The People’s Republic of China is a vast country with a diverse landscape, a rich mix of cultural groups and a long and varied history. The country is situated in the eastern part of the Asian continent, and is the third biggest country in the world, after Russia and Canada. China borders the East China Sea, Korea Bay, the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea, and has a land area of 9,326,410 square kilometers.
With more than 1.3 billion people, China is the world’s most populous country and accounts for one fifth of the world’s population.
Because of its size, China enjoys a diverse landscape and extremes in temperature – parts of the northern provinces such as Heilongjiang are sub-arctic whereas the southernmost point, Hainan Island, is tropical. The eastern part of the country is mountainous and fertile, with some of Asia’s greatest mountains here, including the Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains. The west by contrast is barren with deserts and high plateaus.