China: An Overview wikipedia

Geographic Influences Geographic features have influenced Chinese political development: Access to oceans/ice free ports Many large navigable rivers Major geographical climate splits between north and south Geographic isolation of the western part of the country Mountain ranges, deserts, and oceans that separate China from other countries http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/geo/proper.htm

Geographic Influences Geographic features have shaped Chinese political development for centuries: Until the 19th century, China’s location in the world and protective mountain ranges encouraged the country to ignore the rest of the world when it wanted to Rugged terrain in the west has limited population growth Majority of people live on the rivers and in the east Differences in climate and terrain have created a cultural split between the north and south

Geographic Influences 3 regions: Tibetan Plateau; Steppes and desert of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia; China Proper High mountains (Himalaya’s) surround the plateau of Tibet Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River flow east: Tibetan Plateau Deserts: Taklamakan and Gobi wikipedia

Geographic Influences China Proper: Densely populated (75%) 3 divisions: North China: Huang He basin and Qingling Mts. and includes the loess plateau of the northwest, the North China plain, and the mts of the Shandong peninsula Central China: Yangtze, basin of Sichuan, the central Chang lowlands and Chang delta South China: Plateau of Yunnan and Guizhou and the valleys of the Xi and Pearl Rivers Climate: Wet in summer, dry in winter, The Qingling Mts. divide semiarid North China and humid central and South China http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/china/chr/chrprop/chprofr.htm

China 4th Largest country (Russia, Canada, US) CIA Factbook

Population Growth in China 1.3 Billion .606% growth rate 1950=550 million 1990=1.1 billion 1979- The One-Child Policy (mandated birth control) Problems: Environment Rural traditions of large families Patriarch system Shortages of wives Aging population CIA factbook http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/campaigns.html Rate of Natural Increase Doubling Time (years) 3% 23 2% 35 1% 70 0% No doubling

China and the US: Comparing Cities 2015 Chinese cities: 661 (13 cities in 1978) Towns: 20,000. An increase in urban population was from a large migrant population, which lacks registration (hukou status) In 2010, nearly 50 percent of the population lived in urban areas, compared to 37 percent in 2000 Shanghai 23 million Beijing 18 million Guangdong (Canton)12 million Guangzhou 12million Chongqing 11 million http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/china_cities.htm The United States has 258 cities Total Urban population: 260 million or 80% of the population 9 cities with population over 1 million New York 8.1 million Los Angeles 3.8 million Chicago 2.8 million Houston 2.0 million Philadelphia 1.4 million wikipedia

Ethnic Composition Han Chinese: 90% Ethnic minorities: non- Han Chinese on the mainland and Taiwan: 10% or 123 million PRC recognizes 55 ethnic minority groups PRC encourages economic development in minority dense regions Five Autonomous (limited) Regions: Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang Xinjiang province http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1748801.stm

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Ethnic Composition Minorities live on or near China’s borders with other countries- sparsely populated PRC worries dissidents may encourage independence Tibet: Never recognized PRC, many want independence Uighurs: Xingjiang, close to Pakistan and Afghanistan, militants want independent Islamic state, ties to Osama Bin Laden?