Brief China

China is called 'Zhongguo' (中國 or 中国) in Chinese. The character zhōng means "middle" or central, the latter, guo', means land, or kingdom.

Capital Beijing

Government Socialist Republic

Currency Renminbi (RMB, ¥)

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Area 9,596,960 km2

Geography - note: World's Third largest country (after Russia, Canada); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

Population 1,321,851,888 (July 2007 est.)

Language national: Mandarin (Putonghua) Regional :Wu (Shanghaiese), Cantonese (Yue), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

Religion Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% (officially atheist)