China

A) Landscapes World’s 4th largest country land area wise. China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities. Tall mountains, Vast deserts, fertile plains, and mighty rivers exist in China.

1) Mountains Rugged mountains cover 1/3 of China. Himalayas is on southern border of China. In the center of China’s mountains holds the largest plateau in the world. _______ __ _________ is called the “Roof of the World” because of its average height.

Mountains Con’t Eastern edge of the plateau is home to pandas, golden monkeys and other rare animals.

2) Deserts Northwestern part of China is the Taklimakan desert. Some of the world’s highest temperatures are located in this desert. Northeastern part of China is the Gobi desert. (Made of rock & gravel instead of sand)

Deserts Con’t 110 degrees during the day, and can get to -30 degrees at night. Why? It is very far north and at a high altitude.

3) Plains & Highlands Plains cover the eastern part of China. This area has fertile land & is home to almost 90% of China’s people. NE plain lies in the center of Manchuria. East of the plain lies a heavily forested, hilly area.

P & H Con’t To the south is the North China Plain. SE part of China lies limestone hills which many tourists come to visit.

4) Rivers 3 major rivers in China. 1) Huang He- Very important farming area by this river. It is called the “yellow river”. 2) Yangtze- Important transportation route and a source of soil. 3) Xi- Floodwaters have deposited rich soil to form flat river basins.

B) The Climate Many different climate regions in China. Location, elevation, & wind currents affect the type of climate found in the country. SE China has a humid subtropical climate. NE China has a humid continental climate. Northern part of China has desert & steppe climate. SW China has a highland climate. Monsoons greatly affect China’s climates. Typhoons are tropical storms with strong winds and heavy rains.

Many different climate regions in China. Location, elevation, & wind currents affect the type of climate found in the country. SE China has a humid subtropical climate. NE China has a humid continental climate.

Con’t Northern part of China has desert & steppe climate. SW China has a highland climate. Monsoons greatly affect China’s climates. Typhoons are tropical storms with strong winds and heavy rains.

Panda Bear at Recess!

Economy (#1 in the world) A communist state- Gov’t has strong control over the economy and society. Gov’t decides what crops will grow, how much and so on. China has changed to more of a free enterprise system. Exports: #1 in world (U.S.) Imports: #3 (S. Korea, Japan)*Big on Industries and services World leader in producing rice, tea, wheat, and potatoes.

China’s people Most populated country in the world. 1.4 billion people (20% of world’s population) Main ethnic group- Han Chinese (92%) 44% live in rural areas

China’s people continued Main languages- Standard Chinese or Mandarin (others: Yue, Wu, Minbei, Minnan, Xiang, Gan) Main Religions: Many religions (Birth rate: Is only ranked 159th in the world! Life expectancy: years (#99) Literacy rate- 96%

Asia map Asia map is due tomorrow!

China’s History China’s civilization is more than 4,000 years old. China had many dynasties and they built a highly developed culture and conquered many neighboring lands. To defend foreign invaders from entering China, the Chinese began building the Great Wall of China. More than 4,000 miles.

History Con’t U.K. and other countries used military power to force China to trade. Goods they wanted: silk, tea, pottery Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the last emperor and China became a republic. Did not work well and the Nationalist Party took over. After WW2 the Communists and Nationalists fought for control of China Communists won and set up the People’s Republic of China.

China’s Gov’t After 1949 Communists totally changed the mainland of China. All land & factories were taken over by the government New Communist leader took over and made China a more open country Chinese people held a rally calling for democracy. China’s gov’t sent tanks and troops and killed thousands of people. Countries don’t like how China runs its country and treats its people.

Gov’t continued Gov’t- Communist State Independence- October 1 st 1949 (People’s Republic of China) Newly elected president- (March 2013) Xi Jinping *5 year term with chance at re- election. Head of gov’t- Is called the premier. Premier is nominated by the president. Current premier is Li Keqiang.