China is officially referred to as the People’s Republic of China, it is a South East Asian country.
Its Neighbours are Mongolia Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tajikistan, North Korea and Bhutan.
China is famous for its constantly growing population of 1.38 billion people, the largest in the world.
Established around 221 BC, the country is one of the oldest countries in the world its civilisation is considered to be world’s oldest continuous civilisation.
The country has been ruled by many emperors and ancient Chinese dynasties until January 1, 1912 when the Republic was established and it became known as the People’s Republic of China.
China has 33 administrative units directly under the control of the central government; these consist of 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 municipalities.
The origin of ice cream can be traced to China. It was first invented in 2000 BC when the Chinese people put soft milk and rice together in the snow.
Based off the moon, the Chinese calendar is the oldest known calendar in the world.
The surface area of China is 9.597 million km² making it the 4th largest country in the world, the largest three being Russia, Canada and the United States of America.
The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese and it is the most widely spoken language in the world. Other languages like Wu, Yue, Minbei, Xiang, Minnan, Xiang, Hakka, and Gan are also widely spoken.
It is estimated that One-third of China’s land area is made up of mountains. The tallest mountain in the world Mount Everest, sits on the border between China and Nepal. It is 29,028 feet tall, and was named after the first surveyor of India, Sir George Everest. The Chinese people call it Qomolangma, which means “Mother Goddess of the Earth.”
China is home to thousands of rivers. The two main rivers are the Yellow River named so because of its unique yellow colour and the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River is the longest in Asia and the third longest in the world after the River Mississippi and the River Nile. It is 6,300 kilometers long.
The capital city of China is Beijing, the city’s name have been changed so many times throughout history. It was once referred to as Dadu, Yanjing, and Beiping. Beijing means “Northern Capital”. The country’s most populated city is Shanghai. Other major cities are Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
China is home to the largest man-made structure in the world, the structure is known as the Great Wall of China. It extends to 8,850 km (5,500 miles).
China Is home to hundreds of species of animals and plants. More than 3,800 species of fish and hundreds of amphibians and reptile species live in its rivers, lakes and coastal waters.
China hosts the largest artificial dam in the world which is referred to as The Three Gorges Dam.
Some of the rare animals found in China are the Giant Panda, White-Flag Dolphin, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, South China Tiger, Crested Ibis, Brown Eared Pheasant, Chinese Alligator and the Black-Necked Crane.
Some of the natural and mineral resources found in china are manganese bauxite, coal, crude petroleum, diamonds, gold, iron ore, lead, magnetite, mercury, molybdenum, natural gas, phosphate rock, tin, uranium, and vanadium.
The toilet paper was invented in china and was only used by emperors. In 130 AD, Zhang Heng from China invented the first instrument for monitoring earthquakes, it could detect and indicate the direction of the earthquake. The waterwheel was also invented in China to harness water.
China is the world’s largest manufacturing hub and the world’s largest exporter of goods, its main export partners include: the United States, European Union, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. Its main import partner includes European Union, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Some of the goods imported to China are Agricultural products, Fuels and mining products
The currency of China is Renminbi Yuan which is also spent in Hong Kong.
Nearly every year China experiences typhoons, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and droughts.
In 2008, china successfully hosted the most expensive summer Olympic game in history. The sport event was estimated to cost $40 billion.
China believes Taiwan to be part of its territory and wants the country to be unified with it.
China has a park for dwarf people, the park is known as Kingdom of the Little People.
Contrary to what obtains in most countries white is the colour for grieving and funerals.
