Basic
Knowledge
of China
National
Summary:
conventional long
form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
abbreviation: PRC
data code: CH
capital: Beijing (Peking).
Location:
China is situated in the eastern
part of Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, in the
southeastern part of the Eurasian contient, bordering the East
China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between
North Korea and Vietnam . It's border countries include Afghanistan,
Bhutan, Burma, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan,
Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia (northeast),
Russia (northwest), Tajikistan, and Vietnam. It's geographic
coordinates is 35 00 N, 105 00 E.
Size:
China covers covers an area of 9.6 million
square km, which is approximately one-fifteenth of the land
area of the world.
National
Flag:
The national flag has five yellow, five-pointed stars on the
upper left part on a field of red. The red color of the flag
symbolizes revolution. The larger star represents the Communist
Party of China (CPC) and the four smaller ones, the Chinese
people. This expresses the great unity of the Chinese people
under the leadership of the CPC.
National
Emblem:
The national emblem of the PRC features Tiananmen
Gate beneath the five shining stars, encircled by ears of grain
and with a cogwheel at the bottom.
National
Anthem:
The national anthem was written in
1935, with lyrics by the noted poet Tian Han and music by the
famous composer Nie Er. Download China's national anthem in
MP3
or MIDI.
Administrative
Institutions:
At present,China was divided into 23 provinces
(Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang,
Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai,
Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Taiwan),
5 autonomous regions (Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang,
Tibet), 4 municipalities (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin),
and 1 special administrative region (Hongkong).
Population:
China has the largest population in the
world. In 1998, there were 1,248.1 million people living on
the mainland (excluding those living in Hong Kong, Taiwan and
Macao), accounting for 22 percent of the world population.
Male ------------------ 581.82 million, 51.5 percent of the total
Female ---------------- 548.69 million, 48.5 percent of the total
Growth rate ------------ 0.77%
Birth rate ------------ 15.1 births/1,000 population
Death rate ------------ 6.98 deaths/1,000 population
Ethnic
groups:
Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,
Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities
8.1%
population and distribution of ethnic minorities
(based on the Fourth National Census data on July 1, 1990)
| Ethnic Group |
Population(10,000) |
Major Areas
of Distribution |
| Mongolian
|
480.24 |
Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang,
Liaoning, Jilin,Heilongjiang, Gansu, Hebei,
Henan and Qinghai |
| Hui |
861.20 |
Ningxia, Gansu, Henan,
Hebei, Qinghai,Shandong,Yunnan, Xinjiang,
Anhui, Liaoning,Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shaanxi,
Beijing andTianjin |
| Tibetan |
459.31 |
Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan,
Gansu and Yunnan |
| Uygur |
720.70 |
Xinjiang |
| Miao |
738.36 |
Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan,
Guangxi, Sichuan,Hainan and Hubei |
| Yi |
657.85 |
Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou
and Guangxi |
| Zhuang |
1,555.58 |
Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong
and Guizhou |
| Bouyei |
254.83 |
Guizhou |
| Korean |
192.34 |
Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjing
|
| Manchu |
984.68 |
Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang,
Hebei, Beijing,and Inner Mongolia |
| Dong |
250.68 |
Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi
|
| Yao |
213.70 |
Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan,
Guangdong and Guizhou |
| Bai |
159.81 |
Yunnan and Guizhou |
| Tujia |
572.50 |
Hunan and Hubei |
| Hani |
125.48 |
Yunnan |
| Kazak |
111.08 |
Xinjiang, Gansu and Qinghai
|
| Dai |
102.54 |
Yunnan |
| Li |
111.25 |
Hainan |
| Lisu |
57.46 |
Yunnan and Sichuan |
| Va |
35.20 |
Yunnan |
| She |
63.47 |
Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi
and Guangdong |
| Gaoshan |
0.29 |
Taiwan (the figure excludes
the Gaoshan ethnic group in Taiwan Province)
and Fujian |
| Lahu |
41.15 |
Yunnan |
| Shui |
34.71 |
Guizhou and Guangxi |
| Dongxiang |
37.37 |
Gansu and Xinjiang |
| Naxi |
27.78 |
Yunnan and Sichuan |
| Jingpo |
11.93 |
Yunnan |
| Kirgiz |
14.35 |
Xinjiang and Heilongjiang
|
| Tu |
19.26 |
Qinghai and Gansu |
| Daur |
12.15 |
Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang
and Xinjiang |
| Mulam |
16.06 |
Guangxi |
| Qiang |
19.83 |
Sichuan |
| Bulang |
8.24 |
Yunnan |
| Salar |
8.75 |
Qinghai and Gansu |
| Maonan |
7.24 |
Guangxi |
| Gelo |
43.82 |
Guizhou and Guangxi |
| Xibo |
17.29 |
Xinjiang, Liaoning and
Jilin |
| Achang |
2.77 |
Yunnan |
| Pumi |
2.97 |
Yunnan |
| Tajik |
3.32 |
Xinjiang |
| Nu |
2.72 |
Yunnan |
| Ozbek |
1.48 |
Xinjiang |
| Russian |
1.35 |
Xinjiang |
| Ewenki |
2.64 |
Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang
|
| De'ang |
1.55 |
Yunnan |
| Bao'an |
1.17 |
Gansu |
| Yugu |
1.23 |
Gansu |
| Jing |
1.87 |
Guangxi |
| Tartar |
0.51 |
Xinjiang |
| Drung |
0.58 |
Yunnan |
| Oroqen |
0.70 |
Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang
|
| Hezhen |
0.43 |
Heilongjiang |
| Monba |
0.75 |
Tibet |
| Loba |
0.23 |
Tibet |
| Jino |
1.80 |
Yunnan |
|
Topography:
The topography of China is complex, high in the west
and low-lying in the east. Mountains, hills and plateaus account
for 65 percent of the country's land area. Among the world's
19 mountain peaks, 8,000 meters above sea level or higher, China
has seven. China also abounds in rivers and lakes. The total
length of rivers runs to 220,000 km. More than 5,000 rivers
have a catchment area exceeding 100 square km. More than 2,800
lakes are more than one square km in size, among which 13 have
a water surface of more than 1,000 square km.
