GENERAL
Official name of the state
People’s Republic of China.
Capital
Peking (Beijing).
Geography
As a country located in Asia according to lawschoolsinusa, China is the third largest country in the world in terms of area. In the north it borders with Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and the Russian Federation, in the east with North Korea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea (with Macau on the southeast coast), in the south with Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India and Bhutan and Nepal and to the west to Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. China consists of 23 provinces (including Taiwan), 5 autonomous regions, 4 urban districts (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing) and 2 special administrative regions (Hong Kong, Macau).
The variety of landscapes ranges from the highlands in the west with over 8000 m high mountains to the lowlands in the east. About a third of the country is mountainous. The most famous mountain ranges are the Himalayas, the Altai Mountains, the Tianshan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. Mount Everest, 8,850 m high, lies on the border with Nepal. To the east and west of it lie the Qinghai Plateau and the Tibet Plateau; the latter is over 4000 m high and is called the “roof of the world”. At the foot of the Tianshan Mountains lies the Turfan Plain, which is China’s lowest point at 154 m below sea level.
The Yellow River (Huang He) and the Yangtze Kiang (Chang Jiang) are the most famous rivers. Only 10% of the area is suitable for agriculture. The coast has a total length of 18,000 km.
Government
People’s Socialist Republic. 1982 constitution, last amended in 2004. Unicameral Parliament: Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress with 2985 seats). The National People’s Congress (NPC) is the most powerful state organ. The deputies are elected every 5 years by the provincial parliaments, the autonomous regions and cities and the People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the highest political power center. The highest decision-making body is the Standing Committee of the Politburo with the Secretary General of the party and eight other members.
Head of state
Xi Jinping, since March 2013.
Head of government
Li Keqiang, since March 2013.
Electricity
Nationwide 220 V, 50 Hz. Depending on the region, however, adapters for double or triple flat plugs are required, so multiple adapters are recommended.
Most 4 and 5 star hotels also have 110 V sockets.
Time zone
China Standard Time: CET +9
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official language is Mandarin. In addition to numerous regional dialects, larger groups speak Cantonese, Fukienese, Xiamenhua and Hakka. The autonomous regions have their own languages, such as B. Tibetan and Mongolian. Translation and interpreting services are good. English is sometimes spoken in business circles as well as in shops, hotels and by tour guides.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Annotation
In addition to the dates listed above, the following public holidays occur regionally: March 8, International Women’s Day. May 4th Youth Day. May 23 Tibet Liberation Day. June 1st International Children’s Day. 1st Aug Armed Forces Day.
CULINARY
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
There are now over 5000 tourist hotels with a room capacity of around 400,000. More than half of the hotels are categorized according to the international star system. Air conditioning, en-suite rooms, conference and event rooms, banquet halls, restaurants with Chinese and international cuisine, bars, swimming pool, sauna, beauty salons, medical and other service facilities are generally standard features. Some hotels also offer shopping malls, business centers, banks and post offices.
Rooms are easy to find and inexpensive by European standards, although prices in 5-star hotels have risen significantly in recent years. The other hotels are generally clean and functional. Information from the hotel association China Tourism Hotel Association, 9 A Jian Guo Men Nei Avenue, CN-100740 Beijing. (Tel: (10) 65 20 11 14 or 65 12 29 05)
CLIMATE
Best travel time
The climate is regionally very different, it ranges from alpine in the mountains to subarctic in the far north to tropical in the south. A satellite photo of China reveals at a glance where the most rain falls and which regions are very dry: The northwest, the west and the north except for the northeastern edge appear in light brown on the image, while the extreme north and northeast and the east and the south of the country are bathed in lush green. Most of the rain falls in the summer months.
In the east there is a temperate monsoon climate between Beijing and the Yangtze. The climate changes from there in a southerly direction to subtropical and in the very south to tropical.
In the coastal areas there is a humid climate due to the influence of the monsoons.
From Takla Makan in the west to Beijing there is a desert climate with hot summers and cold winters.
The best travel time is in the months of April to June and September to November. The north has more hours of sunshine than the south.
As a result of climate change, the regions are increasingly struggling with heat waves, drought, water shortages and floods. The north-west is increasingly struggling with drought, the north-east, among other things, with heat waves, in the north the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia with water scarcity. Floods and a lack of drinking water are observed more and more frequently in the south.
COUNTRY DATA
Area code +86 Area (square km) 9596960 Population 1367485388 Population density (per square km) 142 Population in 2015 Member of the EU No main emergency number 120
