Orientation

    The People's Republic of China is located in eastern Asia and is almost identical in size to the United States. P.R. China shares borders with 14 countries, the longest being in the north with Mongolia (almost 4,700 km). P.R. China is the third largest country on earth with the world's third and sixth longest rivers (Yangtze and Yellow), the highest point (Everest), the second lowest point (Turpan Depression), and the most people (approximately 1.3B). P.R. China has five autonomous regions, four municipalities (including Shanghai and Beijing), and two Special Administration Regions (SAR) – Hong Kong and Macau.

    Beijing, located in north-eastern China, is near the Xishan and Jundu mountains on a plain that gently slopes down to the Bohai Sea, an inlet of the Yellow Sea. Just beyond the mountains 200 km away lies the Gobi Desert. The city, covering an area of 16,410 sq km, is home to an estimated 17.4 million people. The urban center of Beijing is the south-eastern part of the municipality and is in a circular, or ring, pattern, with Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City at the heart.