Climate:
China's climate is determined by the interplay between
seasonally changing mosoons-- the winter monsoon, polar continental
air masses from Siberia which cause cold, arid winters, and
the summer monsoon, the tropical pacific air masses which cause
hot summers. Due to China's size-- an expanse of land covering
more than 35 degrees of latitude-- and complex topography, there
are pronounced variations in climate from region to region.
Extremely cold, dry Siberian winds blow over the Mongolian Plateau
seaward into North China from September to April. In the south
they are blocked by parallel mountain ranges such as Qinling
in Shaanxi, Dabie Shan in Anhui/Henan/Hubei and Nanling in southern
Hunan.
Average Temperatures in Major Chinese Cities
(Degree in Centigrade)
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Yearly |
| Beijing |
-3.7 |
-1.8 |
6.9 |
15.0 |
21.3 |
25.3 |
25.1 |
24.5 |
19.8 |
11.4 |
3.4 |
-1.7 |
12.1 |
| Changchun |
-17.1 |
-12.0 |
-1.2 |
6.5 |
15.2 |
21.5 |
21.6 |
20.2 |
14.8 |
5.6 |
-4.2 |
-10.6 |
5.0 |
| Changsha |
5.6 |
6.4 |
10.8 |
16.9 |
23.4 |
25.6 |
28.4 |
29.3 |
27.8 |
24.2 |
19.1 |
15.8 |
22.1 |
| Chengdu |
6.4 |
6.7 |
10.8 |
15.6 |
21.5 |
23.8 |
23.3 |
22.9 |
20.2 |
15.4 |
10.2 |
8.7 |
15.2 |
| Chongqing |
7.0 |
10.0 |
14.5 |
19.5 |
23.0 |
25.5 |
29.0 |
30.0 |
25.0 |
19.0 |
14.0 |
10.5 |
18.9 |
| Fuzhou |
10.4 |
9.1 |
12.4 |
18.5 |
22.5 |
26.0 |
29.0 |
28.9 |
24.5 |
18.4 |
12.1 |
8.4 |
17.6 |
| Guangzhou |
13.9 |
13.1 |
16.9 |
23.3 |
26.2 |
27.3 |
28.1 |
28.7 |
26.9 |
22.7 |
18.0 |
16.8 |
21.9 |
| Guilin |
8.2 |
9.5 |
13.0 |
18.2 |
23.4 |
26.4 |
28.0 |
28.7 |
26.1 |
21.0 |
15.8 |
10.5 |
19.1 |
| Guiyang |
6.3 |
5.3 |
11.6 |
15.4 |
20.0 |
22.6 |
23.3 |
22.9 |
20.2 |
15.4 |
10.2 |
8.7 |
15.2 |
| Harbin |
-20.2 |
-14.2 |
2.5 |
6.0 |
14.7 |
21.3 |
22.2 |
19.8 |
14.3 |
4.1 |
-5.5 |
-12.7 |
3.9 |
| Hangzhou |
4.3 |
4.5 |
9.7 |
15.2 |
21.3 |
24.5 |
28.4 |
27.8 |
22.5 |
16.9 |
11.8 |
7.1 |
16.2 |
| Hefei |
3.1 |
3.7 |
9.6 |
15.7 |
22.2 |
25.0 |
26.6 |
27.1 |
22.7 |
16.2 |
9.8 |
4.5 |
15.5 |
| Hohhot |
-11.0 |
-9.5 |
-0.3 |
7.7 |
18.1 |
21.1 |
22.7 |
20.8 |
14.2 |
6.1 |
-4.6 |
-10.0 |
6.3 |
| Hong Kong |
15.9 |
14.7 |
17.6 |
22.6 |
25.9 |
28.0 |
28.5 |
29.0 |
27.8 |
25.0 |
20.6 |
17.7 |
22.8 |
| Jinan |
-0.1 |
0.9 |
9.1 |
16.5 |
22.8 |
