China's land area is approximately 6.5% of the total land area in the world, after Russia & Canada, ranking 3 rd in the world. China & its Surroundings

s Modern China is broken up into provinces instead of states

For centuries, natural barriers isolated China from all other civilizations. E: various seas & oceans. W: Taklimakan Desert & Plateau of Tibet. SW: Himalayas. N: Gobi Desert & Mongolian Plateau Gobi Desert Plateau of Tibet Himalayas Taklimakan Desert Mongolian Plateau

China’s Isolation As a result, civilization in China developed in relative isolation from the civilizations of India and further west and therefore developed and kept its own distinctive culture Until modern times (last 200 yrs) China’s only regular contact w/foreigners was w/nomads who spoke their own languages/religions The Chinese considered these and other outsiders to be culturally inferior and called nomadic peoples barbarians Lack of contact w/foreigners helped give the Chinese a strong identity and sense of superiority They regarded their land as the only civilized land and called it the Middle Kingdom b/c they believed China was the center of the world In their eyes, one could become civilized only by learning Chinese language and customs

Monsoon ( Seasonal winds/rains that bring dry and wet seasons) In Northern China - Monsoons bring a brief, but intense summer rainy season. The rest of the year it is mostly dry. In Southern China - Monsoons bring heavy rains from March to September. Light rains fall the rest of the year.

China: Cultivating the Land China is geographically divided into 2 parts. Outer China is a sparsely settled region of high mountains, plateaus, steppes (grassland plains w/o rain), and deserts. Agricultural China is where 95% of the Chinese people live.

China: Size and Population 9,596,960 Square area 9,629,091 Square area 1.4 Billion 309 Million China United States China has the largest population in the world. Two-thirds of the Chinese people are farmers, but only 4% of China’s land can be cultivated. In an effort to balance the relationship between land and people, China adopted a “one-couple, one-child” policy in the 1980’s.

Taiwan, Another Chinese Country The island of Taiwan is located about 125 miles off the southern coast of China. Around 1590, the Dutch called the island "Ilha Formosa" or beautiful island. For the next 400 yrs the island was called Formosa. After the Communists led by Mao Zedong, took over mainland China in 1949, the former Chinese govt fled to Taiwan. They established the Republic of China on Taiwan. It is also referred to as Chinese Taipei. China Taiwan

Similarly to Ancient India, Ancient China’s earliest civilization began along its rivers Each spring, rivers overflowed, depositing rich soil by the river valleys - Civilization began on the Huang He (Yellow) River and spread south to the Yangtze River The further _west you travel, the higher the elevation and the harder it is to farm

The Huang He (Yellow) River 3,000 miles long, 2 nd longest river in China & muddiest river in the world Empties into the Yellow Sea The Huang He Valley has extremely fertile yellow soil called loess (pronounced “les”) Silt (moist soil) is carried in the water of the Huang He, thus the name Yellow River Also known as the “river of sorrow b/c the massive floods it produced were often completely devastating, wiping out crops and destroying whole towns Over time, people learned the techniques (dikes) for flood control

The Yangtze River Also known as the Chang Jiang River Longest in China, 3 rd longest river in the world miles The Yangtze passes through some of China's best farmland and many of its towns and villages, used today mainly for commercial purposes/trade

Mapping Directions: Using the various maps in this slideshow, label the following on your blank map 1. China11. Vietnam 21. Bay of Bengal 2.Mongolia12. Laos 22. Huang He River 3.North Korea13. Burma 23. Yangtze River 4.South Korea14. Thailand 5.Japan15. Cambodia 6.Russia16. Bangladesh 7.Yellow Sea17. Bhutan 8.South China Sea18. India 9.Taiwan19. Nepal 10.The Philippines20. Sri Lanka