China by Tomas Vizcarro

China

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This article is about the People's Republic of China. For the Republic of China, see Taiwan. For other uses, see China (disambiguation) and PRC (disambiguation).

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People's Republic of China

中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó

Flag National Emblem

Anthem: 《义勇军进行曲》《義勇軍進行曲》 Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ (Pinyin) "March of the Volunteers"

Area controlled by the People's Republic of China shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

Note: Although Taipei is shown as one of the cities of the PRC, China does not hold actual sovereignty over Taiwan and its capital Taipei.

Capital Beijing[a] 39°55′N 116°23′E

Largest city Shanghai[1]

Official languages Standard Chinese[2][b] Recognised regional languages Mongolian· Tibetan· Uyghur· Zhuang· various others

Official written language Vernacular Chinese

Official script Simplified Chinese[2] Ethnic groups 91.51% Han[3]

55 minorities[c][show]

Demonym Chinese

Government

Single-par ty socialist state[4] - President Xi Jinping[d] - Premier Li Keqiang - Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang - Conference Chairman Yu Zhengsheng

Legislature National People's Congress

Formation

- Unification of China under the Qin Dynasty 221 BCE - Republic established 1 January 1912 - People's Republic proclaimed 1 October 1949

Area

- Total 9,596,961 km2[e] (3rd/4th) 3,705,407 sq mi - Water (%) 0.28%[f]

Population

- 2012 estimate 1,350,695,000[9] (1st) - 2010 census 1,339,724,852[10] (1st)

- Density 2011 estimate:[11] 144/km2 (83rd) 373/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2014 estimate - Total $14.625 trillion[12] (2nd) - Per capita $10,695[13] (88th) GDP (nominal) 2014 estimate - Total $10.028 trillion[13] (2nd) - Per capita $7,333[13] (82nd) Gini (2012) 47.4[14] high HDI (2013) Increase 0.719[15] high · 91st

Currency Renminbi (yuan)(¥)[g] (CNY)

Time zone China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Date format

yyyy-mm-dd or yyyy 年 m 月 d 日 (CE; CE-1949)

Drives on the right[h]

Calling code +86

ISO 3166 code CN

Internet TLD

.cn .中國 .中国

Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The PRC also claims Taiwan – which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity – as its 23rd province, a claim which is controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan.[17]

Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, China is the world's second-largest country by land area,[18] and either the third or four th-largest by total area, depending on the method of measurement.[i] China's landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes and the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts in the arid nor th to subtropical forests in the wetter south. The Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third- and sixth-longest in the world, run from the Tibetan Plateau to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometres (9,000 mi) long, and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East and South China Seas.

The history of China goes back to the ancient civilization – one of the world's earliest – that flourished in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the Nor th China Plain. For millennia, China's political system was based on hereditary monarchies, known as dynasties, beginning with the semimythological Xia of the Yellow River basin (c. 2000 BCE). Since 221 BCE, when the Qin Dynasty first conquered several states to form a Chinese empire, the country has expanded, fractured and been reformed numerous times. The Republic of China (ROC) over threw the last dynasty in 1911, and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949. After the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World War II, the Communist Par ty defeated the nationalist Kuomintang in mainland China and

established the People's Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, while the Kuomintang relocated the ROC government to its present capital of Taipei.

The economic history of China stretches over thousands of years and has undergone alternating cycles of prosperity and decline. China was for a large par t of the last two millennia the world's largest and most advanced economy.[19][20] Since the introduction of economic reforms in 1978, China has become one of the world's fastest-growing major economies. As of 2013, it is the world's second-largest economy by both nominal total GDP and purchasing power parity (PPP), and is also the world's largest exporter and impor ter of goods.[21] China is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's largest standing army, with the second-largest defence budget.[22] The PRC has been a United Nations member since 1971, when it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM and the G-20. China is a regional power within Asia and has been characterized as a potential superpower by a number of commentators. China

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the People's Republic of China. For the Republic of China, see Taiwan. For other uses, see China (disambiguation) and PRC (disambiguation).

This is a good ar ticle. Click here for more information.

Page semi-protected

People's Republic of China

中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó

Flag National Emblem

Anthem: 《义勇军进行曲》《義勇軍進行曲》 Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ (Pinyin) "March of the Volunteers"

Area controlled by the People's Republic of China shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

Note: Although Taipei is shown as one of the cities of the PRC, China does not hold actual sovereignty over Taiwan and its capital Taipei.