27.0 |
28.2 |
25.6 |
22.3 |
14.2 |
7.3 |
1.2 |
14.6 |
| Kunming |
7.5 |
10.0 |
12.3 |
16.3 |
19.0 |
20.5 |
18.8 |
18.7 |
16.6 |
14.0 |
11.6 |
9.0 |
14.5 |
| Lanzhou |
-4.9 |
-1.2 |
4.2 |
11.5 |
18.0 |
18.8 |
21.4 |
20.9 |
16.7 |
10.2 |
1.6 |
-3.0 |
9.5 |
| Lhasa |
-0.4 |
1.2 |
4.9 |
7.2 |
11.8 |
17.3 |
16.7 |
15.5 |
12.5 |
6.0 |
2.1 |
-0.7 |
7.8 |
| Nanchang |
5.9 |
6.7 |
10.9 |
17.0 |
23.9 |
25.7 |
29.0 |
28.9 |
24.5 |
18.4 |
12.1 |
8.4 |
17.6 |
| Nanjing |
2.4 |
3.0 |
8.7 |
14.6 |
21.1 |
24.6 |
26.7 |
26.9 |
22.3 |
15.8 |
9.8 |
4.5 |
15.0 |
| Nanning |
13.7 |
12.9 |
18.3 |
23.2 |
25.9 |
27.6 |
28.1 |
28.7 |
26.9 |
22.7 |
18.0 |
16.8 |
21.9 |
| Shanghai |
3.3 |
4.1 |
8.7 |
13.8 |
19.9 |
24.1 |
27.5 |
27.4 |
22.6 |
17.3 |
12.7 |
7.0 |
15.7 |
| Shenyang |
-11.9 |
-7.5 |
2.6 |
9.7 |
17.0 |
22.2 |
23.2 |
22.3 |
17.0 |
8.4 |
0.1 |
-5.8 |
8.1 |
| Shijiazhuang |
-1.9 |
-0.6 |
7.7 |
15.4 |
21.3 |
26.4 |
26.5 |
24.7 |
20.7 |
11.9 |
4.4 |
-0.5 |
13.0 |
| Suzhou |
3.5 |
4.0 |
8.5 |
12.8 |
18.0 |
24.1 |
27.0 |
27.1 |
21.7 |
16.8 |
13.0 |
6.9 |
15.3 |
| Taipei |
14.9 |
14.0 |
17.1 |
22.1 |
25.1 |
27.5 |
29.0 |
29.2 |
26.7 |
24.1 |
21.1 |
17.9 |
22.4 |
| Taiyuan |
-5.2 |
-4.3 |
4.3 |
11.5 |
18.8 |
22.3 |
23.7 |
29.0 |
16.4 |
8.7 |
1.0 |
-0.3 |
10.5 |
| Tianjin |
-3.2 |
-1.3 |
6.4 |
15.1 |
20.7 |
25.0 |
25.9 |
25.2 |
21.2 |
12.4 |
4.6 |
-0.9 |
12.6 |
| Urumqi |
-11.7 |
-11.6 |
-0.9 |
8.5 |
17.5 |
20.0 |
24.9 |
22.4 |
17.5 |
6.7 |
-3.7 |
-10.2 |
6.6 |
| Wuhan |
2.7 |
5.2 |
10.6 |
16.4 |
21.2 |
25.7 |
29.5 |
27.9 |
22.9 |
16.6 |
11.4 |
5.6 |
16.4 |
| Xi'an |
1.4 |
2.1 |
7.9 |
14.4 |
20.7 |
24.8 |
26.6 |
25.1 |
20.5 |
12.9 |
5.9 |
1.6 |
13.7 |
| Xining |
-7.0 |
-3.9 |
1.3 |
7.0 |
13.4 |
14.4 |
16.9 |
15.8 |
12.3 |
7.0 |
-3.0 |
-5.3 |
5.9 |
| Yinchuan |
-7.1 |
-5.2 |
1 8 |
10.1 |
19.1 |
21.2 |
23.3 |
20.9 |
15.7 |
8.3 |
-0.4 |
-6.1 |
8.5 |
| Zhengzhou |
0.8 |
1.1 |
8.3 |
15.9 |
21.9 |
26.7 |
27.4 |
25.6 |
20.6 |
13.6 |
6.9 |
1.9 |
14.2 |
|
Languages:
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 divisions entry)
Religions:
China is a country with several religions, of which the
major ones are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity. It
also has the Orthodox Eastern Church, as well as some specific
religions and folk beliefs held by the minority ethnic groups.
|
