SICA
(observer), UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador ZHANG Yesui
chancery: 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 495-2266
FAX: [1] (202) 495-2190
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jon M. HUNTSMAN, Jr.
embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [86] (10) 8531-3000
FAX: [86] (10) 8531-3300
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan
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; the color red represents
revolution, while the stars symbolize the four social classes - the
working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the
national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist
Party of China
National anthem:
name: "Yiyonggjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers)
lyrics/music: TIAN Han/NIE Er
note: adopted 1949; the anthem, though banned during the Cultural
Revolution, is more commonly known as "Zhongguo Guoge" (Chinese
National Song); it was originally the theme song to the 1935 Chinese
movie, "Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm"
Economy ::China
Economy - overview:
China's economy since the late 1970s has changed from a closed,
centrally planned system to a more market-oriented one that plays a
major role in the global economy - in 2010 China became the world's
largest exporter. Reforms began with the phasing out of
collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual
liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased
autonomy for state enterprises, creation of a diversified banking
system, development of stock markets, rapid growth of the private
sector, and opening to foreign trade and investment. China generally
has implemented reforms in a gradualist fashion. In recent years,
China has renewed its support for state-owned enterprises in sectors
it considers important to "economic security," explicitly looking to
foster globally competitive national champions. After keeping its
currency tightly linked to the US dollar for years, in July 2005
China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved
to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies.
From mid 2005 to late 2008 cumulative appreciation of the renminbi
against the US dollar was more than 20%, but the exchange rate
remained virtually pegged to the dollar from the onset of the global
financial crisis until June 2010, when Beijing allowed resumption of
a gradual appreciation. The restructuring of the economy and
resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold
increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity
(PPP) basis that adjusts for price differences, China in 2010 stood
as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, having
surpassed Japan in 2001. The dollar values of China's agricultural
and industrial output each exceeded those of the US, although China
was second to the US in the value of services it produced. Still,
per capita income is below the world average. The Chinese government
faces numerous economic development challenges, including: (a)
reducing its high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low
domestic demand; (b) sustaining adequate job growth for tens of
millions of migrants and new entrants to the work force; (c)
reducing corruption and other economic crimes; and (d) containing
environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's
rapid transformation. Economic development has progressed further in
coastal provinces than in the interior, and approximately 200
million rural laborers and their dependents have relocated to urban
areas to find work. One demographic consequence of the "one child"
policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries
in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air
pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table,
especially in the north - is another long-term problem. China
continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic
development. The Chinese government is seeking to add energy
production capacity from sources other than coal and oil, focusing
on nuclear and alternative energy development. In 2009, the global
economic downturn reduced foreign demand for Chinese exports for the
first time in many years, but China rebounded quickly, outperforming
all other major economies in 2010 with GDP growth around 10%. The
economy appears set to remain on a strong growth trajectory in 2011,
lending credibility to the stimulus policies the regime rolled out
during the global financial crisis. The government vows to continue
reforming the economy and emphasizes the need to increase domestic
consumption in order to make the economy less dependent on exports
for GDP growth in the future, but China likely will make only
marginal progress toward these rebalancing goals in 2011. Two
economic problems China currently faces are inflation - which, late
in 2010, surpassed the government's target of 3% - and local
government debt, which swelled as a result of stimulus policies, and
is largely off-the-books and potentially low-quality.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.872 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$8.95 trillion (2009 est.)
$8.204 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.745 trillion
note: because China's exchange rate is determine by fiat, rather
than by market forces, the official exchange rate measure of GDP is
not an accurate measure of China's output; GDP at the official
exchange rate substantially understates the actual level of China's
output vis-a-vis the rest of the world; in China's situation, GDP at
purchasing power parity provides the best measure for comparing
output across countries (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
10.3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
9.1% (2009 est.)
9% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,400 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
$6,800 (2009 est.)
$6,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.6%
industry: 46.8%
services: 43.6% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
819.5 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 39.5%
industry: 27.2%
services: 33.2% (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.3% (September 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
4.2% (December 2008 est.)
note: official data for urban areas only; including migrants may
boost total unemployment to 9%; substantial unemployment and
underemployment in rural areas
Population below poverty line:
2.8%
note: 21.5 million rural population live below the official
"absolute poverty" line (approximately $90 per year); an additional
35.5 million rural population live above that level but below the
official "low income" line (approximately $125 per year) (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 15%
note: data are for urban households only (2008)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.5 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 54
40 (2001)
Investment (gross fixed):
47.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Public debt:
17.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
16.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
-0.7% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
2.79% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 129
2.79% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.81% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
5.31% (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$3.838 trillion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 4
$3.242 trillion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$10.08 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
$8.933 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$8.156 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
$7.24 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$5.008 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
$2.794 trillion (31 December 2008)
$6.226 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
world leader in gross value of agricultural output; rice, wheat,
potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton,
oilseed; pork; fish
Industries:
world leader in gross value of industrial output; mining and ore
processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine
building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement;
chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys,
and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment,
including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and
aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch
vehicles, satellites
Industrial production growth rate:
11% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - production:
3.451 trillion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
Electricity - consumption:
3.438 trillion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
Electricity - exports:
16.64 billion kWh (2008)
Electricity - imports:
3.842 billion kWh (2008)
Oil - production:
3.991 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Oil - consumption:
8.2 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Oil - exports:
388,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
Oil - imports:
4.393 million bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 4
Oil - proved reserves:
20.35 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Natural gas - production:
82.94 billion cu m (2009)
country comparison to the world: 8
Natural gas - consumption:
87.08 billion cu m (2009)
country comparison to the world: 9
Natural gas - exports:
3.32 billion cu m (2009)
country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - imports:
7.462 billion cu m (2009)
country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.03 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Current account balance:
$272.5 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
$297.1 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$1.506 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
$1.204 trillion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment,
apparel, textiles, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
Exports - partners:
US 20.03%, Hong Kong 12.03%, Japan 8.32%, South Korea 4.55%, Germany
4.27% (2009)
Imports:
$1.307 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$954.3 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels, optical and
medical equipment, metal ores, plastics, organic chemicals
Imports - partners:
Japan 12.27%, Hong Kong 10.06%, South Korea 9.04%, US 7.66%, Taiwan
6.84%, Germany 5.54% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.622 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
$2.426 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$406.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
$349.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$574.3 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
$473.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$278.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
$229.6 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.7852 (2010), 6.8314 (2009),
6.9385 (2008), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006)
Communications ::China
Telephones - main lines in use:
313.68 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 1
Telephones - mobile cellular:
747 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 1
Telephone system: