World Country Guide

Area
9,572,900 sq km (3,696,100 sq miles).

Population
1,284,530,000 (official estimate 2002). Roughly a quarter of the world’s population lives in China.

Population Density
134.2 per sq km.

Capital
Beijing (Peking). Population: 10,839,000 (2000). The largest city in the country, Shanghai, has a population of over 12 million and, as of 2000, 22 other cities had a population of over two million and 42 cities had a population of one to two million.

Geography
China is bordered to the north by Russia and Mongolia; to the east by Korea (Dem Rep), the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea; to the south by Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan and Nepal; and to the west by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. China has a varied terrain ranging from high plateaux in the west to flatlands in the east; mountains take up almost one-third of the land. The most notable high mountain ranges are the Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tian Shan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. On the border with Nepal is the 8848m-(29,198ft-) high Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest). In the west is the Qinghai/Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 4000m (13,200ft), known as ‘the Roof of the World’. At the base of the Tian Shan Mountains is the Turpan Depression or Basin, China’s lowest area, 154m (508ft) below sea level at the lowest point. China has many great river systems, notably the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze Kiang (Chang Jiang). Only 10 per cent of all China is suitable for agriculture.

Government
People’s Republic. China comprises 22 Provinces, five Autonomous Regions, two Special Administrative Regions and four Municipalities directly under Central Government. Head of State: President Hu Jintao since 2003. Head of Government: Premier Wen Jiabao since 2003. Jiang Zemin, however, retains much actual power in China.

Language
The official language is Mandarin Chinese. Among the enormous number of local dialects, large groups speak Cantonese, Fukienese, Xiamenhua and Hakka in the south. Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, which are autonomous regions, have their own languages. Translation and interpreter services are good. English is spoken by many guides.

Religion
The principal religions and philosophies are Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. There are 100 million Buddhists and approximately 60 million Muslims, five million Protestants (including large numbers of Evangelicals) and four million Roman Catholics, largely independent of Vatican control.

Time
GMT + 8. Despite the vast size of the country, Beijing time is standard throughout China.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in use.

Communications

Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 86. Outgoing international code: 00. Antiquated internal service with public telephones in hotels and shops displaying a telephone unit sign. It is often easier to make international phone calls from China than it is to make calls internally.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 and 1800 networks provide coverage in Beijing, Guangzhou (Canton) and Shanghai; GSM 900 networks also exist in most other major urban areas in the southeastern and eastern regions including Chengdu and Chongqing. Networks are operated by China Mobile and China Unicom (website: www.chinaunicom.com.cn).

Fax
A growing number of hotels offer fax facilities but are often incoming only. Rates are generally high. Faxes can also be sent from Internet cafes.

Internet
ISPs include Eastnet China Ltd (website: www.eastnet.com.cn). There are Internet cafes in main towns.

Post
Service to Europe takes from between two days and one week. Tourist hotels usually have their own post offices. All postal communications to China should be addressed ‘People’s Republic of China’.

Press
The main English-language daily is the China Daily. There is also the weekly news magazine Beijing Review, with editions in English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. National newspapers include The Guangming Daily and The Worker’s Daily, with many provinces having their own local dailies as well.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.