Located in the east of the Asian continent, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a land area of about 9.6 million square kilometers, and is the third largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada.
From north to south, the territory of China spans over 49 latitudes, stretching from the center of the Heilongjiang River north of the town of Mohe to the Zengmu Reef at the southernmost tip of the Nansha Islands, spanning about 5,500 kilometers. From east to west, the nation extends over 62 longitudes, from the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers to the Pamirs, spanning about 5,200 kilometers.
With a land boundary of some 22,800 kilometers, China is bordered by Korea to the east, Mongolia to the north, Russia to the northeast, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (Kirghizstan) and Tadzhikistan (Tajikistan) to the northwest; Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan to the west and southwest; and Myanmar, the Laos and Vietnam to the south. Across the seas to the east and southeast are the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Chinese mainland is flanked to the east and south by the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea, with a total maritime area of 4.73 million square kilometers. The Bohai Sea is China's continental sea, while the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean. A total of 5,400 islands dot China's territorial seas. The largest of these, with an area of about 36,000 square kilometers, is Taiwan, followed by Hainan with an area of 34,000 square kilometers, both of which are provinces of China. The Diaoyu and Chiwei islands, located to the northeast of Taiwan Island, are China's easternmost islands. The many islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea, known collectively as the South China Sea Islands, are the southernmost island group of China. They are called the Dongsha (East Sandbar), Xisha (West Sandbar), Zhongsha (Middle Sandbar) and Nansha (South Sandbar) archipelagos according to their geographical locations.
China's coastline totals 32,000 kilometers, with the mainland coastline measuring approximately 18,000 kilometers and the island coastline 14,000 kilometers. The mainland coastline has a flat topography, and many excellent docks and harbors, most of which are ice-free all year round.
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