Country Snapshot: Geography

Southern China includes dramatic limestone karst mountains, as seen here near Guilin City in Guangxi province.

The Sichuan Basin around Chengdu, seen here, has high population density, as does the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys and the Xi Jiang River delta.

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

Map References

Asia

Area

Total:  9,596,960 sq km

Land: 9,326,410 sq km

Water: 270,550 sq km

Country Comparison to the World: 5

Area Comparative: Slightly smaller than the US

Land Boundaries

Total: 22,457 km

Border Countries (15): Afghanistan 91 km, Bhutan 477 km, Burma 2129 km, India 2659 km, Kazakhstan 1765 km, North Korea 1352 km, Kyrgyzstan 1063 km, Laos 475 km, Mongolia 4630 km, Nepal 1389 km, Pakistan 438 km, Russia (northeast) 4133 km, Russia (northwest) 46 km, Tajikistan 477 km, Vietnam 1297 km

Coastline: 14,500 km

Maritime Claims

Territorial Sea: 12 nm

Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 nm

Contiguous Zone: 24 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

Mean Elevation: 1,840 m

Lowest Point: Turpan Pendi -154 m

Highest Point: Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,848 m

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), arable land

Land Use

Agricultural Land: 54.7% (2011 est.)

Arable Land: 11.3% (2011 est.)

Permanent crops: 1.6% (2011 est.)

Permanent pasture: 41.8% (2011 est.)

Forest: 22.3% (2011 est.)

Other: 23% (2011 est.)

Irrigated Land: 690,070 sq km (2012)

Population Distribution

Overwhelming majority of the population is found in the eastern half of the country; the west, with its vast mountainous and desert areas, remains sparsely populated; though ranked first in the world in total population, overall density is less than that of many other countries in Asia and Europe; high population density is found along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River delta, the Sichuan Basin (around Chengdu), in and around Beijing, and the industrial area around Shenyang

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

Current Environmental Issues

• Air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain;
• China is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels;
• Water shortages, particularly in the north;
• Water pollution from untreated wastes;
• Coastal destruction due to land reclamation, industrial development, and aquaculture;
• Deforestation and habitat destruction;
• Poor land management leads to soil erosion, landslides, floods, droughts, dust storms, and desertification;
• Trade in endangered species

Notes: 

• World's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia;
• Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak above sea level

Article written for World Trade Press by CIA Factbook, Current as of 30 April, 2021.
Copyright © 1993—2024 World Trade Press. All rights reserved.