Geography of China Natural barriers- mountains, deserts, rivers, seas Isolated them for thousands of years Protected them from invasion

Mountains Himalayan Mountains Very rugged Contain Mt. Everest, the highest mt. in the world

Deserts The Gobi Desert The Taklamakan Desert The “Sea of Death” Poisonous snakes, sand storms, boiling days, freezing nights, water shortages 2nd largest desert in the world One of the driest in the world You can find an oasis, but it’s rare

Chinese Rivers Provided fertile soil and safe drinking water. Yangtze River- 3rd longest in the world. (4000 miles) -floods yearly leaving silt -high banks keeps homes safe 2. Huang He (Yellow River)- 3,000 miles - floods yearly ? -low banks made floods dangerous - “The Great Sorrow” Provided fertile soil and safe drinking water.

Seas & Oceans   Yellow Sea, China Sea (E&S)and Pacific Ocean provide a huge coastline Access to trade routes Easy supply of food For thousands of years, the ancient Chinese thought they were pretty much alone on the planet Earth. They knew there were people to the north, the Mongols - but they did not know that other advanced ancient civilizations existed anywhere else.  China's natural barriers to the west, south, and east helped to protect these early people from invasion. China's natural barriers include seas - the China Sea and the  Yellow Sea, both located in the Pacific Ocean. These seas provide a huge coastline, which provided trade routes and easy access to food.