China’s Geography

FLEXI-D

Group 1

Location of ChinaExact Location:

20° - 53° N and 73° - 135° ERelative Location: North: Mongolia, Russia East: Korea, Korea Bay, Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, and

East China Sea South: South China Sea, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam,

Laos, Thailand, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh

West: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan

Topography

China has a varied topography:

- Large plains

- Basins surrounded by mountains

- Mountains

( 2/3 of China is composed of mountains)

- A vast plateau

- Rolling land

- Mountain ranges

Geographical Divisions

China is divided into four groups:

-Northeast

-Northwest

-Southeast

-Southwest

Climates in the different regions

Northeast: Dry winter climate Southeast: Warm-moderate climate Southwest: Snow/Dry climate Northwest: Dry climate with very hot summers and

very cold winters

Northeast

‘Heartland of the Chinese civilization’ Agriculture field:

-Wheat

-Barley

-Millet Northernmost is Manchuria South is Beijing, the capital of China

Southeast

Plenty of forests Rice is cultivated Qinling-Shan separates Northeast China from

Southeast China

Northwest

Tarim Basin which is separated by mountains:

- Tian Shan in the north

- Kunlun Shan in the south

- Pamir and Karakorum in the west

- Gobi desert in the east East is Inner Mongolia

Southwest or Qinghai-Tibetan

Tibet “Roof of the World” South of Tibet are the Himalaya Mountains Capital of Tibet- Lhasa People prefer to live in southern Tibet, where there

are many steppes. Barley is cultivated

Primary Natural Resources

Primary Natural Resources

Water

- China has the world’s greatest potential for hydroelectric power

- Yellow and Yangzi Rivers providing much of the potential

*Development to China: - Natural resource of water not only for drinking, also for

electricity- Large population would need electricity and abudance in

water for drinking

Primary Natural Resources

Land/Agriculture

- China ranks first in farm output, primarily producing rice, wheat, potatoes, etc.

- Only 15% of total land area can be cultivated

- Arable land represents 10% of total arable land in the world, supports over 20% of the world’s population

*Development to China: - Employs over 300 million farmers- Able to feed very big population

Main rivers and deserts

Yangtze (Long River)

3rd longest river in the world ( about 4000 mi) Floods each year leaving fertile soil along the banks High banks- keeps homes safe from the flooding Irrigates the people’s crops

Huang He (Yellow River)

3000 mi long Where civilization began 5000 years ago Starts from the Himalayas then goes to the Yellow

Sea Homes near the river were destroyed due to the

flooding People eventually learned flood control and used the

water in their favor Irrigate crops, drinking water, fishing, etc.

Taklamakan Desert

“Sea of Death” 2nd Largest in the world Takla Makan means “go in and never come out” Ruined cities can be found in the desert

*The deserts somehow taught the people to be conservative of their water

Gobi Desert

1 of the driest deserts in the world 4th largest in the world Covers northern parts of China The Himalayan mountains block the rain clouds from

reaching the Gobi

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Tourist Attractions Forbidden City

- ‘Imperial City’ during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

- Declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO

Great Wall of China

- Originally built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire

- 8,851.8 km or 5,500.3 mi

Tourist Attractions

Jade Buddha Temple

- In 1882, a temple was build to keep two jade Buddha statues which have been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen

- The temple was destroyed, but the Buddhas were saved and a new temple was built in 1928

- Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha

- Old-time and classical architectural style makes it unique

Tourist Attractions Giant Buddha - A giant bronze Buddha - 111 feet tall or 34 meters high - Largest seated Buddha in the world - Can be found at Lantau Island in Hong Kong

Macau Tower - One of the biggest towers in the world - Standing at 338 meters high - Here you can bungee jump, or climb to the top of the tower

Uniqueness of China’s geography

1. The shape of China look like a CHICKEN

Uniqueness of China’s geography

China’s climate is very diverse

- Dry winter climate to the northeast

- Warm-moderated climate to the southeast

- Snow/Dry climate to the southwest

- Hot summers and Cold winters to the northwest

Sources

images.google.com http://www.strategicforesight.com/yellowriver.htm Chinese Influences ( SS book) www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/jade_temple.htm http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/a/TibetandChina.htm http://wikitravel.org/en/List_of_Chinese_provinces_and_regions