China is a cultural region, ancient civilization, and nations in East Asia. It is one of the world's oldest civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia.

Area
9,572,900 sq km (3,696,100 sq miles).

Population
1,284,530,000 (official estimate 2002). Roughly a quarter of the worlds population lives in China.

Population Density
134.2 per sq km.

Capital
Beijing (Peking). Population: 10,839,000 (2000). The largest city in the country, Shanghai, has a population of over 12 million and, as of 2000, 22 other cities had a population of over two million and 42 cities had a population of one to two million.

Geography
China is bordered to the north by Russia and Mongolia; to the east by Korea (Dem Rep), the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea; to the south by Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan and Nepal; and to the west by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. China has a varied terrain ranging from high plateaux in the west to flatlands in the east; mountains take up almost one-third of the land. The most notable high mountain ranges are the Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tian Shan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. On the border with Nepal is the 8848m-(29,198ft-) high Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest). In the west is the Qinghai/Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 4000m (13,200ft), known as the Roof of the World’. At the base of the Tian Shan Mountains is the Turpan Depression or Basin, China’s lowest area, 154m (508ft) below sea level at the lowest point. China has many great river systems, notably the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze Kiang (Chang Jiang). Only 10 per cent of all China is suitable for agriculture.