China is an East Asian state and also the most populous country on earth with 1,439,323,776 people.
China has jurisdiction over four direct-controlled municipalities (Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing), 4 autonomous regions, and 22 provinces. It is one of the earliest civilizations on earth which emerged fertile basin of Huang He (the sixth longest river on earth) in the North plain of China. The regions political structure was based on dynasties or monarchies for centuries.
Is China Bigger than the United States?
No, the United States has a bigger total area than China due it’s the coastal waters off the American island territories and states. The United States occupies a total area of about 3.8 million square miles while China
has an area of approximately 3.7 million square miles. However, China has a bigger land area than the
United States. The Chinese land area is about 2.2% bigger than the United States (3.5 million square miles).
China has a land area of approximately 3.6 million square miles, and this land area doesn’t include numerous undisputed territories. Taiwan became a Chinese territory after ROC (Republic of China)
was defeated in the 1950 Chinese Civil War.
The government of the ROC escaped leaving the people’s republic of China controlling Taiwan and numerous islands. China has two disputed territories which India including Arunachal Pradesh (34,749 sq. miles) in South Tibet and Aksai Chin (14,380 sq. miles) near Kashmir. If these territories were to be reunited with China, the Chinese land area would be 4% bigger than the U.S. The Chinese have undertaken numerous contentious projects of building in uninhabited islands which they claim in the South China Sea. Claiming the uninhabited islands can help China increase the size of their maritime area, but at the risk of political and
ecological destabilization.
Geography
The Chinese territory is quite diverse and vast ranging from the subtropical forests to the Taklamakan desert and Gobi desert in the northern parts of the country. China is separated from Central and Southern China by the Tian Shan, Pamir, Himalaya, and Karakoram mountain ranges. China has a 9,000miles long coastline along the Pacific Ocean, and it’s bounded by South China, East China, Bohai, and Yellow Seas. China is home to two of the longest rivers in the world; the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The country is connected to the Eurasian Steppe via the Kazakh border. Mount Everest, the world’s highest point, is on the Nepalese-Sino border. The lowest point in China and the third lowest on earth is the dried bed of Lake Ayding in the Turfan Depression.
Climate
The Chinese climate is dominated by the wet monsoons and dry seasons that cause the pronounced temperature difference between summer and winter. The southern winds blowing from the coastal regions are moist and warm during summer. The northern winds from the high-altitude regions are dry and cold in winter. One of the main environmental issues affecting China is the expansion of its deserts like the Gobi Desert.
The Chinese climate differs for place to place due to the state’s complex topography. The climate ranges from the subarctic in the alpine and far north to the tropical in the south. Precipitation in the region is concentrated in warm months.
Countries like Australia, New Zealand and South Korea are among the few which managed to buck the trend and put a lid on the coronavirus outbreak, at least for now. Their success has boosted investor confidence and it’s showing in the strength of their currencies. With their economies re-opening again, their currencies have significantly jumped from earlier this year when the outbreak ravaged the Asia Pacific region. In contrast, many of their neighbors in the region are still struggling to control the pandemic.
“New Zealand and Australia have been very effective in controlling COVID-19 and are ready to restart their economies,” Kathy Lien, managing director of foreign exchange strategy at BK Asset Management, wrote in a note last Friday. “In Australia, AUD (the Australian dollar) soared despite weaker PMIs after Prime Minister Morrison said they are headed for a COVID safe economy,” she said. Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an economic indicator of how well the manufacturing sector is performing.
“The fact that these countries are ready to restart activity after effectively controlling COVID-19 (and not before) means that they are leaps and bounds ahead of the US in terms of economic recovery, which should be wildly positive for their currencies,” Lien said.
“There is also a notion that Asia has controlled the virus more effectively than the US and Europe,” said Tapas Strickland, director of economics and markets at the National Australia Bank, in a Tuesday note on the recent strengthening of the Australian dollar.
The U.S. has the most number of reported cases worldwide with at least 1,030,315 infections and 58,670 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data as of Tuesday morning. Spain, Italy, France and Germany are the other countries most badly-hit by the pandemic. Worldwide, there are more than three million confirmed cases, and at least 217,082 deaths, according to the data. HERE!
In addition, Australia and New Zealand have many of their major export destinations emerging from lockdown sooner than the U.S. and much of Europe, ANZ Research’s Foreign Exchange Strategist, John Bromhead,
wrote in a Friday note.
