Focus on China - Statistical Data Included

Current Events, Sept 24, 1999

Below is a map of China, one of the countries featured in the September World Newsmap of the Month.

The map below is a relief map. Some relief maps are three dimensional. They show mountains as raised areas on the maps. Valleys are shown as depressions.

Other relief maps are flat. But they still show elevation of the land. Mapmakers represent mountains and valleys on flat relief maps through shading, symbols, color, or a combination of these techniques.

The map below uses symbols to show mountains over 3,000 feet above sea level. Although the map is a relief map, it is also a political map because it shows country borders and important rivers, seas, and cities.

[Map OMITTED]

Facts About China

AREA: 3,696,100 square miles

POPULATION: 1,236,914,658

CAPITAL: Beijing

NATIONAL ANTHEM: "March of the Volunteers"

CURRENCY: Yuan (8.2 Yuan equals 1 U.S. dollar)

CHIEF CROPS: Grain, Rice, Cotton, Potatoes, Tea

CHIEF INDUSTRIES: I ron and Steel, Textiles, Clothing, Machines, Armaments

COMMUNICATIONS: Television Sets (1 for every 5.2 persons); Radios (1 for every 5.8 persons); Telephones (1 for every 62 persons)

LIFE EXPECTANCY: 68 (Male); 71 (Female)

LITERACY: 82 Percent