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The People's Republic of China - PRC - is the world's largest country in terms of population. It is the fourth largest in area with territory that extends over 9.6 million square kilometers. China has a land border 22,000 kilometers long and a sea border of 18,000 meters.
China has over 6,500 islands and a population of 1.3 billion of whom 92% are Chinese. The remainder is made up of various minorities. China is officially defined as an atheistic country.
The natural population increase is 0.7% per annum while the population density varies from one region to another: from 8,000 people per square kilometer in Macau to 2 in Tibet. Those under the age of 14 represent some 12% of the population while 7% are over the age of 65.
China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 central administrative authorities and 2 special administrative areas.
Mandarin is the official language. English is also spoken by some Chinese, particularly the young, many of whom have a good command of the English language.
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