About China
China is one of the world?s oldest, continuing civilizations dating back more than 6,000 years. Its artists, scientists, and scholars have gifted the world with many of its major inventions and discoveries. Paper, compass, gunpowder, and printing are just some of the greatest contributions of China to world civilization.
After the last Chinese Civil war, two political entities emerged using the name China: The People?s Republic of China or China which has control over the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau (since 1999); and the Republic of China or Taiwan, that has control over the islands of Taiwan, Pescadores, Kinmen, & Matsu. China has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 special administrative regions (Hong Kong & Macau).
With a vast area, China?s topography is very diverse. Mountains and hilly land take up 65% of the total area. China is bounded by 5 mountain ranges. The Bohai Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea embrace the east and southeast coast.
The majority of the Chinese people speak Mandarin, with Cantonese as the second widely spoken language. Most of China?s 55 ethnic minorities speak their own dialect. As a written language, Chinese has been used for more than 6,000 years.
China is home to various religious denominations. Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam are the most widely spread. Catholicism and Protestantism, and Shamanism have active followers as well.
The ruling party of China is The Communist Party of China (CPC).It is the party that founded the People?s Republic of China and the world?s largest political party. The party?s 70 million members constitute 5.5% of the population of the country.
Chinese currency is called Renminbi (RMB) which means ?People?s Currency?. The popular unit of RMB is the Yuan. The official exchange rate between the U.S dollar an the Rmb Yuan is currently at 1:8.3 ($1= 8.30 yuan).
