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2/ China is second only to India in population (1.4B), is the 2nd largest country by area (9.6M km2), and the world's largest economy by GDP (PPP).

A place with its very own New Year celebrated around the globe, a rail system that could loop twice around earth and a giant wall visible from space.

But what #geoweirdness does it have for us to geek out about?

3/ First up, the People's Republic of China , as it is officially known borders 14 other countries. which ties it with Russia for the most. Can you name all of them?

BTW - countries bordering at least 8 others was our #fridaygeotrivia question back in Sept 2021. Quiz yourself:
https://blog.opencagedata.com/post/geotrivia-september-2021

4/ With 14 neighbors there are going to be some disagreements. Let’s start with the Indian border dispute.

There are several areas of contention and it escalated to the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_War

There are regular skirmishes, including in 2020, along the Galwan River.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_border_dispute

5/ Similarly the China Pakistan border - one fo the most mountainous regions on Earth - is disputed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Pakistan_border#Disputed_status

Adding to the confusion the border lines between China and Pakistan are not recognized by India . Indeed, it’s a something of a 3-way push-pull debate - India’s proposal gives the country a common border with Afghanistan , something disputed by the international community.

https://shunculture.com/article/does-afghanistan-border-india

6/ The short (92km) China Afghanistan border - a region known as the Wakhan Corridor - provides an absolute #geoweirdness gem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakhan_Corridor

When you cross the border you cross the largest time zone difference gap on Earth, with 3.5 hours between Afghanistan's UTC+04:30 and China's UTC+08:00.

7/ While on this side of China , let's discuss Tibet.

Historically, it was a distinct region, but it was incorporated into the People's Republic of China in 1951.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Point_Agreement

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising, and there remains a diaspora Tibetan Independence movement. China views Tibet as an integral part of its territory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_independence_movement