China at a glance: land, people, language and trade

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   China

   Land, people and government (cards A to D). Card A, a chart (columns Topic | What it shows): Land | mountains and the Tibetan Plateau in the southwest; deserts such as the Gobi in the north; the Yangtze and Yellow rivers flowing east to wide plains; Climate | very varied: cold and dry in the north and west, hot and wet in the south and southeast; Share of people in cities (World Bank, 2024) | 65.9%; Life expectancy at birth (World Bank, 2024) | 78.0 years; Forest cover (World Bank, 2024) | 24.0% of land; Government | a one-party state led by the Communist Party of China; the National People's Congress is the legislature; provinces, autonomous regions, cities run by the national government, and two special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Note: Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions with their own local systems. China also claims Taiwan, which has its own government. The government recognizes 56 ethnic groups; the Han are about 91% of the people, and groups such as the Zhuang, the Uyghur and the Tibetans live mainly in their home regions. Card B, a reminder from the fact table: China's population is 1,409.0 million (World Bank, 2024) and its area is 9,562,910 km², about 147 people per km². Card C, from the Brazil profile in this set: population 212.0 million; share of people in cities 87.9%; life expectancy 76.0 years; forest cover 58.5% of land; government, a federal presidential republic with an elected president and a two-house National Congress. Card D, from the Japan profile in this set: population 124.0 million; share of people in cities 92.2%; life expectancy 84.0 years; forest cover 68.3% of land; government, a constitutional monarchy in which the two-house Diet chooses the prime minister.

2. 1.

   Cards A, C and D give each country's share of people in cities. Which list puts them in order, lowest share first, Ari asks?

   • Japan, Brazil, China
   • Japan, China, Brazil
   • China, Brazil, Japan
   • Brazil, China, Japan
3. 2.

   Card A says 65.9% of China's 1,409.0 million people live in cities. About how many people is that, Bo asks?

   • About 66 million people
   • About 929 million people
   • About 481 million people
   • About 9,285 million people
4. 3.

   Card A describes China's land, and card B gives a density of about 147. What can the cards tell about where people live, Esme asks?

   • People live evenly over the land, with 147 in each km² everywhere
   • The land is described, but where people live needs a population map
   • Most people live in the Gobi, because it is a large part of the land
   • Most people live on the Tibetan Plateau, since card A lists it first
5. 4.

   Which statement describes China's government by its structure, according to cards A, C and D, Jun asks?

   • A federal republic with an elected president and a National Congress
   • A group of independent city-states, each with its own legislature
   • A constitutional monarchy in which the Diet chooses the prime minister
   • A one-party state, with the National People's Congress as legislature
6. 5.

   Card A says Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions with their own local systems. What does that show, Kira asks?

   • Hong Kong and Macau are separate countries with their own governments
   • Parts of China can have local systems that differ from the rest
   • Hong Kong and Macau are run by the government of Taiwan
   • Hong Kong and Macau must follow the same local system as every province
7. 6.

   Cards A, C and D give life expectancy for three countries. Which sentence is careful, Milo asks?

   • China's average is 2.0 years above Brazil's and 6.0 below Japan's
   • China's average is 2.0 years above Japan's and 6.0 below Brazil's
   • China's average is 2.0 years below Brazil's and 6.0 above Japan's
   • China's figure is 78.0, so each person in China lives exactly 78 years
8. 7.

   Cards A, C and D give forest cover. A student says China has the least forest. How strong is that claim, Noah asks?

   • Weak: China's forest cover of 24.0% is the highest of the three
   • Weak: China has the smallest share of land in forest, but a share is not a total
   • Strong: 24.0% is lower than 58.5% and 68.3%, so China has the least forest in total
   • Strong: card A says that China has the least forest of any country
9. 8.

   Card A describes China's climate. Which statement is supported, Pia asks?

   • The north and west are hot and wet, and the south is cold and dry
   • China has a mild climate with little change from place to place
   • The Gobi in the north is hot and wet, and the south is cold
   • The north and west are cold and dry, and the south is hot and wet
10. 9.

    A student says: 'More people in China live in cities each year.' What would help test that, Ren asks?

    • Japan's city share for the same year, 2024
    • City-share figures for two different years
    • China's population density for the year 2024
    • A larger map of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers
11. 10.

    A student says: 'China's density of 147 means 147 people live in every km² of the Gobi.' How strong is that, Zee asks?

    • Weak: 147 is the number of people in the whole country
    • Strong: card A says that the Gobi is one of the most crowded places
    • Strong: density tells how many people live in each km² of the country
    • Weak: 147 is an average for all of China, and deserts hold few people