Capital Beijing[a] 39°55′N 116°23′E

Largest city Shanghai[1]

Official languages Standard Chinese[2][b] Recognised regional languages Mongolian· Tibetan· Uyghur· Zhuang· various others

Official written language Vernacular Chinese Official script Simplified Chinese[2] Ethnic groups 91.51% Han[3]

55 minorities[c][show]

Demonym Chinese

Government Single-par ty socialist state[4] - President Xi Jinping[d] - Premier Li Keqiang - Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang - Conference Chairman Yu Zhengsheng

Legislature National People's Congress

Formation

- Unification of China under the Qin Dynasty 221 BCE - Republic established 1 January 1912 - People's Republic proclaimed 1 October 1949

Area

- Total 9,596,961 km2[e] (3rd/4th) 3,705,407 sq mi - Water (%) 0.28%[f]

Population

- 2012 estimate 1,350,695,000[9] (1st) - 2010 census 1,339,724,852[10] (1st) - Density 2011 estimate:[11] 144/km2 (83rd) 373/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2014 estimate - Total $14.625 trillion[12] (2nd) - Per capita $10,695[13] (88th) GDP (nominal) 2014 estimate - Total $10.028 trillion[13] (2nd) - Per capita $7,333[13] (82nd)

Gini (2012) 47.4[14] high HDI (2013) Increase 0.719[15] high · 91st

Currency Renminbi (yuan)(¥)[g] (CNY)

Time zone China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Date format

yyyy-mm-dd or yyyy 年 m 月 d 日 (CE; CE-1949)

Drives on the right[h]

Calling code +86

ISO 3166 code CN

Internet TLD

.cn .中國 .中国

China (Listeni/ ˈtʃaɪnə/; simplified Chinese: 中国 ; traditional Chinese: 中國 ; pinyin: Zh ōngguó), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a sovereign state located in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a single-par ty state governed by the Communist Par ty, with its seat of government in the capital city of Beijing.[16] It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The PRC also claims Taiwan – which is controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), a separate political entity – as its 23rd province, a claim which is controversial due to the complex political status of Taiwan.[17]

diverse, ranging from forest steppes and the Gobi and Taklamakan deser ts in the arid nor th to subtropical forests in the wetter south. The Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third- and sixth-longest in the world, run from the Tibetan Plateau to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometres (9,000 mi) long, and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East and South China Seas.

The history of China goes back to the ancient civilization â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of the world's earliest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that flourished in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the Nor th China Plain. For millennia, China's political system was based on hereditary monarchies, known as dynasties, beginning with the semimythological Xia of the Yellow River basin (c. 2000 BCE). Since 221 BCE, when the Qin Dynasty first conquered several states to form a Chinese empire, the country has expanded, fractured and been reformed numerous times. The Republic of China (ROC) over threw the last dynasty in 1911, and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949. After the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World War II, the Communist Par ty defeated the nationalist Kuomintang in mainland China and established the People's Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, while the Kuomintang relocated the ROC government to its present capital of Taipei.

economy by both nominal total GDP and purchasing power parity (PPP), and is also the world's largest exporter and impor ter of goods.[21] China is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's largest standing army, with the second-largest defence budget.[22] The PRC has been a United Nations member since 1971, when it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM and the G-20. China is a regional power within Asia and has been characterized as a potential superpower by a number of commentators. Etymology Main ar ticle: Names of China [show]China This ar ticle contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering suppor t, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. The word "China" is derived from the Persian word Chin ( ‫)چییین‬, which is from the Sanskrit word C īna (चीन).[27] It is first recorded in 1516 in the journal of the Por tuguese explorer Duar te Barbosa.[28] The journal was translated and published in England in 1555.[29] The traditional theory, proposed in the 17th century by Martino Martini, is that Cīna is derived from "Qin" ( 秦 ), the westernmost of the Chinese kingdoms during the Zhou Dynasty.[30] However, the word was used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata (5th century BC) and the Laws of Manu (2nd century BC).[31][32]

The official name of the present country is the People's Republic of China (Chinese: 中华人民共和国 ; pinyin: Zhōnghuá

Rénmín Gònghéguó). The common Chinese names for the country are Zh ōngguó (Chinese: 中国, from zh ōng, "central" or "middle", and gu ó, "state" or "states," and in modern times, "nation") and Zh ōnghuá (Chinese: 中华), although the country's official name has been changed numerous times by successive dynasties and modern governments. The term Zhōngguó appeared in various ancient texts, such as the Classic of History of the 6th century BCE,[j] and in preimperial times it was often used as a cultural concept to distinguish the Huaxia tribes from perceived "barbarians". The term, which can be either singular or plural, referred to the group of states or provinces in the central plain, but was not used as a name for the country as a whole until the nineteenth century. The Chinese were not unique in regarding their country as "central", with other civilizations having the same view of themselves.[33] Prehistory Main article: Chinese prehistory

Jade deer ornament dating Dynasty (17th–11th centuries BCE)

from

the Shang

Archaeological evidence suggests that early hominids inhabited China between 250,000 and 2.24 million years ago. [34] A cave in Zhoukoudian (near present-day Beijing) exhibits hominid fossils dated at between 680,000 and 780,000 BCE. [35] The fossils are of Peking Man, an example of Homo erectus who used fire. [36] The Peking Man site has also yielded remains of Homo sapiens dating back to 18,000–11,000 BCE.

[37]

Some scholars asser t that a form of proto[38] writing existed in China as early as 3000 BCE. According to Chinese tradition, the first imperial dynasty was the Xia, which emerged around 2070 BCE. [39] However, the dynasty was considered mythical by historians until scientific excavations found early Bronze A ge sites at Erlitou, Henan in 1959. [40] It remains unclear whether these sites are the remains of the Xia Dynasty or of another culture from the same period. [41]