Welcome to the Peoples Republic of China located in East Asia, the world's third largest country by area (after Russia and Canada) and the largest by population in the world. The capital of China is Beijing; the country's largest city is Shanghai. More than one-fifth of the world's total population lives within China's borders.
Mountains occupy about 43 percent of China's land surface. There is a rich diversity of environments in China allowing a wide range of wild life. Including monkeys, tigers, dolphins and of course the famous panda bears, china has much to offer in natural beauty. The climate is equally diverse as well. Ranging from tropical rainforests to frozen tundra and everything in between.

The official spoken language of the Chinese is Putongua. With many different dialects scattered through it's many provinces. But this Putongua is the "standard" language. China is also very rich in culture. With a history dating back over 3000 years China has much to offer even the most curious travelers. Filled with natural and man made sights there are many wonders to see while in China. Visit the Forbidden City the former residence of the emperor of China. The garden of Mandarin Yu, The Huaisheng Mosque, the Zhenhai Pagoda, the garden of stone warriors. And what trip would be complete without seeing the Great Wall. If site seeing is not your interest there are many museums and operas in throughout china.

There are also many variations of religion throughout China reflecting the influences of many cultures. Traditional Chinese religion included elements froghom Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Chinese cuisine is as varied as the country is. With hundreds of colorful and tasty dishes there is more than enough to satisfy all of your cravings. Marked progress has been made in economic efficiency, structure adjustment, fixed-assets investment, foreign trade and people’s livelihood, indicating Chinese economy is on the mend and has overcome the Asian Financial Crisis. China will be able to provide greater opportunities to foreign businesses with the further implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, Sun said, adding that it will make serious efforts to improve its investment environment and related services including consultation.

Full country name: People's Republic of China
Area: 9,596,960 sq km (mainland)
Population: 1.25 billion (mainland) Yikes!
Capital city: Beijing (pop 13.8 million)
People: Han Chinese (93%), plus 55 ethnic minorities
Languages: Putonghua (Beijing Mandarin dialect), Cantonese
Religion: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism (no stats available); Muslim (14 million), Christian (7 million)
Government: Communist republic
Head of State: Hu Jintao (2003)
GDP: US$4.5 trillion
GDP per head: US$3600
Growth rate: 7.8%
Inflation: 2.8%
Major industries: Iron, steel, coal, machinery, automobiles, petroleum, chemicals, telecommunications, textiles
Major trading partners: USA, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan