Area:

9.6 million square kilometers, slightly smaller than the US, 4th largest country in the world

Climate:

Very diverse, sub-arctic in north and tropical in south

Terrain:

Mountains, high plateaus and deserts in west, plains, deltas and hills in

Population:

1.3 billion

Ethnic groups:

Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%

Religions:


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

Languages:

Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

Government:

Communist

Capital:

Beijing

Administrative divisions:

23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 municipalities

• Provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
• Autonomous regions: Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)
• Municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
• Note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province

Complete CIA World Factbook information on China

(source: condensed from CIA World Factbook)