China Country Information
CHINA COUNTRY DESCRIPTION:
The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949, with Beijing as its capital city. With well over 1.3 billion citizens, China is the world's most populous country and the third largest country in the world in terms of territory. China is undergoing rapid, profound economic and social change and development. Political power remains centralized in the Chinese Communist Party. Modern tourist facilities are available in major cities, but many facilities in smaller provincial cities and rural areas are frequently below international standards.
Information about China:
Geography Total area: 9,596,960 sq. km. (about 3.7 million sq. mi.). Cities: Capital--Beijing. Other major cities--Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, Chengdu. Terrain: Plains, deltas, and hills in east; mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west. Climate: Tropical in south to subarctic in north.
People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Chinese (singular and plural). Population (July 2007 est.): 1,321,851,888. Population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.606%. Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate--22.12/1,000. Life expectancy--72.88 years (overall); 71.13 years for males, 74.82 years for females. Ethnic groups: Han Chinese--91.9%; Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uygur, Yi, Mongolian, Tibetan, Buyi, Korean, and other--8.1%. Religions: Officially atheist; Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. Language: Mandarin (Putonghua), plus many local dialects. Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--90.9%. Work force (2006 est., 798 million): Agriculture and forestry--45%; industry--24%; services--31%.
Government Type: Communist party-led state. Constitution: December 4, 1982. Independence: Unification under the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty 221 BC; Qing (Ch'ing or Manchu) Dynasty replaced by a republic on February 12, 1912; People's Republic established October 1, 1949. Branches: Executive--president, vice president, State Council, premier. Legislative--unicameral National People's Congress. Judicial--Supreme People's Court. Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (the P.R.C. considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province); 5 autonomous regions, including Tibet; 4 municipalities directly under the State Council. Political parties: Chinese Communist Party, 70.8 million members; 8 minor parties under Communist Party supervision. Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy GDP (2007): $3.249 trillion (exchange rate-based). Per capita GDP (2007): $2,458 (exchange rate-based).GDP real growth rate (2007): 11.4%. Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, crude oil, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest). Agriculture: Products--Among the world's largest producers of rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley; commercial crops include cotton, other fibers, apples, oilseeds, pork and fish; produces variety of livestock products. Industry: Types--mining and ore processing; iron; steel; aluminum; coal, machinery; textiles and apparel; armaments; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products including footwear, toys, and electronics; automobiles and other transportation equipment including rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; and telecommunications. Trade (2007): Exports--$1.221 trillion: electronics; machinery; apparel; optical, photographic, and medical equipment; and furniture. Main partners--United States, Hong Kong, Japan, EU, South Korea, Singapore. Imports--$917.4 billion: electronics, machinery, mineral fuel and oil, chemicals, plastic. Main partners--Japan, EU, Taiwan, South Korea, United States, Malaysia, Australia.
PEOPLE Ethnic Groups The largest ethnic group is the Han Chinese, who constitute about 91.9% of the total population. The remaining 8.1% are Zhuang (16 million), Manchu (10 million), Hui (9 million), Miao (8 million), Uygur (7 million), Yi (7 million), Mongolian (5 million), Tibetan (5 million), Buyi (3 million), Korean (2 million), and other ethnic minorities.
Language There are seven major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. Mandarin (or Putonghua), the predominant dialect, is spoken by over 70% of the population. It is taught in all schools and is the medium of government. About two-thirds of the Han ethnic group are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the six other major Chinese dialects. Non-Chinese languages spoken widely by ethnic minorities include Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur and other Turkic languages (in Xinjiang), and Korean (in the northeast).
The Pinyin System of Romanization On January 1, 1979, the Chinese Government officially adopted the pinyin system for spelling Chinese names and places in Roman letters. A system of Romanization invented by the Chinese, pinyin has long been widely used in China on street and commercial signs as well as in elementary Chinese textbooks as an aid in learning Chinese characters. Variations of pinyin also are used as the written forms of several minority languages. Pinyin has now replaced other conventional spellings in China's English-language publications. The U.S. Government also has adopted the pinyin system for all names and places in China. For example, the capital of China is now spelled "Beijing" rather than "Peking."
Religion Religion plays a significant part in the life of many Chinese. Buddhism is most widely practiced, with an estimated 100 million adherents. Traditional Taoism also is practiced. Official figures indicate there are 20 million Muslims, 15 million Protestants, and 5 million Catholics; unofficial estimates are much higher. While the Chinese constitution affirms religious toleration, the Chinese Government places restrictions on religious practice outside officially recognized organizations. Only two Christian organizations--a Catholic church without official ties to Rome and the "Three-Self-Patriotic" Protestant church--are sanctioned by the Chinese Government. Unauthorized churches have sprung up in many parts of the country and unofficial religious practice is flourishing. In some regions authorities have tried to control activities of these unregistered churches. In other regions, registered and unregistered groups are treated similarly by authorities and congregations worship in both types of churches. Most Chinese Catholic bishops are recognized by the Pope, and official priests have Vatican approval to administer all the sacraments.
