Chinese History and Statistics -- Page 4

Start of the Chinese Communist Party

In 1921 the Chinese Communist Party was founded, and in 1926 the long civil war between the ruling nationalists, or KuoMinTang (KMT), led by Chiang Kai-Shek, and the Communists, led by Mao Zedong began. The Communists successfully took over all of China by 1949, establishing the People's Republic of China. The Kuomintang retreated to the island of Taiwan, establishing the independent Republic of China. The United Nations, however, recognized Taiwan as the legitimate government of China, until 1971, when the People's Republic was recognized and assumed the UN seat formerly held by Taiwan. In 1979 the United States recognized the legitimacy of the People's Republic and diplomatic relations between the two nations were established. The sovereignty of Taiwan is still disputed.

Land and Resources

The topography of China is often described roughly as forming three levels of elevation, which rise, like steps, from the lowlands along the east coast to the high mountains in the west. Each step, or level, of elevation occupies approximately one-third of the country. The highest level, with altitudes above 2,000 m (6,600 ft), occupies all of Tibet and adjacent areas of southwestern and south central China. The intermediate level, at altitudes from 1,000 to 2,000 m (3,300 to 6,600 ft), occupies the northern border regions of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang and extends southwestward across the center of the country to the province of Yunnan. The third and lowest level, at elevations below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), occupies the eastern and most populated section of the country. The three elevation steps cross China in roughly north south trending bands and are themselves crossed by prominent east west trending mountain ranges that subdivide the three elevation regions into nine sub-regions.