All About China

The most populated country in the world with 1.3 billion people (2016) is China, found on the continent of Asia, situated on its southeast coast. It is the fourth largest in size with only Russia, Canada and the United States being larger. It is 3.6 million square miles and occupies one-fourteenth the land area of Earth stretching over 3,000 miles east to west as well as north to south.

China borders many countries. Its border to the north in Mongolia; the northwest with Kazakhstan; the west with Kyrgyzstan and others; the southwest with Nepal and India; the south with Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and others; and to its east is the China Sea and Taiwan, North and South Korea, and Japan. China's terrain includes mountains, high plateaus, sandy deserts, and dense forests.

Its official name is the People's Republic of China and the country is separated into 33 administrative units and not states like the United Sates. The capital of China is Beijing and it is the economic, cultural, and communications center of the country, with Shanghai is the center of industry, and the leading commercial center and port is Hong Kong.

It is a communist country meaning it is a one-party state and people do not vote in elections. There are no political parties and the country is ruled be a very powerful central government. In addition, citizens have less economic and personal freedoms when compared with the United States. For example, in China a citizen may not visit certain web sites on the Internet, protest in public, or start a business as easily as citizens in America.

There is a large workforce in China and the government is beginning to lift some restrictions due to this fact and the availability lots of natural resources can be found in the country. Much of the work in China relies on many of the products exported to other countries in the world.

China was once ruled by a series of emperors, supreme leaders of a country who have control over a nation and undisputed power. The last emperor was overthrown in 1912 and China became a republic, though communism began following a civil war in 1949. Before the 1900s, its history was divided into dynasties, which are periods of time when an emperor or rulers of the same family are the leaders of a country. There has been a total of 13 dynasties. The first was the Xia Dynasty beginning in 2070 BC and lasting 470 years.

China is home to many landmarks and attractions including the Giant Panda, Chinese alligator, snow leopard, and red panda. The Great Pandas are deeply loved by the Chinese and are a Natural Treasure. Only 2,000 of the endangered animals are alive in the world. Its two main rivers are the 3^rd and 4^th longest in the world-the Yangtze at 3,915 miles and the Yellow at 3,395 miles. In addition, the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, is located on the border of Nepal and China.

Other attractions include the Great Wall of China, built to prevent invasions, it is 3,100 miles long and has been standing for over 2,300 years. The Terracotta Army includes life-sized models representing the army that united China and was underground for 2,000 years until it was discovered in 1974.

Finally, with its long history and huge population, there is much more to learn and explore about China, including its alphabet of 50,000 characters and its biggest celebration, Chinese New Year, where everyone turns one year older on the same day each year in January. China's influence on the world will continue for many centuries and longer.