Cina

Cina, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous nation. It borders 14 countries and has coastlines on the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea. The capital is Beijing; the largest city by population is Shanghai. The landscape ranges from the Tibetan Plateau in the west to fertile eastern plains, with deserts, mountains and river basins.

Historically, the region supported early civilizations and multiple dynasties. The Qing dynasty fell in 1912, the Republic of China was established, and the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949. Since 1978, economic reforms have moved the economy toward market mechanisms with strong state planning. China joined the WTO in 2001 and became a major global manufacturing and trading power.

Government is a unitary one-party state led by the Communist Party. The president is head of state and the general secretary of the party is the top leader; the National People’s Congress is the formal legislature.

Demographics: about 1.4 billion people; the population is predominantly Han Chinese (roughly 90–92%) with 55 recognized ethnic minorities. Standard Mandarin is the official language; many regional languages are spoken.

Economy: one of the world’s largest by nominal GDP, with manufacturing, infrastructure, technology and services as major sectors. It has extensive urbanization and a vast network of cities and ports.

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 centrally administered municipalities, and 2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau).

Cultural notes: China has a long heritage in philosophy, literature, cuisine and the arts. Ongoing issues include governance, human rights, the environment and regional disputes.