China in the world

Relief

China is spread across three types of mountainous regions；the Himalayan Mountains in the West, right through to the plains in the East.  A large part of the country is mountainous (more than 40% of the country is at an altitude of over 200m).  The highest point is Mt Everst (8,844m).

Hydrology

Rainfall in China is unequally distributed.  Rainfall is abundant in the South, but it is very arid in the central and Northern areas.  The monsoon season is in the summer, with winters being very dry.  As a result of this, the water network is much better developed in the South and East of China, but is imptroving in the North and West.  For example, Hainan Island, in the extreme South West of the country, recieves over 4,000mm of rain per annum, compared to Xinjiang Province, in the extreme North West, which recives barely 200mm per annum.  The three major rivers of China are the Yellow River, which flows in the Bejing region, the Yangtze River, which flows past Shanghai, and the Pearl River of Guangzhou.

Population

The Chinese population is made up of 56 nationalites, the majority (92%) of which are Han Chinese.  Minority groups include Tibetans, Uyghurs (Xinjiang Muslims), Mongols, Zhuangs (a major Southern minority), Mandchous (in the North East), and Huis (Muslims mainly from Ningxia province).  Each of these groups forms between 0.5% and 1.5% of the population, ranging from between 3 and 20 million individuals.

Currently, the Chinese population is very stable.  The government's ‘One Child Policy' has dramatically reduced childbirth rates.  The Han majority are only allowed one child in cities, or two in the countryside if the first child is a girl.

Since 2002, changes to this law has enabled city families to have a second child if they pay a fine of around US$730.  This is a significant amount to many Chinese families, who typically earn less than US$300 a month.  Minority groups are subjected to less restrictve birth policies.

The Political Landscape

China has adopted a system of socialist market economy, with the aim of distributing wealth across the nation.  Controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1949, the country has been a member of the World Trade Organisation since 2001, and a member of the UN since 1972.  The CCP chairman is Hu Jintao, and the Prime Minister is Wen Jiabao.  The Peoples' Republic of China, Chinas' official name, has 22 provinces, or 23 including Taiwan.  There are also four municipalities, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.  Hong Kong and Macau are the two Special Administrative Regions.  There are five autonomous regions (mainly populated by minorities): Tibet, Ningxia, Guangxi, Xinjing and Inner Mongolia.

The economy

As a result of the enormous size of China, the Chinese economy is very diversified.  The industrial manufacturing and agricultural sectors are very strong. Even though the agricutlural sector faces numerous issues (desertification, floods and demineralised soils), agriculture still plays a very central role in the Chinese economy.  Nevertheless, the most important sector remains the industrial manufacturing sector.

The abundance of cheap and skilled labour has meant that many Western companies have taken the oppourtunity to set up offices and manufacturing centres in China.  Quite apart from the growth in these sectors, it's also important to stress the advances that the Chinese have had in the high technology sector.  The electronics, telecommunication and aerospace industries have been improving their quality and competititiveness.  However, it is also important for the Chinese to face up to the challenges of the sheer size of the country and task in hand.  The electrical sector is having to cope with the enormous demands of the popoulatin and industry, whilst there is also great pressure from environmentalists to have sustainable and environmentally friendly development.