ilitary manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 359,057,859 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 197,553,118 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 9,553,823 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: the officially announced 1998
figure is 91 billion yuan, but China's defense expenditures are almost
certainly two to three times the announced budget; note-conversion of
the defense budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate
could produce misleading results
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@China:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: boundary with India in dispute; two disputed
sections of the boundary with Russia remain to be settled; most of the
boundary with Tajikistan in dispute; 33-km section of boundary with
North Korea in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; involved
in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia,
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; maritime boundary
dispute with Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied
by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims
Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as
does Taiwan; sections of land border with Vietnam are indefinite
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for heroin produced in the
Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem
______________________________________________________________________
CHRISTMAS ISLAND
(territory of Australia)
@Christmas Island:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of
Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 10 30 S, 105 40 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 138.9 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Terrain: steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Natural resources: phosphate
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: the na
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