1. China: An Overview
wikipedia

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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
Rate of Natural Increase
Doubling Time (years) 3% 23 2% 35 1% 70 0%
No doubling

8. 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 million
Beijing million
Guangdong (Canton)12 million
Guangzhou 12million
Chongqing 11 million
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

9. 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

10. wikipedia

11. 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?