Location: East Asia, sharing its borders with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam
Capital: Beijing
Tourist Attractions: People’s Republic of China, or China as it is commonly known, is a communist state, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and the world’s most populous nation. The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Warriors at Xian, and the Silk Route are famous attractions. Shanghai is popular for its riverside scenery and Guilin for its mountain peaks. The tropical island of Hainan is another tourist favorite. The Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has over 51, 000 Buddhist carvings. China is a rapidly urbanizing nation and Beijing is the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Access: China is well connected by air, land and water. International airlines operate flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, while a regular rail service links China with many of its neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Russia and Kazakhstan.Tourists can cross over to China by road from Vietnam, Nepal and the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan. Entry by sea is by ferry services from Japan, South Korea and the port of Hong Kong.
Climate: China, being a large country, experiences extremely divergent climatic conditions ranging from tropical in the south to sub-artic in the northern region.