The
word “China” is usually used
to refer to the “People’s
Republic of China” or perhaps “Greater
China”. The country known as the
“People's Republic of China”
governs much of the mainland and numerous
other islands: this includes Hong Kong
since 1997, and Macao since 1999. China’s
population is huge. With over one billion
people China makes up a fifth of the world's
population. It has a permanent seat on
the UN Security Council and is a recognized
nuclear power. While the country is large
it is also diverse, and the Chinese language
is divided into many spoken dialects.
China is the “world's oldest continuous
civilization”, meaning that it has
been going strong since about 2500 BCE>
Chinese civilization outdates both the
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. China
was one of the earliest centers of human
technological development, beating out
most of the world in areas such as art
and science until it entered a period
of stagnation that lasted for thousands
of years. China gained great wealth from
a material known as silk, and the “silk
road” starched all over Asia and
Europe.
China
has influenced much of Asia in the way
of religion and philosophy. During the
19th and 20th centuries China felt the
sting of European colonialism and imperialism,
and until it became a communist state
it was too weak to properly defend itself.
Today China is a recognized world powerhouse
with the largest military in the world.
China is a large country, taking up the
majority of Eastern Asia. It has many
types of geographical features, including
desserts, mountains, rivers, forests,
and plains. It is the home of the rare
and way-cute Panda Bear. It is also reportedly
the home of “Chinese Food”,
which is incorrect: “Chinese Food”
is mostly a North American invention having
little to do with actual Asian Cuisine.
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