China

It's a land of towering mountains and epic landscapes - background scenery to the fall of dynasties, the rise of emperors and the turning of the revolutionary wheel. Unless you have a couple of years and unlimited patience, it's best to follow a loose itinerary here, such as Beijing to Tibet via Xi'an's terracotta warriors, following the Silk Road route, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province.

Full country name: People's Republic of China Area: 9,596,960 sq km (mainland) Population: 1.25 billion (mainland) Yikes! Capital city: Beijing (pop 13.8 million) People: Han Chinese (93%), plus 55 ethnic minorities Languages: Putonghua (Beijing Mandarin dialect), Cantonese Religion: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism (no stats available); Muslim (14 million), Christian (7 million) Government: Communist republic Head of State: Jiang Zemin

GDP: US$4.5 trillion GDP per head: US$3600 Growth rate: 7.8% Inflation: 2.8% Major industries: Iron, steel, coal, machinery, automobiles, petrolium, chemicals, telecommunications, textiles Major trading partners: USA, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan