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© T. M. Whitmore Today China  Scale & isolation  Physical environments  Agriculture.

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Presentation on theme: "© T. M. Whitmore Today China  Scale & isolation  Physical environments  Agriculture."— Presentation transcript:

1 © T. M. Whitmore Today China  Scale & isolation  Physical environments  Agriculture

2 © T. M. Whitmore

3 Exciting new joint UG degree program At the National University of Singapore  A top 20 ranked university internationally  Language of instruction is English  http://www.nus.edu.sg/ Eligible UNC undergraduates  Economics, English literature, geography, history and political science  Can take 2-4 semesters of classes at NUS and earn diplomas from both universities.  http://studyabroad.unc.edu/nusjdp/index.cfm

4 © T. M. Whitmore China: physical environment I China – huge ~ US with Alaska China 3 regions (1 st 2 in Central Asia region)  “Outer” ChinaOuter  Himalaya mountains and Tibetan plateau to the Southwest –Source of many rivers  Gobi & Taklamakan deserts to the west and Northwest  “Inner” China  Isolated by mountains and deserts

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7 © T. M. Whitmore China “proper”proper Physical Environment  Climate Climate  Drier N wetter S Drier N wetter S  China sub-regionssub-regions  Northeast China Plain / Manchuria Northeast China Plain / Manchuria  The N. China Plain The N. China Plain –Huang He river (formally Yellow)  Basins of the Chang Jiang (formally Yangtze) river Basins of the Chang Jiang  Tropical southern China Tropical southern China Environmental degradation and hazards Environmental degradation

8 © T. M. Whitmore Chinese Rivers Huang He (Yellow River)  Can carry up to 40% sediment weight (highest in the world).  Subject to flooding, especially in its delta.  Changed course many times. Chang Jiang (Yangtze).  Longest river, China’s main street (6,300 km).  Flood of 1998 left 14 million homeless. Pearl River delta system  Most productive and sustainable ecosystem in the world.  Rice paddies and fish ponds. Heilong Jiang (Amur).  China's border with Russia.

9 Amur Huang He (Yellow) Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Pearl Delta

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13 A series of long canals, some new and others ancient, transfers water from the wet Yangtze basin to the dry north.

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15 Manchuria

16 N China Plain

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19 rivers

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22 Filled with sediment from the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River has changed course many times in Chinese history, each time killing and displacing millions.

23 Back to rivers

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28 South China

29 Back to rivers

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32 Loess soils in the Guangzhong Basin © Bret Wallach http://www.greatmirror.com/

33 © T. M. Whitmore Major issues  Huge population  Little arable area Little arable area  Population is about 70% rural 4 Agricultural Regions  NE / Manchuria  North China Plain- wheatwheat  South China - ricerice  Western oases and arid-semiarid grazing Chinese Agriculture

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36 Wheat & other upland crops

37 Wetland Rice

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44 © Bret Wallach Guangzhong Basin

45 Guilin © Bret Wallach

46 Guilin

47 Yunnan Village: Hengdi © Bret Wallach

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50 © T. M. Whitmore Chinese agriculture II Agriculture reform  Pre-Communist (pre-1949)  Communist changes  Current reforms

51 © T. M. Whitmore Chinese agriculture III Nearly self sufficient despite 1.3 billion Agriculture is very intensivevery intensive  10 persons to feed per ha Urban pops increasing and so is wealth => demand increasing faster than pop growth Urban pops increasing Significant imports but also significant exports Significant imports but also significant exports

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54 40% of agricultural land in China is irrigated.

55 Wheat & other upland crops

56 Wetland Rice

57 Rural Chinese family’s week’s food © Peter Menzel

58 Urban Chinese family’s week’s food

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64 RICE

65 WHEAT

66 © Bret Wallach Guangzhong Basin

67 © Bret Wallach Guangzhong Basin


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