Its landscape is diverse with forest steppes and deserts (the Gobi and Taklamakan) in the dry north near Mongolia and Russia’s Siberia, and subtropical forests in the wet south close to Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. The terrain in the west is rugged and high altitude, with the Himalayas and the Tian Shan mountain ranges forming China’s natural borders with India and Central Asia. In contrast, China’s eastern seaboard is low-lying and has a 14,500-kilometre long coastline bounded on the southeast by the South China Sea and on the east by the East China Sea beyond which lies Korea and Japan.

Other Information

• Capital : Beijing
• Largest city:  Shanghai
• National language : Standard Mandarin
• Ethnic groups   91.9% Han, 1.30% Zhuang, 0.86% Manchu, 0.79% Uyghur, 0.79% Hui, 0.72% Miao, 0.65% Yi, 0.62% Tujia, 0.47% Mongol, 0.44% Tibetan, 0.26% Buyei, 0.15% Korean, 1.05% other
• Demonym : Chinese
• Government : Socialist state, Single-party communist state, People’s democratic dictatorship
• President : Hu Jintao
• Premier : Wen Jiabao
• Chairman of NPCSC : Wu Bangguo
• Chairman of CPPCC : Jia Qinglin
• Legislature  National People’s Congress
• Area : Total  9,640,821 km2 [d] or 9,671,018 km2[d], (3rd/4th), 3,704,427 sq mi
• Water (%)  2.8
• Population
  -   2007 estimate  1,321,851,888[c]
  -   2000 census  1,242,612,226
  -   Density  140/km2, 363/sq mi
• Currency  Renminbi (¥) (CNY)
• Time zone  China Standard Time (UTC+8)
• Drives on the  right, except for Hong Kong & Macau
• Internet TLD  .cn
• Calling code  +86

Links

• BBC News — Country Profile: China
• China entry at The World Factbook
• China – wikipedia

Government

Maps

• Google Maps – China
• Google Maps – China Interesting locations
• Wikimedia Atlas of the People’s Republic of China

Travel

• China travel guide from Wikitravel

Pakistan

The region forming modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures including the neolithic Mehrgarh and the bronze era Indus Valley Civilisation. Subsequently it was the recipient of Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures through several invasions and/or settlements. As a result, the area has remained a part of numerous empires and dynasties including the Indian empires, Persian empires, Arab caliphates, Mongol, Mughal, Durrani Empire, Sikh and British Empire. Pakistan gained independence from the British Empire in 1947, after a struggle for independence led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah that sought the partition of British India and the establishment of a new independent state for the Muslim majority populations of the eastern and western regions of India. Initially a dominion, with the adoption of its constitution in 1956 Pakistan became an Islamic republic. In 1971, an armed conflict in East Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.

Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of four provinces and four federal territories. With a population exceeding 170 million people, it is the sixth most populous country in the world and has the second largest Muslim population after Indonesia. It is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similar variation in its geography and wildlife. Its semi-industrialized economy is the 27th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power. Since gaining independence, Pakistan’s history has been characterised by periods of military rule, political instability and conflicts with neighbouring India. The country continues to face some challenging problems including terrorism, poverty, illiteracy and corruption.

A middle and regional power, Pakistan has the seventh largest standing armed forces in the world and is a recognised nuclear weapons state, being the first and only nation to have that status in the Muslim world, and the second in South Asia. It is designated as a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a strategic ally of China. Pakistan is a founding member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) and is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations and the G20 developing nations.

