GDP Official Exchange Rate (OER is more precise at gauging a countries economic power)
(Estimated 2011): $6.989 trillion (US$) or (GBP)
GDP (OER) Per Capita (per member of the population estimated 2011): (US$) or (GBP)
GDP Purchasing Power Parity (PPP is good for gauging living conditions and use of resources but not as accurate as OER. This data has been calculated based on the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States)
(Estimated 2011): $11.29 trillion (US$) or (GBP)
GDP (PPP) Per Capita (per member of the population estimated 2011): $8,400 (US$) or (GBP)
Capital: Beijing (Peking)
Population (Estimated July 2012): 1,343,239,923
Area: 9,572,900 km2 or 3,696,100 mi2
Currency: Renminbi (yuan) (Y)
Official Language: Mandarin Chinese
Political Information: Communist State
Official Religion: No Official Religion
Highest Mountain: Qowowuyag at 8,188m or 26,864 feet (Everest is partially in China but the peak is in Nepal)
Largest River:
Time Zone (GMT/UTC): +8:00
Wildlife:
Counties/Provinces/States: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Leaders: President and General Secretary Hu Jintao with Wen Jiabao as Premier.
Sources: CIA World Fact Book, Encyclopaedia Britannica,
