The world's most populous country and its major emerging economy is just as significant when it comes to travellers interest. Everything in China is on an epic scale, from its huge deserts and mountain ranges to its new megacities. China has thousands of years of history as a major civilisation, which has left its mark in some extraordinary historical sites including the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors and Beijing's Forbidden City. The natural landscapes are no less spectacular, from the karst scenery of the southern provinces to the dramatic gorges along the Yangtze River and the numerous beautiful and sacred mountains. Away from the well travelled east of the country, China also boasts some unique regions with cultural and natural diversity including Yunnan Province in the south and Tibet in the west. As if that wasn't enough, China is also the starting point or destination for two of the most epic and famous journeys in the world - the Trans-Mongolian Express train journey and the Silk Road. Explore in depth highlights of China.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
|---|---|---|
| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT +8 (Chinese standard time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | Mandarin Chinese |
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| Other languages: | Uighur, Zhuang, Yunnan Hua, Dongbei Hua, Sichuanese, Hunanese, Chaozhou, Tibetan, Xiang, Wu, Ping, Min, Jin, Hui, Hakka, Gan, Cantonese |
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| Currency: |
Renminbi yuan (CNY) €1 = ¥0.00, $1 = ¥6.68, £1 = ¥0.00 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .cn | International Dialling Code: 86 |
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For help planning your trip to China including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our China trip planning page.
Further information on China
Discover more about China - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 9,596,960 sq km (270,550 sq km under water)
Coastline: 14,500 km (East China Sea, Korea Bay, South China Sea, Yellow Sea)
Neighbours (border lengths): Afghanistan (76km), Bhutan (470km), Burma (2,185km), India (3,380km), Kazakhstan (1,533km), Kyrgyzstan (858km), Laos (423km), Mongolia (4,677km), Nepal (1,236km), North Korea (1,416km), Pakistan (523km), Russia (3,645km), Tajikistan (414km), Vietnam (1,281km), Hong Kong (30km), Macau
Climate: China is a vast country with a diverse climate ranging from subarctic in the north to tropical and humid in the south. June to August is especially hot and humid with longer summers and milder winters in the south.
Highest mountain: Mount Everest (8,850m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for China from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Not Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Authoritarian regime | 144/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Mostly Unfree | 139/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Very serious situation | 174/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | Limited rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | Medium corruption | 100/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 173/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: People's Republic of China (PRC) Status: Independent Country
Population: 1,355,692,576 (rank: 1/196) Density: 141.2 people/sq km (rank: 59/196)
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)
Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
GDP (PPP): $13390 billion GDP per capita: $9,800 (rank: 97/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.