China Basics
From Lauren Mack, former About.com Guide
Geography of China
With 3.7 million square miles of terrain China's diverse landscape is roughly the size of the United States. Learn more about China's land and its regions here.
- Introduction to Chinese Geography
- China's Provinces
- Anhui Province Basics
- Gansu Province Basics
- Guangdong Province Basics
- Fujian Province Basics
- Guizhou Province Basics
- Hainan Province Basics
- Hebei Province Basics
- Heilongjiang Province Basics
- Henan Province Basics
- Hubei Province Basics
Chinese Cities
China has some of the largest cities in the world, including Shanghai with 19 million people and the Chinese capital city of Beijing, with more than 17 million people. Learn more about these cities as well as the smaller communities and villages in China.
Chinese Demographics
With more than 1.3 billion people, roughly one-fifth of the world's population is Chinese. Learn more about the Chinese people, the ethnic minorities in China, and the roughly 40,000,000 "overseas Chinese" who live in communities across the globe.
Government of China
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the China has been run by the Communist Party of China. China's state structure includes the National People's Congress, the President, the State Council, the Central Military Commission and the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate. The Communist Party has its own structure that mirrors the state structure. Learn more about the intricacies of the Chinese government here.
Economy of China
China's has the world's second-largest economy with a 2008 GDP of $7.8 trillion. In the last three decades since the implementation of policies to liberalize the Chinese economy, the country has experienced rapid growth. Learn more about how China experiences such fast-paced growth and how it has dealt with recent economic downturns.
- History of the Chinese Currency
- China's Response to the Global Recession
- China's Stimulus Package Explained
Chinese Language
Over one billion people speak some form of Chinese language. Learn more about the written form of Chinese, as well as the many dialects of China. A surprising number of English words and expressions are also derived from Chinese.