1. Geography of China Geography of China Intro

2. 1- Yellow River Also known as the Huang Ho The 6 th longest river in the world – 3,400 miles long Yellow because of a material called Loess found in the water Sediment builds up in the river, forming natural dams. These natural dams cause major floods – The river has shifted course over 20 times! – Yellow River (Discovery Ed, Sec 7.1., EXPLORE tab, page 1) Yellow River

3. Known as “China’s Sorrow” because floods have devastated the area

4. 2- Yangtze (Chang Jiang) River The longest river in Asia. The 3 rd longest in the world – 3,900 miles Major flooding Home to Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam in the world

5. Three Gorges Dam PROS: -Controls Flooding -Creates Hydroelectricity CONS: -Prevents animals from moving through the river -Prevents sediments and nutrients from reaching down-stream

6. Top 10 Deadliest Floods Ever RankDeath tollEventLocationYear 1.2,500,000 + 1931 China Floods- Yangtze River and Yellow River China1931 2.2,000,000 + 1887 Yellow River Flood China1887 3.700,000 + 1938 Yellow River Flood China1938 4.230,000 Failure of 62 dams, the largest of which was Bangiaou Dam, result of Typhoon Nina China1975 5.145,000 1935 Yangtze River Flood China1935 6.Over 100,000 St. Felix Flood, storm surge Netherlands1530 7.100,000 Hanoi and Red River Delta flood North Vietnam1971 8.100,000 1911 Yangtze River flood China1911 9.50,000–80,000 St. Lucia flood, storm surge Netherlands1287 10.2,400 North Sea flood, storm surge ScotlandScotland, Netherlands, England, Belgium Netherlands England Belgium 1953

7. 3- East China Sea Large sea that borders China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Taiwan The Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea Dense population on coast

8. 4- Yellow Sea Located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula – The northern part of the East China Sea It is yellow due to sand particles from the Gobi Desert and sediment from the Yellow River

9. 5- South China Sea Borders China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam 1/3 of all the world’s ships passes through the South China Sea Contains over 250 islands- most uninhabited.

10. 6- Plateau of Tibet Called the “Roof of the World” – The world’s highest and largest plateau – About four times larger than France Stretches 1,600 miles east to west and 620 miles north to south

11. Plateau of Tibet Average height is 16,000 feet (about 3 miles high) Since the Himalayan Mountains block rain clouds, it is usually very dry The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Plateau

12. The Plateau of Tibet from space

13. 7- Gobi Desert Located in present-day Mongolia The fifth largest desert in the world – The largest in Asia 1,000 miles long and 500 miles wide A rainshadow desert: – The Himalayan Mountains block rain clouds

14. Gobi Desert Cold Desert – Located far north – High elevation (on a plateau) Extreme temperatures: Parts of the Gobi Desert can change up to 95 degrees in 24 hours – Record High: 122 ̊̊ F – Record Low: -43 ̊̊ F

15. Gobi Desert Mountain Biking in the Gobi Desert

16. 8- Korean Peninsula Today, the countries of North Korea and South Korea are located here Seperated from mainland China by the Yellow Sea

17. Critical Thinking China and the United States are roughly the same size in area, but China has almost 4 times as many people. What are some problems China has with such a high population? 1.2 Billion People300 Million People

18. Video 3 Gorges Dam