Legend:  Rank
Order
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Background:
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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, 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, his
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.
|
|
Location:
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Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow
Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam |
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Geographic coordinates:
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35 00 N, 105 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
|
total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than the US |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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14,500 km |
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Maritime claims:
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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 |
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Climate:
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extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north |
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,
deltas, and hills in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum,
lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) |
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Land use:
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arable land: 15.4%
permanent crops: 1.25%
other: 83.36% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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525,800 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and
eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes;
droughts; land subsidence |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, 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 |
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Geography - note:
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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:
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1,298,847,624 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 22.3% (male 153,401,051; female 135,812,993)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 469,328,664; female 443,248,860)
65 years and over: 7.5% (male 46,308,923; female
50,747,133) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 31.8 years
male: 31.5 years
female: 32.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.57% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
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12.98 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.92 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 25.28 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 71.96 years
male: 70.4 years
female: 73.72 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.69 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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840,000 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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44,000 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao,
Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% |
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Religions:
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Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.) |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.9%
male: 95.1%
female: 86.5% (2002)
|
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Country name:
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conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhong Guo
abbreviation: PRC |
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Government type:
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Communist state |
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Capital:
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Beijing |
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Administrative divisions:
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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
: autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia,
Xinjiang, 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 |
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Independence:
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221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January
1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949
(People's Republic established) |
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National holiday:
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Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1
October (1949) |
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Constitution:
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most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)
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)
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
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and
provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to
be held late 2007-February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of
the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties
controlled by CCP |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the
government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and
the China Democracy Party as subversive groups |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer),
ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI,
UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York, and San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.
embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831
FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Shenyang |
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Flag description:
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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
|
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Economy - overview:
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In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy
from a sluggish, inefficient, 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. Measured on
a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2003 stood as
the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although
in per capita terms the country is still poor. Agriculture and
industry have posted major gains especially in coastal areas
near Hong Kong, opposite Taiwan, and in Shanghai, 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 (growing income
disparities and rising unemployment). China thus has
periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at
intervals. The government has struggled to (a) sustain adequate
jobs growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from
state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work
force; (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 supply and power grids - and poverty relief and
through rural tax reform. Accession to the World Trade
Organization helps strengthen its 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. Growing shortages
of electric power and raw materials will hold back the expansion
of industrial output in 2004. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $6.449 trillion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
9.1% (official data) (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 14.8%
industry and construction: 52.9%
services: 32.3% (2003) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
|
43.4% of GDP (2003) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
10% (2001 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 30.4% (1998) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
40 (2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
1.2% (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
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778.1 million (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture 50%, industry 22%, services 28% (2001 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
10.1% urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment
and underemployment in rural areas (2003 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $265.8 billion
expenditures: $300.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2003) |
|
Public debt:
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30.1% of GDP (2003) |
|
Agriculture - products:
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rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley,
cotton, oilseed, pork, fish |
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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:
|
30.4% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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1.42 trillion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.312 trillion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
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10.3 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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1.8 billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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3.3 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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4.57 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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151,200 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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1.207 million bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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26.75 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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30.3 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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27.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
1.29 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
|
$31.17 billion (2003) |
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Exports:
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$436.1 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, footwear, toys
and sporting goods, mineral fuels |
|
Exports - partners:
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US 21.1%, Hong Kong 17.4%, Japan 13.6%, South Korea 4.6%,
Germany 4% (2003) |
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Imports:
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$397.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and
steel, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners:
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Japan 18%, Taiwan 11.9%, South Korea 10.4%, US 8.2%, Germany
5.9% (2003) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$412.7 billion (2003) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$197.8 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
NA |
|
Currency:
|
yuan (CNY)
note:: also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB) |
|
Currency code:
|
CNY;RMB |
|
Exchange rates:
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yuan per US dollar - 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001),
8.2785 (2000), 8.2783 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year
|
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
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263 million (2003) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
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269 million (2003) |
|
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: country code - 86; 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) |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31
are provincial TV stations and nearly 3,000 are local city
stations) (1997) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.cn |
|
Internet hosts:
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160,421 (2003) |
|
Internet users:
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94 million (2004)
|
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Railways:
|
total: 70,058 km
standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (18,668 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local
industrial lines
dual gauge: 22,640 km (not included in total) (2003) |
|
Highways:
|
total: 1,402,698 km
paved: 314,204 km (with at least 16,314 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 1,088,494 km (2000) |
|
Waterways:
|
121,557 km (2002) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 15,890 km; oil 14,478 km; refined products 3,280 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang, Nanjing,
Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou,
Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang
(2001) |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total: 1,850 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,724,653 GRT/27,749,784
DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 355, cargo 822, chemical
tanker 28, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 2, container
165, liquefied gas 28, multi-functional large load carrier 8,
passenger 6, passenger/cargo 46, petroleum tanker 272, rail car
carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 25,
short-sea/passenger 39, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 4
foreign-owned: Cambodia 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 12, Japan
1, South Korea 2, Liberia 1, Malaysia 1, Panama 1, Taiwan 2,
Tanzania 1
registered in other countries: 790 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports:
|
507 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 332
over 3,047 m: 49
2,438 to 3,047 m: 97
1,524 to 2,437 m: 129
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 35 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 175
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 36
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 66 (2003 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
15 (2003 est.)
|
|
Military branches:
|
People's Liberation Army (PLA): comprises ground forces, Navy
(including naval infantry and naval aviation), Air Force, and II
Artillery Corps (strategic missile force), People's Armed Police
Force (internal security troops, nominally a state security body
but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed
forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA),
militia |
|
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
|
18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month
service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service; 17
years of age for women who meet requirements for specific
military jobs (2004) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males age 15-49: 379,524,688 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males age 15-49: 208,143,352 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
|
males: 12,494,201 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$60 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
3.5-5.0% (FY03 est.)
|
|
Disputes - international:
|
involved in complex dispute with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,
Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China
Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally
binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the
disputants; most of the rugged, militarized boundary with India
is in dispute, but the two sides are committed to begin
resolution with discussions on the least disputed Middle Sector;
Kashmir remains the world's largest and highly militarized
territorial dispute with portions under the de facto
administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir),
and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas), but recent
discussion and confidence-building measures among parties are
beginning to defuse tensions, India does not recognize
Pakistan's ceding lands to China in a 1964 boundary agreement;
China and Taiwan continue to assert their claims to the
Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) with
increased media coverage and protest actions; certain islands in
Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North
Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is
indefinite - China has been attempting to manage illegal
migration of North Koreans into northern China; China and Russia
in 2004 resolved their last border dispute over islands in the
Amur and Argun Rivers, but details on demarcation have not yet
been worked-out; boundary delimitation agreements signed in 2002
with Tajikistan cedes 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to
China in return for China's relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq
km, but demarcation has not commenced; agreements with Vietnam
demarcating maritime boundaries and fisheries cooperation in the
Gulf of Tonkin were ratified in June, and demarcation of the
land boundary continues; China occupies some of the Paracel
Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; in response to
groups in Burma and Thailand expressing concern over China's
plans to construct 13 hydroelectric dams on the Nu River in
Yunnan Province (Salween River in Burma), Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao suspended the project to conduct an environmental impact
assessment, a smaller scale version of only 4 dams is now
scheduled to move forward |
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|
refugees (country of origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) (2004) |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden
Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country
for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
|
This page was last updated on 10 February,
2005
|
