Located
in East Asia, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic
of China (PRC) has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km, and is the third
largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada.
From
north to south, the territory of China measures some 5,500 km, stretching from
the center of the Heilongjiang River north of the town of Mohe to the Zengmu
Reef at the southernmost tip pf the Nansha Islands. When north China is
still covered with snow, people in south China are busy with spring
plowing.
From west to east, the nation extends about 5,200 km from the
Pamirs to the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers, with a time
difference of over four hours. When the Pamirs are cloaked in night, the
morning sun is shining brightly over east China. China has land borders
22,800 km long, with 15 contiguous countries. Across the seas to the east
and southeast are the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei,
Malaysia and Indonesia.
More...
Back
to Top...
The
Chinese mainland is flanked to the east and south by the Bohai, Yellow, East
China and South China seas, with a total maritime area of 4.73 million sq
km. The Bohai Sea is China's continental sea, while the Yellow, East China
and South China seas are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean. A total of
5,400 islands dot China's vast territorial waters.
The largest of these islands,
with an area of about 36,000 sq km, is Taiwan, followed by Hainan with an area
of 34,000 sq km. Diaoyu and Chiwei islands, located to the northeast of
Taiwan Island, are China's easternmost islands. The many islands, islets,
reefs and shoals on the South China Sea, known collectively as the South China
Sea Islands, are subdivided into the Donsha, Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha island
groups.
More...
Back
to Top...
|