China has the world's largest population. The fifth Na-tional Population Census, completed on November 11,2000, showed the country had a population of 1.295 billion. By 2008, it had reached 1.3 billion, or 20% of the world's total.
Based on the spatial differences of natural conditions, Chi-na can be roughly divided into three large regions: the east-ern monsoon areas, northwest inland areas and the Tibetan Plateau areas.
The notheastern part consists of Heilongjiang Jilin and Liaoing Province. Bordering Russia on the north and the DPRK on the eaet, and with Hebei in the south, the region has its own distinctive features.
Northeast China:Late but rapid development
Northeast China enjoys superior natural conditions. Sur-rounded by the Heilongjiang River and Xiaoxing' anling in the west and north, and the Changbai Mountain and Yalu River in the east, it has a huge fertile plain in the central part-the Northeast China Plain.
The northeastern region, especially the Shenyang area in the middle and southern parts of Liaoning, has rich mineral resources that have laid a solid foundation for the develop-ment of heavy industries. The area has not only abundant reserves of iron and coal, but also materials needed for iron smelting and reasonable deposits of other minerals.
