China

China Where do you begin, in a country so big as China?! The civilizations of China is one of the worlds oldest and thereby it makes its history one of most rich but also complex. Comming from the west this will be a whole other world with everything from desert, peaks, caves, imperial ruins, to metropolises. You will for example find Beijing as one historic museum, only waiting for you to explore, or Shanghai, one of the worlds largest cities and the centre of trade and industry in China. Not to forget, the Chinese wall, the worlds longest construction, must be seen. This wall goes 2200 years back,where the first part was build, and today it is still standing, even after beeing used as protection af invaders. Can it be more amazing?!

Area: 9.575.388 Km²
Population: 1.273.111.000 (2001 est.)
Density: 133 pop/Km²

System of government: Popular republic
Capital: Beijing (6.800.000 pop., 11.300.000 urban aggl.)
Major cities: Shanghai 7.300.000 pop. (13.585.000 urban aggl.), Tianjin 9.315.000 pop., Chongqing 7.000.000 pop., Wuhan 6.200.000 pop., Guangzhou 5.000.000 pop., Dalian (Lüda) 5.000.000 pop., Shenyang 4.500.000 pop., Chengdu 2.700.000 pop., Harbin 2.600.000 pop., Nanjing 2.500.000 pop., Qingdao 2.300.000 pop., Xi'an 2.200.000 pop., Anshan 2.000.000 pop., Kunming 1.900.000 pop.; Changchun, Guiyang, Lanzhou, Taiyuan, Tangshan 1.800.000 pop.; Baotou, Chengchow, Fushun, Tsinan 1.600.000 pop.; Jilin, Tsitsihar 1.500.000 pop.; Changsha, Fuzhou, Hangchow, Nanchang, Shijiazhuang 1.200.000 pop.; Changshu, Chaozhou, Dongguan, Fuxian, Haicheng, Handan, Hefei, Huainan, Huzhou, Leshan, Liupanshui, Luoyang, Nanning, Ningbo, Pingxiang, Quzhou, Tai'an, Tatung, Tianshui, Ürümqi, Weifang, Yancheng, Yueyang, Zaozhuang, Zhongshan, Zibo 1.000.000 pop.
Ethnic majority: Han Chinese 93%, Mongol, Korean, Manchu, Zhuang, Hui, Uygur, Yi, Miao, Tibetan and others 7%
Border countries: Mongolia and Russia NORTH, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan NORTH-WEST, Tajikistan and Afghanistan WEST, Pakistan and India SOUTH-WEST, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Vietnam SOUTH, North Korea EAST

Principal mountains: Everest 8850 m, K2 8616 m, Lhotse 8516 m, Makalu 8463 m, Cho Oyu 8201 m, Gasherbrum I 8068 m, Broad Peak 8047 m, Xixabangma Feng 8046 m, Gasherbrum II 8035 m
Principal rivers: Chang Jiang 5800 Km, Huang He 4845 Km, Xi Jiang 2129 Km
Principal lakes: Qinghai Hu 4000 Km², Dongting Hu 3100 Km², Lop Nur 2500 Km², Hulun Nur 2400 Km², Tai Hu 2240 Km², Poyang Hu 1800 Km², Hanka 4400 Km² (total, with russian part)
Principal islands: Hainan 33.670 Km²
Climate: Extremely diverse (Himalayan, Polar, Continental, Temperate, Tropical)

Language: Mandarin (official), Yue, Wu, Hakka, Xiang, Gan, Min, Zhuang, Hui, Yi and others
Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist
Currency: Yuan (CNY)

Fixed public holidays: 1/1, 2/1, 5/4, 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 28/9, 1/10, 2/10, 3/10, 10/10, 25/10, 12/11, 25/12
Dialling code: 0086
GMT: +8

World Heritage List:

• Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang (1987, 2004)
• Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (1987)
• Mogao Caves (1987)
• Mount Taishan (1987)
• Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (1987)
• The Great Wall (1987)
• Mount Huangshan (1990)
• Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (1992)
• Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (1992)
• Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (1992)
• Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (1994)
• Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (1994, 2000, 2001) 6
• Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde (1994)
• Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (1994)
• Lushan National Park (1996)
• Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area (1996)
• Ancient City of Ping Yao (1997)
• Classical Gardens of Suzhou (1997, 2000)
• Old Town of Lijiang (1997)
• Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing (1998)
• Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing (1998)
• Dazu Rock Carvings (1999)
• Mount Wuyi (1999)
• Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun (2000)
• Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (2000, 2003, 2004)
• Longmen Grottoes (2000)
• Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (2000)
• Yungang Grottoes (2001)
• Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (2003)
• Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom (2004)
• The Historic Centre of Macao (2005)