China

Asia 
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam.

13°45′N 100°29′E

President Hu Jintao	Prime Minister   Wen Jiabao

Capital               
Beijing

Government          
People's Republic Communist State

Religions              
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%,note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Population           
1,338,612,968 (July 2010 est.)

Ethnic groups      
Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)

National Language 
Standard Mandarin

National Day
Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)

Currency               
Chinese yuan (renminbi) (¥) (CNY)

Anthem                  
San Min Chu-i (Three Principles of the People)

Attractions
Baishui Terrace, Chengde Mountain Resort,  Donghai Bridge, Forbidden City, Ganden Monastery, Great Wall of China 

Website

Art & Cultural

The ICON

The Great Wall     The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups. Several walls have been built since the 5th century BC that are referred to collectively as the Great Wall, which has been rebuilt and maintained from the 5th century BC through the 16th century. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.

The Great Wall