Facts About China

  • The world’s largest national population, more than 1.3 billion people – 20% of the Earth’s entire population
  • More than 90% of the population live in the eastern third of the country
  • Full official name is the People’s Republic of China
  • Capital city is Beijing, largest city is Shanghai
  • Main language is Mandarin Chinese, which has more native speakers than any other language
  • The world’s fastest growing and second largest economy, after overtaking Japan in 2011
  • Fourth-largest country by area (after Russia, Canada and the US)
  • The only country other than Russia and US to have launched a manned space flight; government has set target of establishing a space station by 2020
  • Under Communist rule since 1949
  • The world’s second-largest oil consumer, after the US
  • Very diverse climate – from tropical in the south to subarctic in the northeast
  • Chinese cities frequently appear in reports on the world’s most polluted places