Geography of China questions

Nippon, the native name of Japan, means "sun-origin". The nomenclature "Land of the Rising Sun" comes from Japanese missions to Imperial China and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China.

China's combined land border measures 22,117 km (13,743 mi) from the mouth of the Yalu River to the Gulf of Tonkin. China borders 14 nations, more than any other country except Russia, which also borders 14.

The Taklamakan is the world's second largest shifting sand desert with about 85% made up of shifting sand dunes. Because it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, the Taklamakan is a paradigmatic cold desert climate. During the 2008 Chinese winter storms episode, the Taklamakan was reported to be covered for the first time in its entirety with a thin layer of snow reaching 4 centimeters (1.6 in).

Beijing is located in northern China. Its name, which means "Northern Capital", was applied to the city in 1403 during the Ming Dynasty to distinguish the city from Nanjing (the "Southern Capital").

Hong Kong is situated in the Pearl River Delta.

Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by the Himalaya Mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of about 3,600 m (11,800 ft). The air only contains 68% of the oxygen compared to sea level.

Shanghai is the largest city by population in the People's Republic of China. It is located in the delta of the Yangtze.

Hong Kong lost its leadership to Dubai if only high-rise skyscrapers above 300m are counted. But in category "over 100m", its position is safe with over 2300 buildings. It is followed by New York City with less than 800.

Officially, the government of Republic of China, known as Taiwan, has claimed sovereignty over all of China. From 1949 to the 1970s, the primary mission of the military was to "retake the mainland", but it has shifted to defense now.

Although Canada is second-largest in the world in the total area (after Russia), it drops down to fourth place, after China and the U.S., if water is excluded.