KidZone Geography: China
Cities
As the most populous country in the world, China has various large cities from the capital Beijing to smaller regional capitals. The population is becoming increasingly urban as people move to the cities for jobs in a rapidly growing industrial sector.
China now has 50 cities with a population of more than two million and more cities with one million people than any where else in the world. Beijing the capital is an integral part of Chinese history, it was important for trade and military as early as 2000 years ago. The city was most recently became Chinese capital in 1949. More recently, the city hosted the 2008 summer Olympic games.
Other cities in China include Chongqing, the only major city away from the coast. Shanghai, a rapidly expanding financial and industrial centre and Guangzhou, the largest city in China with an extremely humid climate. It is also an important port and dominated by ethnic minorities with a primarily Cantonese speaking population.