Chairman of the General National Congress: Mohamed Magarief
Population
1,343,239,923
5,613,380
Life Expectancy
74.840 years
77.830 years
Capital City
Beijing
Tripoli (Tarabulus)
Largest city
Shanghai (population: 14,608,500)
Tripoli (population: 1,150,990)
Human Development Index
0.762
0.84
GDP per capita
$8,500 US
$14,100 US
Literacy Rate
90.9%
82.6%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
2.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
21.3%
7.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
Liu Yongxing ($3.0bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
6.500%
30.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
Communist state
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state
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)
24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)
Religions
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
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)
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Exports
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textile, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
