The People’s Republic of China

The People’s Republic of China lies in East Asia and has access to the seas of the Pacific Ocean. Its area is about 9.6 million km², making it one of the largest states (third or fourth). Its capital is Beijing. It borders about 14 states on land, one of the largest numbers of neighbours of any country. Its system is a socialist republic in which the Communist Party plays the decisive role. It is divided into provinces, autonomous regions (including Xinjiang Uyghur), four cities under central control and two special administrative regions: Hong Kong (1997) and Macao (1999). In the east are plains and low highlands, in the west high mountains (the Tibetan Plateau) and deserts; stretching about 4–4.5 thousand km north to south and west to east, its climate is varied. Resources are rich: coal, oil, gas and many metal ores; large rivers such as the Yangtze and Yellow River give it the world’s greatest hydropower potential. Its population is about 1.4 billion, the world’s largest until a few years ago; it has been shrinking since 2022 and India has moved to first place. Until 2016 a “one-child policy” was applied, and now families are allowed more children. The Han are more than 90 % of people, with 55 other official peoples, including Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongols. People are very unevenly spread: density is very high on the eastern plains between the Yellow River and the Yangtze, and just 1–2 people/km² on the Tibetan Plateau. Urbanisation is above 65 %.