CAPITAL: Beijing

PRIMARY RELIGIONS: Buddhism, Taoism

SIZE: 3,696,100 square miles; China is the 3rd largest country in the world

POPULATION: Approximately 1.3 billion people; China has the largest population in the world

CROPS: Primary crops include rice, wheat and tea

CURRENCY: Yuan; $1 is the equivalent to about 8 Yuan

WRITING: There are approximately 50,000 calligraphic characters.

GEOGRAPHY: The Himalayan Mountains, the highest mountains in the world, are located in China. The Yangtze River, the world's second longest river, is located in China.

DISCOVERIES: Silk, paper, printing, spaghetti, ice cream, sunglasses, and fireworks, are just a few of China's discoveries.

FIRST EMPEROR: Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of China. He is credited to both building the Great Wall and standardizing the written Chinese language.

An ancient Chinese legend told that Huangdi built himself a spectacular tomb before his death. In 1975 this legend was found to be true. A man who lived near the city of Xi'an is said to have been digging near a well when his shovel hit something and he uncovered a warrior made of clay. After that discovery, thousands of clay soldiers and horses were discovered lined up side by side under the earth. It is assumed Qin Shi Huangdi put them there to guard his tomb.