The Guinness Encyclopedia

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Extensible Markup Language | 1995-06-13 | 7KB | 19 lines

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" > <card> <id>53968</id> <filler1>0</filler1> <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete> <showPict> <true /> </showPict> <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch> <owner>36278</owner> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" /> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>13</id> <text>CHINAOfficial name: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo (The PeopleΓÇÖs Republic of China)Member of: UN, ApecArea: 9571900 km2 (3695710 sq mi)Population: 1179470000 (1993 est)Capital: Beijing (Peking) 10819000 (including suburbs; 1991 est)Other major cities: Shanghai 13400000, Tientsin 8430000, Shenyang 4450000, Wuhan 3750000, Guangzhou (Canton) 3580000, Chongquin 2980000, Harbin 2930000, Chengdu 2810000, Xian 2760000, Nanjing (Nanking) 2500000, Zibo 2460000, Dalian (Darien) 2400000, Jinan 2290000, Changchun 2070000, Qingdao 2040000, Shenzhen 2000000, with 23 other urban municipalities with over 1 million inhabitants (1991 est)Languages: Chinese (Guoyo or ΓÇÿMandarinΓÇÖ dialect in the majority, with local dialects in south and southeast, e.g. Cantonese and Wu), small Mongol, Tibetan and other minoritiesReligions: Officially atheist but those religions and philosophies practiced include traditional Chinese folk religions, Confucianism and Daoism (over 20% together), Buddhism (c. 15%)GOVERNMENTThe 2978 deputies of the National PeopleΓÇÖs Congress are elected for a five-year term by the PeopleΓÇÖs Congresses of the 22 provinces, five autonomous provinces and three municipal provinces, and by the army. The Congress elects a Standing Committee, a President (for a five-year term), a Prime Minister and a State Council (or Cabinet) ΓÇô all of whom are responsible to the Congress. The only legal party is the Chinese Communist Party, which holds a Congress every five years. The Party Congress elects a Central Committee, which in turn elects a Politburo, and it is these two bodies that hold effective power.GEOGRAPHYChina is the third largest country in the world in area and the largest in population. Almost half of China comprises mountain chains, mainly in the west, including the Alta├» and Tien Shan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur, and the Kun Lun Mountains to the north of Tibet. The Tibetan Plateau ΓÇô at an altitude of 3000 m (10000 ft) ΓÇô is arid. In the south of Tibet is the Himalaya, containing 40 peaks over 7000 m (23000 ft), including Mt Everest (8863 m / 29078 ft). In the far south, the Yunnan Plateau rises to nearly 3700 m (12000 ft), while in the far northeast, ranges of hills and mountains almost enclose the Northeast Plain, formerly known as Manchuria. The Nan Ling Range of hills and mountains crosses central China and separates the basins of the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze (Chang Jiang). In east and central China, three great lowlands support intensive agriculture and dense populations ΓÇô the plains of central China, the Sichuan Basin and the North China Plain. A vast loess plateau, deeply dissected by ravines, lies between the Mongolian Plateau ΓÇô which contains the Gobi Desert ΓÇô and the deserts of the Tarim and Dzungarian Basins in the northwest. Principal rivers: Yangtze (Chang Jiang) 6300 km (3915 mi), Huang He (Yellow River) 5464 km (3395 mi), Xijiang (Sikiang) 2197 km (1323 mi). Climate: In general, temperatures increase from north to south, and rainfall increases from northwest to southeast. Northeast China has a continental climate with warm and humid summers, long cold winters, and rainfall under 750 mm (30 in). The central lowlands contain the hottest areas of China, and have 750 to 1100 mm (30 to 40 in) of rainfall. The south is wetter, while the extreme subtropical south experiences the monsoon. The continental loess plateau is cold in the winter, warm in summer and has under 500 mm (20 in) of rain. The northwest is arid, continental and experiences cold winters. The west ΓÇô Tibet, Xinjiang Uygur, Gansu and Nei Monggol ΓÇô experiences an extreme climate owing to its altitude and distance from the sea; rainfall is low and most of Tibet has ten months of frost.ECONOMYAgriculture occupies 60% of the labor force. All large-scale production is on collective farms, but traditional and inefficient practices remain. Almost half the arable land is irrigated, and China is the worldΓÇÖs largest producer of rice. Other major crops include wheat, maize, sweet potatoes, sugar cane and soyabeans. Livestock, fruit, vegetables and fishing are also important, but China is unable to supply all its own food. Mineral and fuel resources are considerable and, for the most part, underdeveloped. They include coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, bauxite, tin and antimony in major reserves, as well as huge hydroelectric power potential. The economy is centrally planned, with all industrial plant owned by the state. Petrochemical products account for nearly one quarter of ChinaΓÇÖs exports. Other major industries include iron and steel, cement, vehicles, fertilizers, food processing, clothing and textiles. Recent reforms have promoted an ΓÇÿopen-doorΓÇÖ policy under which joint ventures with other countries and foreign loans have been encouraged, together with a degree of small-scale private enterprise. Special Economic Zones and ΓÇÿopen citiesΓÇÖ were designated in the south and central coastal areas to encourage industrial links with the West. Although foreign investment temporarily diminished after the 1989 pro-democracy movement was suppressed, sustained economic progress has been achieved particularly in the Shanghai area and in southern China, where Guangdong province is the center of major industrial development. Very high growth rates have been achieved during the past decade. Currency: Renminbi (or Yuan).HISTORYThe history of China is covered in the Encyclopedia.</text> </content> <name>China</name> <script></script> </card>