For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, but in the first half of the 20th century it was beset by major famines, civil unrest, military defeats and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under Mao Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China’s sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life. The planned economy made China one of the poorest countries in the world. After 1978, Mao’s successor Deng Xiaoping gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making. Output quadrupled in the next 20 years, and China now has the world’s second largest GDP. Political controls remain tight even while economic controls continue to weaken.
Area Total: 9,596,960 sq km (World’s 4th largest country)
Land : 9,326,410 sq km; Water: 270,550 sq km
Climate : Extremely diverse; tropical in the south to subarctic in the north Terrain Mostly
mountains, high plateaus and deserts in the west; plains, deltas and hills in the
east
Natural Resources: Coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite,
aluminum, lead, zinc, Uranium and hydropower potential (world's
largest)
Natural Hazards: Frequent typhoons (about 5 per year along southern and eastern coasts),
damaging floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts
Population Annual Growth: 0.8%
Infant Deaths per 1,000 : 28
Persons Under Age : 25%
Urban Population : 32%
Urban ...