“One World, One Dream”- official slogan of the 2008 Olympics ©2011 HappyEdugator.

“One World, One Dream”- official slogan of the 2008 Olympics

©2011 HappyEdugator

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: COMMUNIST STATE CAPTIAL CITY: BEIJING OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: STANDARD CHINESE,

MANDARIN POPULATION: OVER 1.3 BILLION PEOPLE- ABOUT

20% OF THE WORLD POPULATION LAND AREA: A VERY LARGE COUNTRY COVERING

ABOUT 57,510,000 SQUARE MILES GEOGRAPHY: WIDELY VARYING- INCLUDES

MOUNTAINS, PLATEAUS, DESERTS, LOW WETLANDS AND DENSE FORESTS IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT CLIMATIC ZONES

China is the most populous country in the world today, with an estimated population of over 1.3 billion people. About a third of the population lives in cities, and the remainder live in rural areas.

Did you know that families in China are mandated to only have one child, and are penalized with fines for having more?

In order to deal with overpopulation, the one-child policy promotes one-child families and forbids couples from having more than one child if they live in a city. Couples may have more than one child if they live in the country and if the first child is a girl. Violations of the policy brings stiff fines, and parents with multiple children do not receive the same benefits as parents who only have one child.

China is so large a country, that it has many diverse climates and environments. In the northern zone winters are bitter and cold as in the Arctic. In the central zone, the climate is temperate, while in the southern zone the climate is sub-tropical.

China has mostly plateaus and mountains in the west, and lower lands on the east. For this reason, major rivers flow from west to east, including the Yangtze (central), the Huang He (central-east), and the Amur (northeast). Sometimes they flow toward the south (including the Pearl River, Mekong River, and Brahmaputra). Most Chinese rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean.

The People’s Republic of China is one of five communist states in the world. The country is ruled by the Communist Party of China, and the President is Hu Jintao, who is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. The government is authoritarian, with heavy restrictions on the press and the internet. There is no freedom of religion or assembly, as we have here. The government is in control of an individual’s life, and as discussed earlier, even controls the size of a family.

China’s government is a Communist state.

(12 November 1866 - 12 March 1925) Sun was the first provisional president when the Republic of China (ROC) was

founded in 1912 and later co-founded the Chinese National People's Party

(December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976)He was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, and had authoritarian control until his death. He is officially considered in China as a great political giant, military genius, and savior of the nation. He’s also highly regarded as a poet, intellectual, and philosopher, while at the same time, he is also blamed for millions of deaths from The Cultural Revolution.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China

China's money (or yehn) is about $6.95 less than the U.S money. Simply stated, it takes about $7 in Chinese money to equal $1 in America!.

China manufactures many things that are exported to the United States and to other countries around the world.

China’s famous Silk Road is actually a network of routes used even in ancient times for trade.

Although silk was transported along this network , other goods such as spices, tea, and textiles were also transported along these routes, via land and sea. These routes are often still followed today.

Camel caravans are still used today to transport goods to the shipping ports.

In addition to the manufacturing of clothing and plastics in factories today, China has been producing many goods since ancient times, such as:

Fireworks Silk Cashmere Tea Rice

Gunpowder, the main ingredient in fireworks, originated in China around 142 A.D. The manufacturing of fireworks is still a big industry in China today.

Fireworks are used in celebrations in China just aswe use them to celebrate here.

These little caterpillars make a thread that is woven into the soft fabric we know as silk.

Silk worms are bred in order to collect the silk cocoons they make so the fabric can be made.

These goats produce a wool that is very soft and extremely desirable for making sweaters.

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Tea leaves are collected and dried to make an assortment of teas for brewing.

Terraces are used in farming to plant sloped land. Graduated terrace steps are frequently used to farm on hilly or mountainous land. Terraced fields decrease erosion and runoff, and are effective for growing crops requiring a large amount water, such as rice.

A paddy is a flooded tract of fertile land used for growing rice. Rice is a staple food for many people around the world. China produces much of this rice.

China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of wildlife in the world.  There are more than 4,400 species of vertebrates, more than 10 percent of the world's total. Giant pandas and tigers are endangered species due to loss of habitat.

There are several man-made landmarks in China that are well-known and some of them are often visited by tourists. Many of these are amazing feats of human engineering.

The Great Wall of China was first ordered constructed by Emperor Qin during the Qin Dynasty to defend his empire from attacks from nomads. The part still left today was part of the Silk Road and was built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall was once about 3,700 miles long.

The Imperial City is a section of the city of Beijing with the Forbidden City at its center. It refers to the collection of gardens, shrines, and other areas between the Forbidden City and the Inner City of ancient Beijing. The Imperial City was surrounded by a wall and accessed through six gates, starting at Tiananmen.

The Forbidden City, was the residence of the emperor. "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission.

Discovered in 1974, it formed part of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s burial chamber and consisted of more than 7,000 life-size terracotta figures of warriors, horses and chariots.

To control the Yangtze’s seasonal floods, which killed many people every year, China began building the Three Gorges Dam in 1994. It is the world’s biggest dam and the world’s biggest hydroelectric plant, and should become fully operational in May 2011. However, its construction has been highly criticized for its environmental and social impact and cost. 1.3 million people had to relocated, archaeological and historical sites were destroyed, and the disruption of the flow of the river has had severe ecological effects and increased the amount of deadly landslides.

With so many people using automobiles now, traffic and pollution is a growing problem.

Some American businesses have become popular in China.

Children go to school in China from age 6-12 in primary school, and from 12-15 in middle school. High school or vocational school starts at age 16, and students must compete for scholarships in order to attend college.

Students are taught English starting in third grade. On average, China's children spend 8.6 hours a day at school, with some spending 12 hours a day in the classroom. Children go to school 6 days a week.

It is said that the 21st century is going to be known as the Chinese century! China has become a major world power. Did you know there are more people in China who speak English than there are people living in the United States? Chinese students and families take their education very seriously, and they will be competing for jobs in a world market. That means YOU will have to work extra hard, especially in math and science, in order to get the higher paying jobs of the future!

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