China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC),is a country in East Asia. It is the world's second-most-populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land.With an area of nearly 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third-largest country by total land area. The country is divided into 22 provinces,five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two semi-autonomous special administrative regions. Beijing is the national capital, while Shanghai is the most populous city and largest financial center.