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China, officially the People's
Republic of China (PRC), has the third largest land area
of any country on earth. Only Russia and Canada are
larger. Topographically, China has a land area of
9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 square miles).
Of this land area, 35 percent is mountainous, 27 percent
plateau, 8 percent hilly areas, 17 percent basin and
desert, and 13 percent plains. Only about 11 percent of
the land area is suitable for agricultural production.
Beijing, located in the north near the east coast, is
China's capital city and its cultural, economic, and
communications center.
China's population of 1.265 billion is
the largest on earth, about 22 percent of the earth's
total population. Population distribution is very
uneven. Large areas of mountain and desert have few
people, fewer than 10 persons per square kilometer. The
highest population concentration is along the east and
south coast , where population density averages more
than 400 persons per square kilometer (1,040 persons per
square mile).
The government is led by the Communist
Party of China (CPC). Since the founding of China's
modern state in 1949, the Communist Party of China has
led a system of consultation and cooperation with the
many diverse entities within China. In recent years,
China's economy has been growing rapidly. This has
brought an improving standard of living to most Chinese,
especially those who live in China's rapidly growing
cities. |
