China is a land of contradictions.
It has a vast territory with a rich resource base and has the world's largest population. China is governed by a Leninist dictatorship and has a tightly controlled political system whose leaders proclaim a long term committment to socialism. For all of these and many more reasons China is an interesting and important country for us to learn about. This web-site provides an introduction to places on the world wide web where you can learn more about China. Information on purchasing printed copies of these and other maps from the CIA, along with many other graphics on China produced by the CIA can be found at the CIA Maps and Publications Index .