Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
Population
1,343,239,923
109,011
Life Expectancy
74.840 years
73.300 years
Capital City
Beijing
Largest city
Shanghai (population: 14,608,500)
Saint George's (population: 7,500)
Human Development Index
0.762
0.774
GDP per capita
$8,500 US
Literacy Rate
90.9%
96%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
21.3%
21.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Liu Yongxing ($3.0bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
6.500%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished in practice
Political System
Communist state
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established)
Religions
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Languages
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
English (official), French patois
Exports
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textile, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
External Debt
$697,200,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.9385 (2008 est.), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
100
0
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Area
9,596,961 km sq
344 km sq
Coastline
14,500 km
121 km
Climate
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
