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• China is the third largest country in the world with a landmass slightly larger <br /> than that of the US and slightly smaller than that of Canada, <br /> y <br /> �� • In terms of population China has more people than any other country on Earth <br /> with more than 1.3 billion inhabitants. The majority of these people are Han <br /> Chinese but there are 55 additional officially recognized ethnic groups or <br /> f =_ "minzu" as they are called in Mandarin. <br /> • One out of every five people in the world is Chinese or of Chinese origin. <br /> -, m • Construction on The Great Wall of China was started in the 7th Century BC and <br /> continued for more than 2000 years. In Chinese the structure is called "Chang <br /> , Chang" or "Lang Wall:` It is often said that the structure was built to keep out <br /> invaders from the north, but the original, smaller walls were erected by feudal <br /> warlords to protect their lands. Over the years;these walls were joined together W <br /> and by the time of The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) the structure extended for <br /> approximately 6,000 kilometers or 3,600 miles. <br /> • <br /> Only slightly less impressive than The Great Wall is The Grand Canal, which <br /> connects Beijing in The North with Hangzhou in The South,The oldest parts <br /> of the canal date back to the 5th century BC,and the various sections were <br /> finally combined during the Sui Dynasty;(581-618 AD). Its length is just over <br /> 1,100 miles. The Grand Canal allowed trade over great distances and also meant <br /> that soldiers stationed in the north of the country did not have to devote a lot ' <br /> of their time and resources to agriculture.Today the canal is used more for the <br /> transport of building'materials such as bricks, gravel and sand, or fuels such as,. <br /> coal and diesel. <br /> WR <br /> • China is divided into 29 provinces the biggest of which is Xinjiang or "The New: <br /> Territory" sometimes called Sinkiang gin-:The West) and Xizang which we know. <br /> as Tibet. Guangdong Province in the south is the most populated province with <br /> " almost 100 million people! <br /> • Despite an economic boom'over the last two decades, China today is still largely <br /> a bicycle culture. People use their bikes to get to and from work, to take their <br /> children to school, for shopping, or to transport goods such as food, clothing <br /> and'even"furniture! Bicycles share the many smaller city streets,with cars, < <br /> mucks,traveling vendors and pedestrians. <br /> r � <br />