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China,
(People's Republic of China), is situated in eastern Asia,
bounded by the Pacific in the east. It is the largest
country in the world, next to Canada and Russia, and has
an area of 9.6 million square kilomeers, or one-fifteenth
of the world's land mass. Her continental coastline extends
for about 18,000 kilometers, and its vast sea surface
is studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan
and Hainan are the largest. China has shared borders for
centuries with Korea, the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and
Vietnam. The border stretches over 22,000 kilometers on
land and the coastline extends well over 18,000 kilometers,
washed by the waters of the Bohai, (The Bohai Sea is the
inland sea of China) the Huanghai, the East China and
the South China seas. Its vast sea surface is studded
with more than 6536 islands larger than 500 sq metres,
of which Taiwan, with a total of 36,000 sq metres and
Hainan are the largest and second largest.
China
is characterized by a continental climate. The latitudes
span nearly 50 degrees, its southern part is in the tropical
and subtropical zones, and its northern part near the
frigid zones. The northern part of Heilongjiang province
has long winters but no summers, while Hainan Island has
long summers but no winters. The Huaihe River valley is
marked by distinctive seasonal changes, but it is spring
all year round in the south if the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
China's high tundra zone is situated in Qinghai-Tibet,
where the temperature is low in all four seasons.
| China
Average Temperature (Degree of Fahrenheit) |
| Cities |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Beijing |
28 |
32 |
40 |
60 |
75 |
78 |
80 |
76 |
68 |
55 |
40 |
36 |
| Shanghai |
40 |
42 |
50 |
65 |
72 |
80 |
82 |
80 |
75 |
62 |
50 |
42 |
| Guangzhou |
58 |
60 |
69 |
71 |
80 |
83 |
83 |
81 |
78 |
70 |
60 |
57 |
| Xi'an |
32 |
38 |
50 |
56 |
72 |
80 |
78 |
76 |
60 |
52 |
40 |
30 |
| Kunming |
50 |
52 |
58 |
65 |
68 |
68 |
70 |
67 |
65 |
62 |
55 |
50 |
| Lhasa |
29 |
34 |
41 |
46 |
54 |
60 |
61 |
60 |
57 |
48 |
39 |
32 |
| Urumqi |
5 |
10 |
32 |
50 |
66 |
74 |
78 |
74 |
64 |
47 |
28 |
10 |
| Guilin |
47 |
48 |
56 |
65 |
74 |
79 |
83 |
82 |
78 |
69 |
59 |
50 |
China is a multi-religious country, where
Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are practised.
Freedom of belief is a government policy, and normal religious
acivities are protected by the contitution.
Mandarin is commonly used in the modern
China. It is one of the five working languages designated
by the United Nations. The majority of the 55 other ethnic
groups have their own languages. There are also many dialects
around the country. As a written language, Chinese has
been used for 6,000 years.
China's land drops off in the escarpments
eastward to the ocean, letting in humid air currentsand
leading many rivers eastward. Among the rivers totalling
220,000 kilometres in length in China; the Yangtze and
the Yellow are the two major ones.
China has a diversity of land formations including mountains,
hills, highlands, plains and basins. The highlands and
hill regions account for 65 percent of the country's land
mass. The highest mountain peak is Qomolangma (Everest),
8,848 metres above sea level; the lowest point is the
Turpan Basin, 154 metres below sea level.
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