| Local name: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo |
| Surface : 9,571,300
sq km (3,695,500 sq miles).- Among the 5,400 islands, Taiwan
Island (about 36,000 square km) is the largest, Hainan Island (about
34,000 square km) the second. |
| Population :
1,265,100,830 (2000). Of which: the
total population of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and
municipalities (excluding Jinmen and Mazu islands of Fujian Province
hereafter) and of servicemen on the mainland of China was 1,265.83
million; the population of Hong Kong SAR was 6.78 million; the
population of Macao SAR was 440 thousand; the population of Taiwan
Province and of Jinmen, Mazu and a few other islands of Fujian
Province was 22.28 million. |
| Climate: China lies
mainly in the northern temperate zone under the influence of monsoon.
From September and October to March and April next year monsoon blow
from Siberia and the Mongolia Plateau into China and decrease in force
as it goes southward, causing dry and cold winter in the country and a
temperature difference of 40 degree centigrade between the north and
south. The temperature in China in the winter is 5 to 18 degree
centigrade lower than that in other countries on the same latitude in
winter. Monsoon blows into China from the ocean in summer, bringing
with them warm and wet currents, thus rain. Great differences in
climate are found from region to region owing to China's extensive
territory and complex topography. The northern part of Heilongjiang
Province in northeast China has no summer, Hainan Island has a long
summer but no winter; the Huaihe River valley features four distinct
seasons; the western part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is covered by
snow all year round; the southern part of the Yunan-Guizhou Plateau is
spring-like all the year; and the northwestern inland region sees a
great drop of temperature in the day. |
| Electricity:
AC 220 V, 50 Hz (bathrooms of many luxury and
medium-grade hotels may have 110-volt sockets). |
| PASSPORTS: Required
by all. Passport must be valid for at least six months for a single or
double entry within three months of the date of visa issue; at least
nine months for multiple entries within six months. VISAS:
Required by all except: Transit
passengers continuing their journey to another country within 24 hours
who hold valid onward documentation and do not leave the airport.
Note: China does
not recognise dual nationality (eg US-Chinese, Canadian-Chinese).
Travellers are required to complete a health declaration certificate
on arrival in China. HIV-positive travellers are not permitted to
enter the country. |
| Capital: Beijing
- Population: 12.59 million |
| System : People’s
Republic. China comprises 22 Provinces, five Autonomous Regions, two
Special Administrative Regions and four Municipalities directly under
Central Government. |
| Languages : Standard Chinese or
Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect)....Of the 56 ethnic
groups in China, the Hui and Manchu use the same languages as Han
people, while the rest of groups have their own spoken and written
languages. |
| Religions:
China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism, Islam,
Catholicism and Protestantism, with the first three being more wide
spread. |
| Money : Chinese
Money is called Renminbi
(RMB) (means "People's Currency"). The popular unit of RMB
is Yuan. 1 Yuan to 10 Jiao, 1 Jiao to 10 Fen (There are parts of China
the Yuan is also known as Kuai and Jiao is known as Mao. Chinese
currency is issued in the following denominations: one, two, five,
ten, fifty and a hundred Yuan; one, two and five Jiao; and one, two
and five Fen. |
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Mainland
China 86; Hong Kong 852; |
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