|
President
|
HU Jintao
|
|
Vice President
|
XI Jinping
|
|
Capital
|
Beijing
|
|
Location
|
Eastern
Asia, bordering the
East China Sea, Korea
Bay, Yellow Sea, and
South China Sea,
between North Korea
and Vietnam
|
|
Geographic
coordinates
|
35
00 N, 105 00 E
|
|
Area
|
Total: 9,596,961 sq km
Land: 9,569,901 sq km
Water: 27,060 sq km
|
|
Land boundaries
|
Total: 22,117 km
Border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km,
India 3,380 km,
Kazakhstan 1,533 km,
North Korea 1,416 km,
Kyrgyzstan 858 km,
Laos 423 km, Mongolia
4,677 km, Nepal 1,236
km, Pakistan 523 km,
Russia (northeast)
3,605 km, Russia
(northwest) 40 km,
Tajikistan 414 km,
Vietnam 1,281 km
Regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
|
|
Coastline
|
14,500
km
|
|
Maritime claims
|
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic
zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
|
|
Climate
|
Extremely
diverse; tropical in
south to subarctic in
north
|
|
Terrain
|
Mostly
mountains, high
plateaus, deserts in
west; plains, deltas,
and hills in east
|
|
Elevation
extremes
|
Lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
Highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
|
|
Land
use
|
Arable land: 14.86%
Permanent crops: 1.27%
Other: 83.87% (2005)
|
|
Natural
resources
|
Coal,
iron ore, petroleum,
natural gas, mercury,
tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese,
molybdenum, vanadium,
magnetite, aluminum,
lead, zinc, rare earth
elements, uranium,
hydropower potential
(world's largest)
|
|
Irrigated
land
|
641,410
sq km (2008)
|
|
Total renewable water resources
|
2,829.6
cu km (1999)
|
|
Natural hazards
|
Frequent
typhoons (about five
per year along
southern and eastern
coasts); damaging
floods; tsunamis;
earthquakes; droughts;
land subsidence
Volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes
including Changbaishan
(also known as
Baitoushan, Baegdu, or
P'aektu-san), Hainan
Dao, and Kunlun
although most have
been relatively
inactive in recent
centuries
|
|
