Browse Encyclopaedia by Subject
Abbreviations
Actors
Aircraft
Architecture
Computer Viruses
Costume
Dictionary
Food & Drink
Gazetteer
General Information
Heraldry
Language
Latin
Medicine
Money
Movies
Music
Mythology
Nature
People
Recreation
Rocks & Minerals
SciTech
Shakespeare
Ships
Slang
Warfare

Free Photographs

Antiquarian Map Archive

The Probert Encyclopaedia of Places of the World

CHINA

The people's Republic of China is a country in east Asia. It is divided into provinces and has a total area of 9,596,960 km2. The climate is extremely diverse; tropical in the south to sub-arctic in north. The terrain is mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in the east. Natural resources are coal, iron ore, crude oil, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminium, lead, zinc and uranium, China also has the world's largest hydropower potential. The religion is officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic; most important elements of religion are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism (introduced around 65 AD); about 2-3% Muslim, 1% Christian. The language is Standard Chinese (Putonghua) or Mandarin (based on the Beijing dialect); also Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, and other Chinese languages are also spoken, in all there are 201 currently used Chinese languages and one extinct Chinese language.

China was at one time known by its Tartar name of Cathay, meaning 'Middle Kingdom'. In 1900, the Chinese empire was the third largest in the world, just smaller than those of Britain and Russia.

China is a township in Lee County, Illinois, USA.
China is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, USA.
China is a township in St Clair County, Michigan, USA.
China is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, USA.
Research China

See Also:

Map of Asia 1770
Map of Asia 1834
Map of Asia 1905
Map of Asia 1911
Map of China (Distribution of Population) 1966
Map of China (Industrial) 1922
Map of China (Main Railways) 1961
Map of China (Mineral Resources and Main Industrial Towns) 1966
Map of China 1905
Map of China 1922
Map of China 1932
Map of China and Japan 1898
Map of China and Japan 1930
Map of China Contours 1906
Map of China Products and Industries 1906
Map of Chinese Empire and Japan 1911
Map of East Indian Archipelago 1906
Map of Farther India 1898 (Burma and the Malay Peninsular)
Map of French Indo-China 1922
Map of Indo-China 1906
Map of Indo-China 1932
Map of Indo-China 1972
Map of Oceania and Pacific Ocean 1911
Map of Port Arthur and Environs 1906
Map of Tibet 1906
Map of Yang-Tse-Kiang 1906
Map of Yellow River 1906

 
Your host - Matt Probert

The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by Matt and Leela Probert

©1993 - 2010 The Probert Encyclopaedia

Southampton, United Kingdom

 
Home  Publishers  Quiz  Products  Photos  FAQ  Privacy Policy  Add URL Contact  Site Map