Other Information

• Capital : Islamabad
• Largest city : Karachi
• Official languages : Urdu, English (Pakistani)
• Recognised regional languages : Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi
• Demonym : Pakistani
• Government : Federal Parliamentary republic
• President : Asif Zardari (PPP)
• Prime Minister : Yousaf Gillani (PPP)
• Chief Justice : Iftikhar Chaudhry
• Chair of Senate : Farooq Naek (PPP)
• House Speaker : Fahmida Mirza (PPP)
• Currency : Pakistani Rupee (Rs.) (PKR)
• Time zone : PST (UTC+5)
• Summer (DST) : PDT (UTC+6)
• Drives on the : left
• ISO 3166 code : PK
• Internet TLD : .pk
• Calling code : 92

North Korea

The peninsula was governed by the Korean Empire until it was annexed by Japan after the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It was divided into Soviet- and American-occupied zones in 1945, after the end of World War II. North Korea refused to participate in a United Nations–supervised election held in the south in 1948, which led to the creation of separate Korean governments for the two occupation zones. North and South Korea each claimed sovereignty over the whole Korean Peninsula, which led to the Korean War of 1950. The Armistice Agreement of 1953 ended the fighting; but the two countries are officially still at war against each other, for a peace treaty was never signed. Both states were accepted into the United Nations in 1991.

North Korea is a single-party state under a united front led by the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP). The country’s government follows the Juche ideology of self-reliance, developed by the country’s President, Kim Il-sung. After his death, Kim Il-sung was declared the country’s Eternal President. Juche became the official state ideology when the country adopted a new constitution in 1972, though Kim Il-sung had been using it to form policy since at least as early as 1955. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and a series of natural disasters, a famine occurred, causing the death of 900,000 to 2 million people. Facing these circumstances, leader Kim Jong-Il adopted Songun, or a “military-first” policy in order to strengthen the country and its government.

Many outside organizations describe North Korea as a totalitarian Stalinist dictatorship with an elaborate cult of personality around the Kim family and one of the lowest-ranking human rights records of any country. The North Korean government denies this association. North Korea is the world’s most militarized nation, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. It is a nuclear-weapons state and has an active space program.

Other Information

• Capital : (and largest city) Pyongyang
• Official language : Korean
• Official scripts : Chosŏn’gŭl
• Ethnic groups : Korean
• Demonym : North Korean, Korean
• Government : Juche unitary single-party state
• Currency : North Korean won (₩) (KPW)
• Time zone : Korea Standard Time (UTC+9)
• Drives on the : right
• ISO 3166 code : KP
• Internet TLD : .kp
• Calling code : 850

Iran

The 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi), Iran has a population of around 78 million. It is a country of particular geopolitical significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran’s direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq and on the northwest by Turkey. Tehran is the capital, the country’s largest city and the political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas.

Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations. The first dynasty in Iran formed during the Elamite kingdom in 2800 BC. The Iranian Medes unified Iran into an empire in 625 BC. They were succeeded by the Iranian Achaemenid Empire, the Hellenic Seleucid Empire and two subsequent Iranian empires, the Parthians and the Sassanids, before the Muslim conquest in 651 AD. Iranian post-Islamic dynasties and empires expanded the Persian language and culture throughout the Iranian plateau. Early Iranian dynasties which re-asserted Iranian independence included the Tahirids, Saffarids, Samanids and Buyids.

The blossoming of Persian literature, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, mathematics and art became major elements of Muslim civilization. Iranian identity continued despite foreign rule in the ensuing centuries and Persian culture was adopted also by the Ghaznavids, Seljuk, Ilkhanid and Timurid rulers. The emergence in 1501 of the Safavid dynasty, which promoted Twelver Shia Islam as the official religion of their empire, marked one of the most important turning points in Iranian and Muslim history. The Persian Constitutional Revolution established the nation’s first parliament in 1906, within a constitutional monarchy. In 1953 Iran became an authoritarian regime, following a coup d’état instigated by the UK and US. Growing dissent with foreign influence culminated during the Iranian Revolution which led to establishment of an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979.

Iran is a founding member of the UN, NAM, OIC and OPEC. The political system of Iran, based on the 1979 constitution, comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The highest state authority is the Supreme Leader. Shia Islam is the official religion and Persian is the official language.

Other Information

• Capital : (and largest city) Tehran
• Official language : Persian
• Spoken languages : Persian, Azeri, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Armenian, Kurdish, Lori, Balochi, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Arabic, Turkmen
• Demonym : Iranian
• Government : Unitary state, Islamic republic
• Leader of Iran : Ali Khamenei
• President : Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
• First Vice President : Mohammad-Reza Rahimi
• Speaker of the Parliament : Ali Larijani
• Chief Justice : Sadeq Larijani
• Currency : Rial (﷼) (IRR)
• Time zone : IRST (UTC03:30)
• Summer (DST) : Iran Daylight Time (IRDT) (UTC04:30)
• Drives on the : right
• ISO 3166 code : IR
• Internet TLD : .ir, ایران.
• Calling code : 98

Kosovo

Serbia does not recognise the unilateral secession of Kosovo and considers it a UN-governed entity within its sovereign territory.

Other Information

• Capital : (and largest city) Pristina (Prishtina or Priština)
• Ethnic groups (2008)
• 92% Albanians
• 8% Serbs, Bosniaks, Gorani, Roma, Turks, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians
• Currency : Euro (€); Serbian Dinar (EUR; RSD)
• Time zone : CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST) : CEST (UTC+2)
• Drives on the : right
• Calling code : +381

Brazil

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz. It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile.

Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom and the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was formed. The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the formation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The country became a presidential republic in 1889, when a military coup d’état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824. Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.

The Brazilian economy is the world’s sixth largest by nominal GDP and the eighth largest by purchasing power parity. Brazil is one of the world’s fastest growing major economies. Economic reforms have given the country new international recognition. Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, CPLP, Latin Union, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the Organization of American States, Mercosul and the Union of South American Nations, and is one of the BRIC countries. Brazil is also home to diverse wildlife, natural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats.

Other Information

• Capital : Brasília
• Largest city : São Paulo
• Official language : Portuguese
• Ethnic groups (2010)
• 47.73% White
• 43.13% Brown (Multiracial)
• 7.61% Black
• 1.09% Asian
• 0.43% Amerindian
• Demonym : Brazilian
• Government : Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President : Dilma Rousseff (PT)
• Vice President : Michel Temer (PMDB)
• President of the Chamber of Deputies : Marco Maia (PT)
• President of the Senate : José Sarney (PMDB)
• Chief Justice : Cezar Peluso
• Currency : Real (R$) (BRL)
• Time zone : BRT (UTC-2 to -4)
• Summer (DST) : BRST (UTC-2 to -4)
• Date formats : dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
• Drives on the : right
• ISO 3166 code : BR
• Internet TLD : .br
• Calling code : +55

Costa Rica

Costa Rica, which means “Rich Coast”, constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949. It is the only Latin American country included in the list of the world’s 22 older democracies. Costa Rica has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), ranked 69th in the world in 2011. Also was cited by the UNDP in 2010 as one of the countries that have attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels, and in 2011 was highlighted by UNDP for being a good performer on environmental sustainability, and better record on human development and inequality than the median of their region. It was also the only country to meet all five criteria established to measure environmental sustainability. The country is ranked third in the world, and first among the Americas, in terms of the 2010 Environmental Performance Index.

In 2007, the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021.^[13][14][15] According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and is the “greenest” country in the world.

Other Information

• Capital : (and largest city) San José
• Official language : Spanish
• Recognised regional languages : Mekatelyu, Bribri
• Demonym : Costa Rican; Tico
• Government : Constitutional democracy (Presidential republic)
• President : Laura Chinchilla
• 1^st Vice-President : Alfio Piva
• 2^nd Vice-President : Luis Liberman
• Currency : Costa Rican colón (CRC)
• Time zone : UTC−06:00 (UTC-6)
• Drives on the : right
• ISO 3166 code : CR
• Internet TLD : .cr
• Calling code : +506

Lithuania

For centuries, the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea was inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, who was crowned as King of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the first Lithuanian state, on 6 July 1253. During the 14th century, Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe: present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the Lublin Union of 1569, Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state union, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighboring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772 to 1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania’s territory.