Population Policy With a population officially just over 1.3 billion and an estimated growth rate of about 0.6%, China is very concerned about its population growth and has attempted with mixed results to implement a strict birth limitation policy. China's 2002 Population and Family Planning Law and policy permit one child per family, with allowance for a second child under certain circumstances, especially in rural areas, and with guidelines looser for ethnic minorities with small populations. Enforcement varies, and relies largely on "social compensation fees" to discourage extra births. Official government policy opposes forced abortion or sterilization, but in some localities there are instances of forced abortion. The government's goal is to stabilize the population in the first half of the 21st century, and current projections are that the population will peak at around 1.6 billion by 2050. To finance your Travel to China use this Dream Vacation Financing
Islam in Other Languages – Sister Amina Inloes
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DVD Set: 10 Multi Language Dvd’s of Harun Yahya Multi-Language DVD set includes: The Signs Of The Last Day The Truth of Life of This World Allah Is Known Through Reason Deep Thinking Allah’s Artistry In Color The Fact of Creation For Men of Understanding-1 For Men of Understanding-2 |
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China’s Islam $15.75 … |
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Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008) / REGION 2 PAL EUROPEAN EDITION / Starring: Morgan Spurlock, Alexandra Jamieson Director: Morgan Spurlock $14.99 Morgan Spurlock, who hilariously Super Size-ed himself to take down the American fast-food diet, sets his sights on the country s biggest enemy in similarly comic fashion. Armed only with a hasty round of survival training, a camera, and his trademark moustache, Spurlock searches the Middle East s mosques, malls, schools, and caves for public enemy #1. From Saudi Arabia to Pakistan to Israel, he i… |
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Light & Sound Phonics: Listen & Learn Arabic / English Letters & Sounds (Ages 3-6) $44.95 8 Different Games Teaching Bilingual Language Skills: Game 1: Letter Names and Sounds: Press a letter to hear its name and sound (phonics) Game 2: Find the Letter: Light and sound phonics asks you to find a spoken letter. The illustrations on the keys will assist you. Game 3: Word Spelling: Light and Sound Phonics will invite you to spell words. Game 4: Translation to English: Press a key and … |
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Arabic/english I-book Electronic Reader Tigger & Pooh (Ages 3-6) $34.95 “My Friends Tigger and Pooh” Bilingual Arabic English Electronic Book. Touch to Listen. Paperback Book in Electronic Case. You touch the books pages and it speaks English/Arabic. Read words, sentences, sounds, asks questions and waits for answers. Touch the question mark (Choose English or Arabic) and the book asks the child a question like “Where is Tigger?” The child must touch Tigger’s pictur… |
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Somalia Flag Car Bumper Sticker Decal $2.99 Somalia Flag Car Bumper Sticker Decal Oval 3″ x 5″ (7.6 cm x 12.7 cm) — Oval type country auto stickers are widely used in Europe and are required by some European governments as country identifications at border crossings — Measures 3″ x 5″ (7.6 cm x 12.7 cm) oval — Printed on durable 4 mil vinyl… |
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Somalia in Arabic and Somali Flag Car Bumper Sticker Decal $2.99 Somalia Flag Car Bumper Sticker Decal Oval 3″ x 5″ (7.6 cm x 12.7 cm) — Oval type country auto stickers are widely used in Europe and are required by some European governments as country identifications at border crossings — Measures 3″ x 5″ (7.6 cm x 12.7 cm) oval — Printed on durable 4 mil vinyl… |
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Sakhr’s (now, Harf) The Holy Qur’an Old Legacy Version 6.4 – Quran, Quraan, Koran, Koraan, Qoraan, Qoran (The Holy Book of Islam on a CD-ROM) for Windows 3.1, 95, [This is an Older Program (Legacy), may Not be Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, 2000, nor XP]. Windows Arabic Edition NOT Required. $2.99 Very Old Version, may not Run on New Windows 7, XP, 2000, Vista.. Jewel Case only, No Box or Package… The Arabic text, fully vocalized, in beautiful Othmani script. Translation into six languages: English: Translation by Yusuf Ali. Turkish: Translation by Turkiye Diyanet Vakfi Yayinlari French: Translation by The Presidency of Islamic Researches, IFTA, Call AND Guidance. (The Custodian of the Tw… |
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Learn ARABIC Complete Language Course: Audio and Text on disc. Learn to Speak Understand Write. Teach Yourself Arabic. Beginner through intermediate $19.99 The Foreign Service Institute has been responsible for training US State Department diplomats and government personnel for decades. When it comes to ‘traditional learning’, they are arguably without peer, and their material is extremely thorough and detailed. Now you can get the same courses that have taught language fluency to tens of thousands of State Department Foreign Service diplomats and g… |