China
Asia Β· Capital: Beijing
How it is run: China is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
China is home to 1.41 billion people in Eastern Asia, where people speak Chinese.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
1.41 billion people
That is 17.4% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
9,706,961 kmΒ²
A giant of the map β it stretches across several time zones.
ποΈ How crowded
About 145 people per square kilometre β busy towns with countryside in between.
π Size in its region
2nd most people in Asia
1st largest by land in Asia.
π£οΈ Official languages
Chinese
π° Money
Chinese yuan (Β₯)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
78 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$13,862
An upper-middle-income country: growing cities, and more families joining the middle class.
π’ Living in cities
66.3% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
π Kids under 15
15.4% of the population
An older country β there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+86
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.cn
π§ People here are called
Chinese
π·οΈ Name at home
δΈε½
Also written: ZhΕngguΓ³, Zhongguo, Zhonghua.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
Asia and the Pacific Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
China touches 16 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
China
French
Chine
Arabic
Ψ§ΩΨ΅ΩΩ
Chinese
δΈε½
Japanese
δΈε½
Russian
ΠΠΈΡΠ°ΠΉ
Portuguese
China
German
China
Put it in perspective π
- China is one of the most populated countries in Asia.
- China covers roughly 92,447 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in China lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 703,293 km.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch China change.
Qing dynasty dragon
A blue dragon chasing a red pearl flew for China's last emperors.
Republic of China
A white sun on blue with a red field β 'blue sky, white sun, wholly red earth'.
Five-star red flag
The big star is the nation and the four small stars are the people working together.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: China sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
π·οΈ Official name
People's Republic of China
ποΈ Capital
Beijing
π Region
Asia Β· Eastern Asia
π€ Country code
CN
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about China π
The Great Wall
Not one wall but many, built over 2,000 years and stretching more than 21,000 km in total across mountains and desert.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
35.0Β° N, 105.0Β° E
π Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC+7 β when it is noon in London it is about 19:00 in Beijing.
- China is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly β the same as every other member, big or small.
- Because of where China sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
- China sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- China sits in Eastern Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
- China is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- China has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- China can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If China spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of China?
Beijing
Which money do people spend in China?
Chinese yuan (Β₯)
How many countries share a land border with China?
16 β Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Vietnam.
Roughly how many people live in China?
1.41 billion people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.