China, the largest trading partner of both countries, has restarted production as reported cases slow to single-digit levels, with no new deaths for more than a week. The first coronavirus cases were reported in the country in December. Australia and New Zealand are in a relatively solid position. Both have strong virus containment, relatively high shares of primary industries sheltered from the consumer-centric slowdowns,
and strong fiscal responses,” Bromhead wrote.
Australian Dollar
The population of Australia is estimated to be 25,500,700 as of 14 September 2019. Australia is the 52nd most populous country in the world and the most populous Oceanian country. The Australian dollar was one of the region’s worst-performing currencies last year, on the back of concerns over its slowing economy and that of China’s – its largest trading partner. At the start of 2020, it was as high as $0.70 against the U.S. dollar — but plunged to a low of $0.5798 in mid-March as virus concerns took hold. Since then, it has surged 11.4% and last changed hands at $0.6460. Australia acted swiftly when the outbreak surfaced in the country, closing off its borders and imposing movement restrictions. This week, its daily new cases came down to single digits, and Australia said it will start easing some restrictions. The country has a total of 6,721 cases and 83 deaths as of April 27, according to Hopkins’s data.
New Zealand Dollar
Whereas the Population in New Zealand is 4.48 million At around mid-March, New Zealand’s currency was
at a low of $0.5666. It has since gained about 6.4% to above the $0.60 level. The country lowered its alert level on Monday, allowing gatherings of up to 10 people and permitting businesses to reopen, though they cannot physically interact with customers.
The country had previously raised its alert level to the highest alert level, which meant no gatherings were allowed and all non-essential businesses to close. New Zealand has managed to keep numbers low compared
to the rest of the region, after decisively locking down the country soon after the first cases surfaced.
It recorded 1,472 confirmed cases, and 19 deaths as of April 27, according to Johns Hopkins.
South Korean won
And in 2019 the population of South Korea is 53 732 586 people. From initially being Asia’s worst-hit country outside China, South Korea is now hailed as a role model for successfully containing the outbreak, after it instituted widespread testing and intensive contact tracing. It has since eased restrictions, with the situation
in the country a stark contrast to the rest of the world: People have started going out to malls and restaurants again, and are returning to work. South Korea’s Kospi index has bounced back — and so has its currency.
The Korean won weakened to levels above 1,270 in early March, but strengthened almost 5% by around mid-April as cases lessened. U.S. consumer confidence plunged in April as millions lost their jobs, with an index
that monitors attitudes about current business and work conditions dropping by the largest amount on record.
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its confidence index tumbled to a reading of 86.9, down from 118.8 in March. The index is composed of consumers’ assessment of present conditions and expectations about the future.
The present conditions index slumped from 166.7, to 76.4, a 90-point drop that was the largest on record.
The expectations index, based on the future outlook, improved slightly from 86.8 in March to 93.8 in April.
The numbers in the present conditions index “reflects the sharp contraction in economic activity and surge in unemployment claims,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the Conference Board.
Oxford University Professor Finds The New Covid-19 Vaccine
By September
and Explains The Background!
In the global race to find a vaccine, Oxford University just jumped way ahead of the pack.
Human testing is underway, and scientists say they’re hopeful a coronavirus vaccine will be widely available by September. Technology the lab had already developed in previous work on inoculations for other viruses, including a close relative of COVID-19, gave it a head start.
“Well personally, I have a high degree of confidence about this vaccine, because it’ s technology
that I’ve used before,” said Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the university.
The vaccine takes the coronavirus’ genetic material and injects it into a common cold virus that has been neutralized so it cannot spread in people. The modified virus will mimic COVID-19, triggering the immune system to fight off the imposter and providing protection against the real thing. The experimental vaccine has reportedly worked in protecting rhesus macaque monkeys that were exposed to heavy quantities of COVID-19.
In the human trials, 550 participants are given the vaccine, and another 550 receive a placebo.
“It feels like finally, I am able to do something…” said Oxford scientist and trial volunteer Elisa Granato.
“This was a way for me to contribute to the cause.”
Wasting no time, the largest drug maker in the world, based in India, will start producing millions of the Oxford vaccines by next month, even before they’ve been proven to work.
Oxford scientists say a vaccine may be widely available by September.
Parents Who Both Had Coronavirus Hold Twin Sons for First Time Nearly 3 Weeks After Birth!!