China Facts:

Population: 1,338,612,968 (July 2009 est.) The largest population in the world.

Area Total: 9,596,961 sq km (4th largest country in the world - slightly smaller than the US).

Climate: Extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north.

Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Of Interest: Despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time). 21.5 million rural population live below the official "absolute poverty" line (approximately $90 per year); and an additional 35.5 million rural population above that but below the official "low income" line (approximately $125 per year) (2006 est.)