China is situated in eastern Asia, bounded by the Pacific in the east. The third largest country in the world, next to Canada and Russia , it has an area of 9.6 million square kilometers, or one-fifteenth of the world's landmass. It begins from the confluence of the Heilong and Wusuli Rivers in the east to the Pamirs west of Wuqia County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (73 degrees and 40 minutes east longitude) in the west, with about 5,200 kilometers apart. In the north, it starts from the midstream of the Heilong River north of Mohe and stretches south to the southernmost island Zengmu'ansha in the South China Sea , with about 5,500 kilometers in between The Chinese border stretches over 22,000 kilometers on land and its coastline extends well over 18,000 kilometers, washed by the waters of the Bohai Sea , the Huanghai, the East China and the South China Seas . The Bohai Sea is China 's only inland sea.

There are 6,536 islands larger than 500 square meters, the largest being Taiwan , with a total area of about 36,000 square kilometers, and the second, Hainan . The South China Sea Islands are the southernmost island group of China .

Capital :
Beijing

Climate:
China lies mainly in the northern temperate zone under the influence of monsoon. From September and October to March and April next year monsoon blow s from Siberia and the Mongolian Plateau into China and decrease s in force as it goes southward, causing dry and cold winter in the country and a temperature difference of 40 degree s centigrade between the north and the south. The temperature in China in the winter is 5 to 18 degree s centigrade lower than that in other countries on the same latitude in winter. Monsoon blows into China from the ocean in summer, bringing with them warm and wet currents, thus rain. Great differences in climate are found from region to region owing to China 's extensive territory and complex topography.

Population:
1.2591 billion (1999) , about 22% of total population in the world.

Language:
The national language is Putonghua (the common speech) or Mandarin, which is one of the five working languages at the United Nations. Most of the 55 minority nationalities have their own languages. Cantonese is one of the local dialects of southern China . As a written language, Chinese has been used for 6,000 years.

Religion:
China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism and Islam are the three major religions. Catholicism and Protestantism hav e smaller but substantial followers too . Different ethnic groups usually follow different religions. Islam is followed by the Hui, Uygur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Tatar, Dongxiang, Salar and Bonan peoples ; Buddhism and Lamaism are followed by the Tibetan, Mongolian, Dai and Yugur nationalities; Christianity is followed by the Miao, Yao and Yi nationalities; Shamanism is followed by the Oroqen, Ewenki and Daur nationalities; and the majority Han nationality believes in Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity.