11.05.2006
The Peoples Republic of China, to give the country its full name, is the most populous country in the world, with a population of 1.3 billion. It is the largest country by area in East Asia (excluding Russia) and borders 14 nations. As such a large country, China encompasses many different landscapes, from plains and hill country to low mountain ranges. In the central east are the deltas of the two main rivers, Huang He and Yangtze River. In the west of the country are the main mountain ranges, most notably the Himalayas, and China’s highest point, Mount Everest.
It is not only the landscape of the country that differs widely. The Peoples Republic of China officially recognised 56 distinct ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Han Chinese, who constitute about 91.9 per cent of the population. Although Beijing is the capital, Shanghai is the most populated city, with 9,031,200 million inhabitants.
After World War II, and the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party took control of mainland China, and the Kuomintang took control of Taiwan. It was at this time, in 1949 that Mao Zedong pronounced the Peoples Republic of China, establishing a Communist state. Approximately half of the economy has been privatised in the last thirty years, under a programme of "Socialism, with Chinese characteristics".
Since the late 1970s, China's economy has shifted from a command economy to a mixed economy with capitalist and communist tendencies. The result has been a six fold increase in GDP since 1978. The growth of the Chinese economy has been one of the fastest in the world and has been growing at an annual GDP rate of 9.4 per cent for the last 25 years. During the 1980s, the economic reforms lifted millions of peasants out of poverty. Despite occasional difficulties that the country has faced, and the challenge of mixing capitalism with socialism, Chinese global influence in economic, political, military, scientific, technological and cultural affairs has grown enormously in recent years. China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and by 2005 was the fourth largest economy in the world by exchange rate, and second only to the USA in terms of purchasing power.
The leadership of President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji brought unprecedented wealth and international standing during the 1990s. Greater economic development and market reforms remain the priority for the current government under President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
LOCAL INFORMATION
Time zone: GMT + 8
Airport: Beijing International Airport
Currency: Yuan (CNY) – also referred to as Renminbi (RMB)
Average November temperature: 39F
Average November rainfall: 0.4 inches
CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Location : TBC
Track length :
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Direction : Clockwise
Lap record :1.52.271, recorded by Jean Gounon in a Ferrari 333 SP in 2001.
Address : Autodromo Brno Inc, Masaryk circui, PO Bix 1, 64100 Brno
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