| National Official
Language |
- Standard (Mandarin) Chinese |
| National Anthem |
- On September 27, 1949, the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC adopted a
resolution approving March of the Volunteers, written by Tian Han and composed
by Nie Er, as the national anthem of the P.R.China.
|
| National Day |
- October 1 (P.R.China was founded in 1949) |
| Population |
- 1.29533 billion (by Nov.1, 2000), the largest in the world (51.63% males,
48.37% females; 36.09% in the urban and 63.91% in the rural.)
|
| Ethnic groups |
- There are 56 ethnic groups, united, but ethnically and linguistically
diverse. Han constitutes 91.59% and other 55 national minorities 8.41%.
|
| Land and Resources |
- China is situated in the eastern part of Asia, on the west coast of the
Pacific Ocean with a total land mass of 9.6 million sq. km (33% is mountainous
areas) and a land border of 22,800 km.
- Among the 19 mountains over 7,000 meters in the world, seven are in China
including the Himalayas with an average elevation of 6,000 meters.
The two longest rivers in China are
-
The Yangtze River, 6,300 km. long, largest (3rd longest in the world after the
Nile and the Amazon) and the major inland-river transport artery;
-
The Yellow River, 5,464 km., second largest, the birthplace of ancient Chinese
civilization.
Climate varies in different parts of the country:
-
Continental in the west
-
Maritime in the east
-
Sub-polar in the north
-
Sub-tropical in the south
|
| Administrative System |
- China is administratively divided into 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions
(Guangxi, Tibet, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia), 4 centrally administrative
municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing) and 2 special
administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macao). Municipalities are directly under
the administration of central government. A municipality has the same
political, economical and jurisdictional rights as a province. |
| Currency |
- Renminbi (RMB) yuan
- Exchange rate: 7.3 yuan = US$1 |
| Majors Cities |
- 663 (by the end of 2000) |
| National Public Holidays |
1. New Year's Day (January 1), one day off;
2. Spring Festival (the New Year's Day by Chinese lunar calendar), three days
off;
3. International Labor Day (May 1), three days off;
4. National Day (October 1), three days off.
|
| History |
- Ancient Times (from antiquity to A.D. 1840)
- Modern Period (1840-1919)
- New Democratic Revolution (1919-1949)
- P.R.C. (-1949)
|
