Asia
China
Everything you need to know about China for geography games and satellite imagery — capital, population, time zone, and how to recognise it from above.
Quick facts
Where is China?
Satellite view centred on Beijing (35.0°, 104.0°).
How to spot China from satellite imagery
China is the fourth-largest country in the world by area, and after Russia and Canada it has the third-most varied set of landscapes you can land on in a satellite-imagery game. Within Chinese borders you can find tropical rainforest in Yunnan, the highest plateau on Earth in Tibet, the second-lowest depression on Earth in the Turpan Basin, sand seas to rival the Sahara in the Taklamakan, dense rice-paddy country in the Yangtze valley, and some of the most cratered coal-mining landscapes anywhere on the planet.
Because China is so big and so densely engineered, it shows up often in geography games and almost every frame contains some kind of strong identifying signal. This guide breaks down the half-dozen biggest Chinese aerial signatures and the regional cues that let you narrow down where in the country you have landed.
Read the full satellite guideCan you find China from above?
Play satellite-imagery rounds from China on a 3D globe.
Themed China modes
Restrict the location pool to China and pick a theme — volcanoes, capitals, coastlines. Smaller pool, sharper learning curve.