Head of state, prime minister: King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud
Population
1,343,239,923
26,534,504
Life Expectancy
74.840 years
74.350 years
Capital City
Beijing
Riyadh
Largest city
Shanghai (population: 14,608,500)
Riyadh (population: 4,205,960)
Human Development Index
0.762
0.835
GDP per capita
$8,500 US
$24,500 US
Literacy Rate
90.9%
78.8%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
3.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
21.3%
0%
Wealthiest Citizens
Liu Yongxing ($3.0bn US)
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud ($13.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.500%
10.900%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
Communist state
monarchy
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)
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)
Religions
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Muslim 100%
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
Exports
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textile, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
petroleum and petroleum products 90%
External Debt
$697,200,000,000 $
$105,900,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.9385 (2008 est.), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004)
Saudi riyals (SAR) per US dollar - 3.75 (2008 est.), 3.745 (2007), 3.745 (2006), 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.300%
10.000%
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
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
Area
9,596,961 km sq
2,149,690 km sq
Coastline
14,500 km
2,640 km
Climate
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
