Located in the east of the Asian continent, on the western shore
of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China has a land
area of about 9.6 million sq km, and is the third-largest country
in the world, next only to Russia and Canada.
From north to south, the territory of China stretches from the
center of the Heilong River north of the town of Mohe to the Zengmu
Reef at the southernmost tip of the Nansha Islands, covering a
distance of 5,500 km. From east to west, the nation extends from
the confluence of the Heilong and Wusuli rivers to the Pamirs,
covering a distance of 5,200 km.
With a land boundary of some 22,800 km, China is bordered by
Korea to the east; Mongolia to the north; Russia to the northeast;
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the northwest;
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan to the west and
southwest; and Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south. Across the
seas to the east and southeast are the Republic of Korea, Japan,
the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.
China's mainland coastline measures approximately 18,000 km,
with a flat topography, and many excellent docks and harbors, most
of which are ice-free all year round. The Chinese mainland is
flanked to the east and south by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and
South China seas, with a total maritime area of 4.73 million sq km.
The Bohai Sea is China's continental sea, while the Yellow, East
China and South China seas are marginal seas of the Pacific
Ocean.
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A total of 5,400 islands dot China's territorial waters. The
largest of these, with an area of about 36,000 sq km, is Taiwan,
followed by Hainan with an area of 34,000 sq km. The Diaoyu and
Chiwei islands, located to the northeast of Taiwan Island, are
China's easternmost islands. The many islands, islets, reefs and
shoals in the South China Sea, known collectively as the South
China Sea Islands, are China's southernmost island group. They are
called the Dongsha (East Sandbar), Xisha (West Sandbar), Zhongsha
(Middle Sandbar) and Nansha (South Sandbar) island groups according
to their geographical locations.