Think of a chicken
The chicken is about 9.6 million square kilometers. The longitude and latitude runs parallel to that of the U.S. The land mass is also about the same size as that of the U.S. This large chicken has a population of 1.3 billion people. It is the third largest country in the world, behind Canada and Russia.
In the northwest region, you have the chicken's head facing east. This is where, Beijing is located - the political capital China. Thinking about it in terms of regions in the U.S., Beijing would be where New York is. This region is known for Beijing duck and Mongolian hotpot. China borders Korea and Mongolia in this region.
By the chicken's belly, the southeast east region, you have Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Fujian and Macau. In these areas, a different dialect is spoken from that of the mainland proper's Mandarin Chinese. Dimsum is a popular cuisine in this area. This is also the financial capital and the most economically developed region of China. Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are located east of this region.
Getting close to the chicken's feet, you have the southern provinces including the most populated province in China - Sichuan. It is also known for its spicy food, pandas, dinosaurs bones and sugar cane. China borders India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Vietnam in this area.
Towards the back and the tail of the chicken, you have the Tibetan and Xinjiang regions. Tibet is the former home of the Dali Lama and Xinjiang is where the Muslim minority is located in China. China borders Russia in this area.
China has over 100 minorities making up 5% of the population located all over the country. The vast majority of the population lives in the eastern half of the country. Imagine taking all of the people in the U.S., multiplying it by four, and moving them east of the Mississippi River.
Five major rivers that run east to west in China are the Yangzi, Yellow, Heilongjiang, Huaihe and Pearl Rivers. From their numerous tributaries have sprouted many villages and small cities in China. The Yangzi River is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world. It has a total length of 6,300 kilometers.
