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 boundaries: Total: 22,117 km
Border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

Regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
Highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

Population: 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.)
Median age: total: 32.7 years, male: 32.3 years, female: 33.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.59% (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female, under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female, 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female, 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female, total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.58 years, male: 70.89 years, female: 74.46 years (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 840,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 64,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality: noun: Chinese (singular and plural), adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%

Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%, note: officially atheist (2002 est.).
Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write, total population: 85.9%, male: 93.1%, female: 81.5% (2002)