THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA A large group of people stands in the shadow of the Great Wall of China The broad sturdy wall towers high overhead For many dynasties the wall kept out enemies Today it hosts millions of sightseers each year 4
OTHER TOP SITES FORBIDDEN CITY MOUNT EVEREST ORIENTAL PEARL TOWER TERRA-COTTA ARMY The group climbs the wall’s ancient steps From the top the visitors admire the wall snaking along the hilltops of China’s countryside Commanding watchtowers stand along its length In the distance they see where the wall disappears into the horizon Welcome to China 5
LOCATION China stretches from central Asia to the continent’s eastern edge It is the fourth-largest country in the world spreading across 3,705,407 square miles 9,596,960 square kilometers Fourteen countries touch China These include Russia and Mongolia to the north and India to the southwest The waters of the Yellow East China and South China Seas wash onto China’s eastern shores Beijing the nation’s capital is located in northeastern China The cities of Macau and Hong Kong spread onto islands off China’s southern coast Close by stands Hainan Island The Chinese island of Taiwan sits to China’s southeast 6 KAZAKHSTAN KYRGYZSTAN TAJIKISTAN AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN NEPAL INDIA BHUTAN MYANMAR BURMA
TIME ZONES China is more than 3,000 miles 4,828 kilometers wide Yet the entire country is within the same time zone This means that in some areas the sun may set at midnight MONGOLIA BEIJING CHINA HUANG HE RIVER SHANGHAI CHONGQING YANGTZE RIVER RUSSIA NORTH KOREA YELLOW SEA EAST CHINA SEA HONG KONG TAIWAN GUANGZHOU MACAU HAINAN SOUTH CHINA SEA VIETNAM LAOS 7
