1,223,890,000 (1996). Roughly a quarter of the world's population live in China.

127.9 per sq km.

Beijing (Peking).

12,510,000 (1995). The largest city in the country, Shanghai, has a population of over 14 million and, as at 1990, 39 other cities have a population of over one million.

China is bounded to the north by Russia and Mongolia; to the east by North Korea, the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea; to the south by Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan and Nepal; and to the west by India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Macau forms an enclave on the southeast coast. China has a varied terrain ranging from high plateaux in the west to flatlands in the east; mountains take up almost one-third of the land. The most notable high mountain ranges are the Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tianshan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. On the border with Nepal is the 8848m-high (29,198ft) Mount Jolmo Lungma (Mount Everest). In the west is the Qinghai/Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 4000m (13,200ft), known as 'the Roof of the World'. At the base of the Tianshan Mountains is the Turfan Depression or Basin, China's lowest area, 154m (508ft) below sea level at the lowest point. China has many great river systems, notably the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtse Kiang (Chang Jiang). Only 10% of all China is suitable for agriculture.

People's Republic. China comprises 23 Provinces, 5 Autonomous Regions and 3 Municipalities directly under Central Government. Head of State: President Jiang Zemin since 1993. Head of Government: Premier Zhu Ronghi since 1998. The highest organ of state is the National People's Congress (NPC). The 2979 deputies are indirectly elected every 5 years by the people's congresses of the provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and the People's Liberation Army. The Chinese Communist Party, whose highest authority is the Party Congress, holds political power. The State Council, which comprises a Prime Minister, a Vice-Premier and other Ministers, exercises executive power and is appointed by and accountable to the Chinese Communist Party.

The official language is Mandarin Chinese. Among the enormous number of local dialects, in the south, large groups speak Cantonese, Fukienese, Xiamenhua and Hakka. Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, which are autonomous regions, have their own languages. Translation and interpreter services are good. English is spoken by many guides.

The principal religions and philosophies are Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. There are 100 million Buddhists and approximately 60 million Muslims, five million Protestants (including large numbers of Evangelicals) and four million Roman Catholics, largely independent of Vatican control.

GMT + 8. Despite the vast size of the country, Beijing time is standard throughout China.

220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in use.

Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 86. Outgoing international code: 00. Antiquated internal service with public telephones in hotels and shops displaying a telephone unit sign. It is often easier to make international phone calls from China than it is to make calls internally. Fax: A growing number of hotels offer fax facilities but are often incoming only. Rates are generally expensive. Post: Service to Europe takes about a week. Tourist hotels usually have their own post offices. All postal communications to China should be addressed 'People's Republic of China'. Press: The main English-language daily is the China Daily and China Travel. There is also the weekly news magazine Beijing Review, with editions in English, French, Spanish, Japanese and German. National newspapers include The People's Daily and The Guangming Daily, with many provinces having their own local dailies as well.