Discovering China
Andrew Kerr, Hour 3
Geography
- China is the second largest country in the world by land area.
- China is the home of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. (8,848 m)
- The dried lake bed of Ayding, the country's lowest point in elevation, has the third lowest point in the world.
- One third of China's land area is made up of mountains.
- Has the longest combined land border in the world. (22,117 km)
- China multiple varieties of land types including deserts, mountains, and fertile river basins.
- Has 50,000 rivers. Including the Yangtze River, the third longest in the world.
- China's total area is approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers
- China is made up of 20% deserts
- Extremely diverse climate; mainly subtropic in the south to subarctic in the north.
Culture
Social Organization
- Life in China revolves around the family
- China has a one-child policy to keep the population under control.
Customs and Tradition
- Some Chinese holidays include New Years Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Labor Day, and Chinese New Year.
- China still maintains strong ties to its past.
Language
- Chinese is the official language of China.
- The Chinese character has more than 3,000 years of history
Religion
- Buddhism has the widest influence across, but other major languages include Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity.
- The number of religious worshipers is estimated at well over 100 million.
Arts and Literature
- Chinese art includes poetry, paper cutting, shadow puppetry, and painting pottery.
- Art focused on "the three perfections"; painting, poetry, and calligraphy.
Government
- China's government type is a communist state.
- China's communist party maintains tight control of speech, religion, and assembly.
Economy
- China's GDP per capita is $9,800
- China has the highest Labor force in the world, with a total of 797.6 million people.
DBQ's
- What caused China's total fertility rate start to decrease around 1970?
- Why is China's total fertility rate maintaining a steady flow as of recent years?