How Big is China?

The size of China is 9,596,960 sq km. This is just a bit smaller than the US. The land area is 9,326,410 sq km and the water area is 270,550 sq km.

Geographical Facts

The coordinates are 35 00 N, 105 00 E. Around its borders are the East China Sea, South China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Bay of Korea. The land boundaries total 22,117 km. Several countries border it, including Laos, Nepal, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea.

Russia is at the northeast and northwest. Other countries nearby are Tajikistan, Macau and Hong Kong. The lowest point is Turpan Perdi (-154 m). The highest point is Mt. Everest (8,850 m).

Coastline and Maritime Claims

The size of China’s coastline is 14,500 km while the territorial sea is 12 nm. The continental shelf is 200 nm as is the exclusive economic zone. The contiguous zone is 24 nm.

Note: the measurements used here do not include Taiwan. Although China deems it is a renegade province, Taiwan is not included when assessing China facts and figures here.

Land, Climate and Terrain

The climate varies depending on the location. On the north portion it is extremely cold. By contrast it is tropical in the southern portions. The terrain is just as varied. There are areas where mountain ranges proliferate. On the western front are deserts and various plateaus.

At the east of China are hills and plains. The vast land has produced numerous natural resources as well. They include the natural gas, iron, ore, coal and zinc.

The size of China’s natural resources has given it the potential to be the largest generator of hydropower in the word. The arable land is 14.86% while the irrigated land has been put at 545,960 sq km. Land for permanent crops is 2.7%.

Natural Phenomena

The most common are typhoons along the east and south coasts. Floods, droughts and earthquakes also occur.

Population and Demographics

As of 2007, the number of people in China is 1,338,612,968. 21% of them are under the age of 14. Over 70% of them are between 15 and 63 years old. Less than 10% are over 65. The population grows at 0.6%.

The Han Chinese comprises 91% of the population. The size of China’s population means a lot of ethnic groups number in the millions as well. The Zhuang make up 16 million, the Uyghur 17 million, the Mongols 5 million, the Tibetans 5 million and the Koreans 2 million.

Most Populated Cities

The most populated is Shanghai with 18,542,200. This is followed by Beijing with 17,430,000. Hong Kong has a population of 6,985,200 and Tianjin 11,500,000. At number five is Wuhan with a population of 9,400,000. At number six is Guangzhou with a population of 15,000,000. At seventh is Shenyang with 7,500,000 inhabitants. Chongqing is at number eight with 31,442,300.

The eleventh most populated is Xi’an with 10,500,000. Chengdu is the 12th most populated with 11,300,000. At 13th is Changchun (7,400,000).

The size of China’s population is equaled by its economy. Its GDP is just over $70 trillion, the third largest on the planet.