|
CAPITAL: Beijing (Area: 16,800 square
kilometers; Population: 12.59 million)
CLIMATE: China lies mainly in the northern temperate zone
under the influence of monsoon. From September and October to
March and April the following year, monsoons blow from Siberia
and the Mongolia Plateau into China and weaken in force as it
heads southward, causing dry and cold winter conditions thro ughout
the country and a temperature difference of 40 degree centigrade
between the north and south. The temperature in China in the winter
is 5 to 18 degree centigrade lower than that in other countries
on the same latitude in winter. Monsoons blow into China from
the ocean in summer, bringing warm and wet currents, sometimes
heavy rainfall. Great differences in climate are found from region
to region due to China's extensive terrain and dense topography.
The northern part of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China
has no summer, Hainan Island has a long summer but no winter;
the Huaihe River valley features four distinct seasons; the western
part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is covered by snow all year
round; the southern part of the Yunan-Guizhou Plateau is spring-like
year round; and the northwestern inland region sees a drastic
drop of temperature in the day. Annual precipitation also varies
greatly from region to region; it is as high as 1,500 millimeters
along the southeastern coast. The precipitation is much lower
inland, less than 50 millimeters in northwest China.
ESTABLISHED (PRC): The People's Republic of China was founded
on October 1, 1949
POPULATION: Total Population 1.2591 billion (1999) about
22% of total population in the world.
|
Year
|
Total Population
|
Urban Population
|
Rural Population
|
|
1995
|
1.2112 billion
|
|
|
|
1996
|
1.2239 billion
|
359.5 million (29.4%)
|
864.39 million (70.6%)
|
|
1997
|
1.2363 billion
|
369.89 million (29.9%)
|
866.37 million (70.1%)
|
|
1998
|
1.2481 billion
|
|
|
|
1999
|
1.2591 billion
|
388.92 million (30.9%)
|
870.17 million (69.1%)
|
|
Year
|
Birth Rate (Per Thousand)
|
Death Rate (per thousand)
|
Natural Growth Rate (per thousand)
|
|
1995
|
17.12
|
6.57
|
|
|
1996
|
16.98
|
6.56
|
10.42
|
|
1997
|
16.57
|
6.51
|
10.06
|
|
1998
|
16.30
|
6.50
|
9.53
|
|
1999
|
15.23
|
5.97
|
8.77
|
There were 19.91 million births in 1998, 8.07 million
deaths of the population, with a net growth population of 11.84
million (compared with 12.37 million in 1997).
China's population is distributed unevenly with a higher density
in the east (more than 300 persons per square kilometer) and fewer
residing in the west (about 40 persons per square kilometer. The
national average density of the population is 119 inhabitants
per square kilometer (1990 census). The average household size
is 3.7 persons. The proportion of population aged at 0-14 was
26.4 percent, those aged 15-64 was 67.2 percent and that of people
aged 65 and over was 6.4 percent. The Average Chinese Life-Span
of the population was 70.8 years, that for male was 68.71, and
female, 73.04. (Some of the above data are based on the report
from China National Statistics Bureau, FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY).
GDP (1999): The gross domestic product was
8205.4 billion RMB (about $980.6 billion USD)
|
