China with 1052 million (1984) is the most populous country of the world. People are concentrated where their ancestors have settled for many centuries.
Within the eighteen provinces if a line were to be drawn connecting Kunming in Southern Yunnan province with Qiqihar (Tsitsihar) in Western Manchuria, 90 percent of China's people would be found east of that line. It has less than one-third of the total area but most of it is well watered, productive agricultural land. With the dense settlement of central part of the Manchurian plan in this century, the land supports a dense population. West of Kunming-Qiqihar the - rainfall decreases, therefore this part is sparsely populated by the pastoralists and specialized oasis farmers. Densely populated region has the average density of 1500-2000 persons per square kilometer. There are only 8 important cities with a population of more than a million.
China's people are sturdy and healthy and most of the population is agriculturist. About 80 percent people of China are engaged in farming particularly in the river basins and irrigable valleys. More than 300 million people are residing on two important river plains namely the Hwang Ho plain and Yangtze plain. Manchuria plains have accommodated more than fifty million people and the Szechwan Basin has more than 75 million people in its lap for supporting it with food stuff. Wei and Fen plains in the Loess Plateau region and different coastal delta plains of south eastern China also sustain heavy population. China has its urban population in towns and cities.
During 200 A.D. China has population of 60-70 million. For a period of ten centuries the population was still around 60 million. By 1751, the China's population had reached 207 million. A century later the population reached 420 million. By 1949, there was an increase of about 25 percent over the preceding century reaching 542 million. By 1979, the population attained 975 million level. By 1984 the population had crossed a billion. High birth rate declined only after 1960. Family planning was followed and by 1979 China had implemented policy to promote one child families. The annual birth rate has estimated as 2.2. percent, as significant decline from 4.5-5.0 of traditional times. The death rate has also decline 0.8 percent. Thus the annual growth of 1.4 percent indicate China is mid-way in its course of demographic transformation. The extensive public health and welfare system is an effective agent in promoting family planning. China's economic development coupled with the c
ontrolled population growth suggests a more modest pace of growth. China has 9.5 million square mile of area with population of 1035 million in 1986 with capital at Beijing
China's rimland
There are several nations or colonies surrounding China that have been linked to China either directly or through ancient cultural and historical ties. Traditional, functions of Hong Kong were trade and commerce. Hongkong revealing character is that about one-half of its citizen were born mostly in China.
Hongkong is a City State and is one of the most crowded places on earth. Since 1970, manufacturing of textiles, garments and plastic industries have become important; Hongkong continues its role as an entrepot. About 90 percent of the land area is either rugged upland and scrub vegetation or under cultivation. Only 10 percent urbanized.
China has had ties with Taiwan for more than 1000 years and since the sixteenth century A.D. has sent steady stream of immigrants farmers. The immigrants of the Dutch, Spanish, French and Japanese occupied the islands. Despite these non-Chinese occupations, the land has been Chinese in ethnic and linguistic composition. Except for a narrow valley and a small alluvial basin in the north-east little suitable land exists for intensive farming. The western one-third of the island is composed of a series alluvial plains and basins separated by broad cobbles strewn river beds. Densely populated. regions are well integrated spatially. This tropical monsoon country cultivated rice, sugarcane, fruits, tea and a rich variety of vegetables. Intensive cropping is done. Taiwan is being modernized by the combined efforts of China and Japan. It is agriculturally self-sufficient. With U.S. financial aid there is a shift in the structure of the economy from a rural based farm economy to an
urban oriented commercial and industrial economy system.
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