| Official name: | People's Republic of China |
| Capital: | Beijing |
| Area: | total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km |
| Climate: | extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north |
| Location: | Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam |
| Geographic coordinates: | 35 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Comparative Area: | slightly smaller than the US |
| Land boundaries: | total: 22,147.34 km
border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km |
| Coastline: | 14,500 km |
| Terrain: | mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.) |