Mainland China, with 9.5 million square kilometers, about as big as the U.S. or across Europe to the Urals. The physical surface, the climatic conditions and thus the habitability of the various regions of the country differ greatly. China is by a series of natural boundaries of its neighbors separated: in the east and southeast by sea (Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea), in the south, southwest, northwest and west by high mountain ranges in the north by steppes and deserts, and in the northeast through rivers (Amur and Ussuri).

The north-south extension in China is 4500 km, while the east-west extension of 4200 km. The coastline length of all the maritime borders of China amounts to 14,500 km. The longest river in China is about 6300 km of the Yangtze River,the highest mountain on the border with Nepal is Mount Everest 8848 m and the largest lake in the Qinghai Lake with 5000 km 2. The mountains in China, covering two thirds of the country.

The People's Republic of China and Russia have each fortnight with the largest number of neighboring states with a land border. The border with Russia is the landlocked country which borders Mongolia and twice to India by Bhutan and Nepal is interrupted, which in this frequency is unique.

Clockwise bordering China: in the south of Vietnam (1,281 km), Laos (423 km), Myanmar (2,185 km), Bhutan (470 km) and Nepal (1,236 km), in the south and southwest of India (3,380 km) in west Pakistan (523 km), Afghanistan (76 km), Tajikistan (430 km), Kyrgyzstan (858 km) and Kazakhstan (1,533 km) border in the north of China once briefly with Russia (40 km), Mongolia (4,677 km) bordering China, and then for the second time in the north, northeast and east with Russia (3,605 km), and east to North Korea (1,416 km).

The People's Republic of China has the longest border on the planet with total length of 22,133 kilometers.

The territory is roughly divided into three sections: The East China is surrounded by four large, densely populated Wemmer designate shaped. On the coast are the deltas of its largest rivers. The southeastern coastal strip is mountainous while the south is more hilly. The area has a maximum height of 500 meters above sea level. West close to the levels of numerous mountains with high plateaus and basins: the Mongolian Plateau, the Tarim, the Sichuan Basin, the Loess plate or the Yunnan-Guizhou Highlands. The mountains here have heights of about 1000 to 2000 m. Western China has a pronounced mountain character with intervening plateaus. The largest mountains are the Himalayas, Tianshan, Pamir, and the highlands of Tibet. The highland of Tibet is an average of 4500 m above sea level and is one of the highest levels of the world. The West is with the Inner Mongolia also the driest part of the country, for its distinctive climate, the Gobi desert and the Taklamakan stand.