LocatedinEastAsia,onthewesternshoreofthePacificOcean,thePeople'sRepublicofChina(PRC)hasalandareaofabout9.6millionsqkm,andisthethird-largestcountryintheworld,nextonlytoRussiaandCanada. 　　Fromnorthtosouth,theterritoryofChinameasuressome5,500km,stretchingfromthecenteroftheHeilongjiangRivernorthofthetownofMohe(latitude53°30'N)totheZengmuReefatthesouthernmosttipoftheNanshaIslands(latitude4°N).WhennorthChinaisstillcoveredwithsnow,peopleinsouthChinaarebusywithspringplowing.Fromwesttoeast,thenationextendsabout5,200kmfromthePamirs(longitude73°40'E)totheconfluenceoftheHeilongjiangandWusulirivers(longitude135°05'E),withatimedifferenceofoverfourhours.WhenthePamirsarecloakedinnight,themorningsunisshiningbrightlyovereastChina.Chinahaslandborders22,800kmlong,with15contiguouscountries:Koreatotheeast;thePeople'sRepublicofMongoliatothenorth;Russiatothenortheast;Kazakhstan,KirghizstanandTajikistantothenorthwest;Afghanistan,Pakistan,India,Nepal,SikkimandBhutantothewestandsouthwest;andVietnam,LaosandMyanmartothesouth.AcrosstheseastotheeastandsoutheastaretheRepublicofKorea,Japan,thePhilippines,Brunei,MalaysiaandIndonesia. 　　TheChinesemainlandisflankedtotheeastandsouthbytheBohai,Yellow,EastChinaandSouthChinaseas,withatotalmaritimeareaof4.73millionsqkm.TheBohaiSeaisChina'scontinentalsea,whiletheYellow,EastChinaandSouthChinaseasaremarginalseasofthePacificOcean.Atotalof5,400islandsdotChina'svastterritorialwaters.Thelargestofthese,withanareaofabout36,000sqkm,isTaiwan,followedbyHainanwithanareaof34,000sqkm.DiaoyuandChiweiislands,locatedtothenortheastofTaiwanIsland,areChina'seasternmostislands.Themanyislands,islets,reefsandshoalsontheSouthChinaSea,knowncollectivelyastheSouthChinaSeaIslands,aresubdividedintotheDongsha,Xisha,ZhongshaandNanshaislandgroups.