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C H I N A

Land and People Like those opening ceremonies, almost everything about China is on a massive scale. In area, it is theworld’s fourth-largest country, ranking just behind the United States. Fourteen countries border China as it sprawls across much of Asia. They are Russia, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyr- gyzstan, Tajikistan, North Korea, Pakistan, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal, and Bhutan. The Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea form most of China’s eastern border. Because of its great size, China has a variety of natural terrain fea- tures. Mountain ranges occupy about a third of its total area and include the world’s highest peak (Mount Everest). Deserts, wind-driven plateaus

The Yangtze River runs from west to east across central China. One of the longest rivers in the world, it plays a vital part in transportation, power, and irrigation.

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