Geography of China

Location  Caused Chinese to think they were at the center of earth  Many boundaries  Gobi Desert  Mongolian and Tibetan Plateaus  Himalayas  Mountains to southeast  Pacific Ocean

Contact with other Civilizations  Traded with India and the Middle East via caravans  Buddhism brought by travelers from India

Population  Over 1.2 Billion People  1/5 of world population  Most crowded into eastern 1/3 of country  Due to topography for farming  Most Chinese are still farmers

Landforms  Mountains and Plateaus cover 80 percent of China  Most of West  Rugged Terrain and Harsh climate bad for farming  Leads to scattered population  Many Nomads  Other 20 percent level land  Coastal Plain and River Valleys  Only 1/2 good for farming  Terrace Farming used

Regions  China Divided into Six Regions in Two Categories  Heartland  North China  South China  Outlying Regions  Northeast  Mongolia  Xinjiang  Xizang

Heartland  Stretches from Beijing in North to Vietnam border in South  North China  Hot Summers, Cold Winters  Varying Rainfall  Crops: Wheat, Millet  Beijing and Tianjin are manufacturing centers

Heartland (contd.)  South China  Even richer farming and Industrial Region  Mild, Humid Climate  Crops: Rice, Cotton, Tea, Veggies  Region Hilly so people are packed around lakes and River Valleys

Outlying Regions  Homes to Diverse Ethnic Groups  Rich in Natural Resources  Northeast  Mongolia  Xinjiang  Xizang

Northeast  Once called Manchuria  Ethnic group who lived there and conquered in 1600’s  Many resources:  Oil, Iron, Aluminum ore, Coal, Lead, Zinc  Sparsely populated due to cold climate  Govt. offering incentives

Mongolia  Lies in the Gobi Desert  Harsh Climate  Govt. improving irrigation to promote farming

Xinjiang  Desert Basin  Important oil-producing region  Govt. attempting to improve irrigation for production of wheat and cotton  Once Isolated now linked to heartland via railroads  Home to many non-Chinese people:  Muslim Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz

Xizang  Also known as Tibet  Sits among several mountain ranges including Himalayas  Much of region is barren and treeless  Farming possible in Valleys  Taken over in 1950  Govt. attempting to develop rivers for hydroelectric power  May also have mineral wealth that could help China in Future  Many feel it should be returned to autonomous statehood

Major Rivers  3 have been important since ancient times  Used for transportation and irrigation  Dangerous to live near because of flooding, but also essential for farming  Chinese have developed dikes and canals to control flooding

Huang He (Yellow) River  Located in North China emptying into Yellow Sea  Name comes from loess, a yellow brown soil found in river  Enriches land on banks  Also causes terrible flooding  Floods bad and good  Referred to as “River of Sorrow”

Chang (Yangzi) River  Carries much of China’s Trade  Port City of Shanghai at its mouth  Debate over development of Hydroelectric Plants and Dams on River  Power vs. Displacment  Common in Chinese govt. projects

Xi Jiang (West) River  Flows through South China  Lets out at Guangzhou a major port in and for the South  Excellent conditions for farming along this river

People  95 percent Han or Ethnic Chinese  Other groups live in remote regions  Different dialects of Chinese spoken in different areas  Mandarin official official language of Government (North China Dialect)