In the aftermath of World War I, Lithuania’s Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918, declaring the re-establishment of a sovereign state. Starting in 1940, Lithuania was occupied first by the Soviet Union and then by Nazi Germany. As World War II neared its end in 1944 and the Germans retreated, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania.

On 11 March 1990, the year before the break-up of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare independence. Prior to the global financial crisis of 2007–2010, Lithuania had one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Lithuania is a member of NATO, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. Lithuania is also a full member of the Schengen Agreement. The United Nations Human Development Index lists Lithuania as a “Very High Human Development” country. In 2011, Lithuania hosted the European men’s basketball championship, EuroBasket 2011, and the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting.

Other Information

• Capital : (and largest city) Vilnius
• Official language : Lithuanian
• Ethnic groups (2011) :
• 83.9% Lithuanians,
• 6.6% Poles,
• 5.4% Russians,
• 1.3% Belarusians,
• 3.8% others and unspecified
• Demonym : Lithuanian
• Government : Parliamentary republic
• President : Dalia Grybauskaitė
• Prime Minister : Andrius Kubilius
• Seimas Speaker : Irena Degutienė
• Currency : Lithuanian litas (Lt) (LTL)
• Time zone : EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST) : EEST (UTC+3)
• Date formats : yyyy-mm-dd (CE)
• Drives on the : right
• ISO 3166 code : LT
• Internet TLD : .lt
• Calling code : 370

India

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world’s major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region’s diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance and led by Mahatma Gandhi.

The Indian economy is the world’s ninth-largest economy by nominal GDP and fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks tenth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. It is one of the five BRICS nations. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Other Information

• Capital : New Delhi
• Largest city : Mumbai
• Official language : Hindi, English
• National languages : None
• Demonym : Indian
• Government : Federal parliamentary, constitutional republic
• President : Pratibha Patil
• Prime Minister : Manmohan Singh (INC)
• Speaker of the House : Meira Kumar (INC)
• Chief Justice : S. H. Kapadia
• Currency : Indian rupee () (INR)
• Time zone : IST (UTC+05:30)
• Date formats : dd-mm-yyyy (AD)
• Drives on the : Left
• ISO 3166 code : IN
• Internet TLD : .in
• Calling code : 91

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Central Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km² (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 7.9 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.

The Swiss Confederation has a long history of neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.

In nominal terms, Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product, with a nominal per capita GDP of $75,835. In 2010, Switzerland had the highest wealth per adult of any country in the world (with $372,692 for each person). Switzerland also has one of the world’s largest account balances as a percentage of GDP. Zurich and Geneva have respectively been ranked as the cities with the second and third highest quality of life in the world. In 2010 the World Economic Forum ranked Switzerland as the most competitive country in the world, while ranked by the European Union as Europe’s most innovative country by far.

Switzerland comprises three main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, and Italian, to which the Romansh-speaking valleys are added. The Swiss, therefore, though predominantly German-speaking, do not form a nation in the sense of a common ethnic or linguistic identity. The strong sense of belonging to the country is founded on the common historical background, shared values (federalism, direct democracy, neutrality) and Alpine symbolism. The establishment of the Swiss Confederation is traditionally dated to 1 August 1291; Swiss National Day is celebrated on the anniversary.

Other Information

• Capital : Bern
• Largest city : Zurich
• Official language(s)
• German (63.7 %)
• French (20.4 %)
• Italian (6.5 %)
• Romansh (0.5 %)
• Demonym : Swiss
• Government : Federal republic, with directorial system and direct democracy
• Federal Council
• Doris Leuthard
• Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf
• Ueli Maurer
• Didier Burkhalter
• Simonetta Sommaruga
• Johann Schneider-Ammann
• Alain Berset
• Federal Chancellor : Corina Casanova
• Currency : Swiss franc (CHF)
• Time zone : CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST) : CEST (UTC+2)
• Drives on the : right (trains: left)
• ISO 3166 code : CH
• Internet TLD : .ch
• Calling code : +41