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Zhongguo

Zhongguo, also rendered Zhonghua in some contexts, is the Chinese endonym for the country and its civilization. The name literally means "central state" or "middle kingdom" and is written 中国 in simplified Chinese and 中國 in traditional. In modern usage it refers primarily to the People's Republic of China (PRC), the state established in 1949 with its capital at Beijing.

The PRC is the world's most populous country and a permanent member of the United Nations Security

Historically, various dynasties used forms of Zhongguo to describe their realms; in modern times the PRC uses

In language, Zhongguo is pronounced Zhōngguó in Mandarin; it is often linked with Zhonghua (中华) to refer

Council.
The
term
Zhongguo
also
has
a
broader
historical
meaning
as
the
political
and
cultural
center
of
the
Chinese
world,
a
concept
dating
to
ancient
dynasties
that
claimed
the
"Middle
Kingdom"
as
the
heart
of
East
Asia.
Zhongguo
as
the
official
name
of
the
country,
while
the
Republic
of
China
on
Taiwan
uses
Zhonghua
Minguo.
The
two
governments
claim
overlapping
sovereignty,
though
they
administer
separate
jurisdictions.
to
Chinese
civilization
or
nation.
Geographically,
Zhongguo
lies
in
East
Asia
along
the
Pacific,
with
diverse
landscapes
and
a
history
spanning
thousands
of
years.