China is the most populous country in the world , and is third largest in terms of land size, after Russia and Canada.

China is located in eastern Asia, bounded by the Pacific in the east. Its vast land area of 9.6 million square kilometers is equal to one-fifteenth of the world's land mass, displaying the countries enormity.

China's continental coastline extends for roughly 18,000 kilometers, with its vast sea surface comprising of more than 5,000 islands of which Taiwan and Hainan are the largest.

China has the largest population in the world, in 2008 the population reached 1.328 billion , which totals approximately 22% of the total world population.
The population distribution in China is uneven, with more in the east (more than 300 persons per square kilometer) and fewer in the west (about 40 persons per square kilometer). The national average density of population is 119 per square kilometer (1990 census), and there is on average 3.7 persons per household. The proportion of population aged between 0-14 is 26.4 percent, those aged 15-64 ?make up 67.2 percent of the population, and the percentage of the people aged 65 and over stands at 6.4 percent.

What is China’s capital like?
The capital of China is Beijing, which is located in the north, ( “Bei” means north and “Jing” means capital)Beijing , as the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China is the seat of power for one of the most populous and fastest developing countries in the world. It is a city of great historical culture, with a vibrant, and ever increasing modern edge. The historical ancient background of the city is made most famous by The Great Wall, one of the seven wonders in the world.

. As well as encapsulating the archaic historical beauty of Beijing, the capital city of the People's Republic of China also boasts ever growing vibrant night life and entertainment centersChinese call their capital Jing for short, and the name Peking, dating from a time before the standardization of the Chinese language, is still used in many languages around the world.

Beijing has a long history, tied to the history of its name. Archeological findings show that Peking Men ?dated 500,000 years ago, lived for a very long time in Zhoukoudian in a cave system in Beijing Municipality. From the warring states period (401 – 221 BC), Beijing was the capital of Yan State and was called Ji. In the Liao Dynasty (938) it was named Nanjing (Southern Capital). It was changed to Zhongdu (Central Capital) in 1153, when it became the capital of the Jin Dynasty. In 1283, Beijing became the capital city of the Yuan Dynasty and was called Dadu (Great Capital) by its Mongol rulers. In 1368 the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Mongols and called Beijing Beiping (Northern Peace). From 1421 it was known as Jingshi (Model Capital) and when the Qing Dynasty captured Beijing in 1644, it continued with that name. During the Republican Era the capital was called Beijing in 1911, then Nanjing became the capital of China briefly in 1928, and Beijing reverted to the name Beiping. When Mao Zedong began the Era of the People’s Republic in 1949, Beijing was set in its current position (with its current name) as national capital (shoudu).

How many nationalities are there in China?

The People's Republic of China is a unified, multi-national country, comprising of 56 nationalities. The Han people make up 91.02 percent of the total population, leaving 8.98 percent for the other 55 ethnic minorities. They are Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Bouyei, Korean, Manchu, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, Kazak, Dai, Li, Lisu, Va, She, Gaoshan, Lahu, Shui, Dongxiang, Naxi, Jingpo, Kirgiz, Tu, Daur, Mulam, Qiang, Blang, Salar, Maonan, Gelo, Xibe, Achang, Pumi, Tajik, Nu, Ozbek, Russian, Ewenki, Benglong, Bonan, Yugur, Jing, Tatar, Drung, Oroqen, Hezhen, Moinba, Lhoba and Gelo.
All nationalities in China are equal according to the law, as the State protects their lawful rights and interests and promotes equality, unity and mutual help among them.

How many religions are there in China??

China is a multi-religious country, consisting of Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. However, the first three are more widely spread.
Various religions exert different influence on different ethnic groups. Islam is followed by the Hui, Uygur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Tatar, Dongxiang, Salar and Bonan nationalities; Buddhism and Lamaism are followed by the Tibetan, Mongolian, Dai and Yugur nationalities; Christianity is followed by the Miao, Yao and Yi nationalities; Shamanism is followed by the Oroqen, Ewenki and Daur nationalities; the majority Han nationality believes in Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism.

China is regarded as one of the world's oldest civilizations. It ossesses the most advanced society, economy and culture in the world through successive dynasties, although during the industrial revolution China began to decline.

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is to be said as the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. The written history of China can be found as early as the Shang Dynasty (1700 BC – 1046 BC). Oracle bones with ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty have been radiocarbon dated to as early as 1500 BC, and the origins of Chinese culture, literature and philosophy developed during the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC-256 BC).

How fast has China developed?
China has become a major player in the global economy. It now produces the largest crops of grains, meat, cotton, peanuts, rape seed and fruits in the world, and the third-largest crops of tea, soybean and sugar cane. It’s the world's largest producer of steel, coal, cement, fertilizers and TV sets in the world, and is the second-largest producer of electricity, cotton cloth and chemical fiber.

Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment.
China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. For example, in recent years they’ve re-invigorated its support for leading state-owned enterprises in sectors it considers important to "economic security," explicitly looking to foster globally competitive national champions.
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 2009 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income.
After keeping its currency tightly linked to the US dollar for years, China in July 2005 revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Cumulative appreciation of the Renmingbi against the US dollar since the end of the dollar peg was more than 20% by late 2008, but the exchange rate has remained virtually pegged since the onset of the global financial crisis.
The Chinese government faces numerous economic development challenges, including: (a) reducing its high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low domestic demand through increased corporate transfers and a strengthened social safety net; (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.