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Coordinates: 35°N 103°E
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"People's Republic of China" redirects here. For the Republic of China, see Taiwan.
"PRC" redirects here. For other uses, see PRC (disambiguation) and China
(disambiguation).
People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国 (Chinese)
Flag
National Emblem
Anthem:
义勇军进行曲
Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ
"March of the Volunteers"
Duration: 50 seconds.0:50
Territory controlled by the People's Republic of China is
shown in dark green; territory claimed but not controlled is
shown in light green.
Capital Beijing
39°55′N 116°23′E
Largest city Shanghai
by urban
population
Official language Standard Chinese[a]
s
Mongolian
Recognized
Tibetan
regional languages
Uyghur
Zhuang
Official script Simplified Chinese[b]
Ethnic groups 91.1% Han Chinese
(2020)[1] 8.9% others
Religion 74.5% no religion / folk
(2020)[2] 18.3% Buddhism
5.2% Christianity
1.6% Islam
0.4% others
Demonym(s) Chinese
Government Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party soc
ialist republic
• CCP General Xi Jinping
Secretary[c]
President[d]
CMC Chairman[e]
• Vice President Han Zheng
• Premier Li Qiang
• Congress Chairman Zhao Leji
• CPPCC Chairman[f] Wang Huning
Legislature National People's Congress
Formation
• First pre-imperial c. 2070 BCE
dynasty
• First imperial 221 BCE
dynasty
• Establishment of 1 January 1912
the Republic of
China
• Proclamation of the 1 October 1949
People's Republic
• First constitution 20 September 1954
• Current constitution 4 December 1982
• Most recent polity 20 December 1999
admitted
Area
• Total 9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)[g][5]
(3rd / 4th)
• Water (%) 2.8[h]
Population
• 2023 estimate 1,411,750,000[7] (2nd)
• Density 145[8]/km2 (375.5/sq mi) (83rd)
GDP (PPP) 2023 estimate
• Total $32.898 trillion[9] (1st)
• Per capita $23,309[9] (73rd)
GDP (nominal) 2023 estimate
• Total $17.701 trillion[i][9] (2nd)
• Per capita $12,541[9] (71st)
Gini (2020) 37.1[10]
medium
HDI (2021) 0.768[11]
high · 79th
Currency Renminbi (元/¥)[j] (CNY)
Time zone UTC+8 (CST)
DST is not observed.
Date format yyyy-mm-dd
or yyyy 年 m 月 d 日
(CE; Chinese calendar)
Driving side right (mainland)
left (Hong Kong and Macau)
Calling code +86 (mainland)
+852 (Hong Kong)
+853 (Macau)
ISO 3166 code CN
Internet TLD .cn
.中国
.中國 (mainland)
.hk
.香港 (Hong Kong)
.mo
.澳门
.澳門 (Macau)
China (Chinese: 中国; pinyin: Zhōngguó), officially the People's Republic of
China (PRC),[k] is a country in East Asia. It is the world's second-most-populous
country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion. China spans the equivalent of
five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land.[l] With an area of nearly
9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third-largest country by total
land area.[m] The country is divided into 22 provinces,[n] five autonomous regions,
four municipalities, and two semi-autonomous special administrative
regions. Beijing is the national capital, while Shanghai is the most populous city and
largest financial center.
The region has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. The earliest Chinese
dynastic states, such as the Shang and the Zhou, emerged in the basin of the Yellow
River before the late second millennium BCE. The eighth to third centuries BCE saw
a breakdown in Zhou authority and significant conflict, as well as the emergence
of Classical Chinese literature and philosophy. In 221 BCE, China was unified
under an emperor for the first time, ushering in more than two millennia in which
China was governed by one or more imperial dynasties, including
the Han, Tang, Ming, and Qing. Some of China's most notable achievements—such
as the invention of gunpowder and paper, the establishment of the Silk Road, and the
building of the Great Wall—occurred during this period. The imperial Chinese culture
—including languages, traditions, architecture, philosophy and more—has heavily
influenced East Asia.
In 1912, the monarchy was overthrown and the Republic of China was established.
The Republic saw consistent conflict for most of the mid-20th century, including a
civil war between the Kuomintang government and the Chinese Communist
Party (CCP), which began in 1927, as well as the Second Sino-Japanese War that
began in 1937 and continued until 1945, therefore becoming involved in World War
II. The latter led to a temporary stop in the civil war and numerous Japanese
atrocities such as the Nanjing Massacre, which continue to influence China–Japan
relations. In 1949, the CCP established control over China as the Kuomintang
fled to Taiwan. Early communist rule saw two major projects: the Great Leap
Forward, which resulted in a sharp economic decline and massive famine; and
the Cultural Revolution, a movement to purge all non-communist elements of
Chinese society that led to mass violence and persecution. Beginning in 1978, the
Chinese government launched economic reforms that moved the country away
from planned economics, but political reforms were cut short by the 1989 Tiananmen
Square protests and massacre. Economic reform continued to strengthen the
nation's economy in the following decades while raising China's standard of living
significantly.
China is a unitary one-party socialist republic led by the CCP. It is one of the
five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of
several multilateral and regional organizations such as the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, the New Development Bank, and the RCEP. It
is a member of the BRICS, the G20, APEC, the SCO, and the East Asia Summit.
China ranks poorly in measures of democracy, transparency, and human rights,
including for press freedom, religious freedom, and ethnic equality. Making up around
one-fifth of the world economy, China is the world's largest economy by
GDP at purchasing power parity, the second-largest economy by nominal GDP, and
the second-wealthiest country. The country is one of the fastest-growing major
economies and is the world's largest manufacturer and exporter, as well as
the second-largest importer. China is a nuclear-weapon state with the world's largest
standing army by military personnel and the second-largest defense budget.
