n the PRC. Aspects of the country's population problem are reviewed in the following discussion, which is followed by a consideration of the impacts of population growth and overpopulation on environmental outcomes in China.
The estimated population of the PRC in 1991 approximated 1,110,000,000. The country's population target for 2000 is 1,270,000,000. Females account for 51.6 percent of China's population, males 48.4 percent. In the 1990s, 75.1 percent of China's population continues to reside in rural areas, with the remaining 24.9 percent in residing in urban areas. Thus, the typical Chinese would be described as a rural dweller. In must be remembered, however, that the urban/rural distribution of the population is changing rapidly. Fifteen years ago, almost 85 percent of the Chinese resided in rural areas.
The typical Chinese is also a relatively young person. Almost one-half (46.07 percent) of the population is under age 20, and almost two-thirds (63.7 percent) are under age 30.
Officially, there are 56 nationality, or ethnic, population groups in the People's Republic of China. In the 55 smaller groups, there are 70 million people (greater than the population of most countries) who are distributed over 60 percent of China's geographic area. The country's largest ethnic group--the Han Chinese, however, number in excess of one-billion persons. Therefore, the typical Chinese must be viewed as an ethnic Han. There are great differences, however, within the Han ethnic group. Eight mutually unintelligible language dialects are spoken by the Han, each of which contains several sub-dialects, and differences in cuisine, dress, and custom also characterize the Han residing in different regions of the country. The Han Chinese, however, consider such differences "as minor and superficial." One great unifying characteristic of the Han Chinese is the written language which does not reflect the differences between t...