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China Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name People’s Republic of China
Capital Beijing
Area 9,571,300 sq km
3,695,500 sq mi
China: Flag and Anthem
China: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 1,321,851,900 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.61 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 1,453,123,817 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 1,424,161,948 (2007 estimate)
Population density 142 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
367 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 41 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 59 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Shanghai 12,887,000 (2000 estimate)
Beijing 10,839,000 (2000 estimate)
Tianjin 9,156,000 (2000 estimate)
Wuhan 5,169,000 (2000 estimate)
Chongqing 4,900,000 (2000 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Han Chinese 92 percent
Zhuang, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi, Korean, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, and other nationalities 8 percent
Languages
Standard Chinese, or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect); Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, and Hakka dialects; minority languages
Religious affiliations
Officially atheist, but traditionally eclectic.
Nonreligious 42 percent
Buddhist 8 percent
Atheist 8 percent
Christian 7 percent
Muslim 1 percent
Other 34 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 72.9 years (2007 estimate)
Female 74.8 years (2007 estimate)
Male 71.1 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 22 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 609 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 408 people (2005)
Literacy rate
Total 87.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 80.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 93.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 2.1 percent (1999-2000)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 9 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 21 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Communist state
Head of state President
Head of government Premier
Legislature Unicameral legislature
National People's Congress: 2,979 deputies (2003)
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution
4 December 1982, amended in 1993, 1999, 2004
Highest court Supreme People's Court
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 2,255,000 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 3.9 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 2 special administrative regions, and 4 municipalities
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $2,234 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,712.80 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 12.6 percent (2005)
Industry 47.5 percent (2005)
Services 39.9 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 776,047,410 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 44 percent (2002)
Industry 18 percent (2002)
Services 16 percent (2002)
Unemployment rate 4.2 percent (2005)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $143,741 million (2003)
Total expenditure $171,450 million (2003)
Monetary unit 1 yuan, consisting of 10 jiao
Agriculture
Rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, potatoes, sugar beets, peanuts, cotton
Mining
Coal, petroleum, graphite, tungsten, molybdenum, antimony, tin, lead, mercury, bauxite, phosphate rock, iron ore, manganese, many other minerals
Manufacturing
Woven textile fabrics, heavy machinery, iron and steel, petrochemicals, fertilizers, cement, manufactured goods
Major exports
Clothing and accessories, textiles, petroleum products, footwear, telecommunications and sound equipment
Major imports
Machinery, steel products and other metals, automobiles, synthetics, agricultural chemicals, rubber, wheat, ships
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, and Germany
Major trade partners for imports
Japan, Taiwan, United States, South Korea, and Germany
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 82.15 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 15.42 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 2.31 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0.13 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 335 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 269 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 303 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 1.3 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 42 (1990 estimate)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 15 (2003)
Paved road as a share of total roads 83 percent (2005)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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