Ancient China Geography

Where in the world is China?

China’s Place in the World China is the largest country in Asia and the third largest country in the world. More people live in China than anywhere else in the world

China’s Land and Geography China’s land consists of a variety of physical features North = Deserts West: Mountains Central = rivers and Forest Northeast =North China Plain Southeast= Tropical Coast

China’s Natural Borders Mountains The Himalaya Mountains – the world’s tallest – separate China from India. Deserts The Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts discourage anyone from reaching China from the West

China’s Human Made Border Built to keep out invaders!!! Messages were sent along the wall using runners, flags, smoke signals and drums

Major Rivers Two major rivers supplied water and provided transportation to the ancient Chinese 1. ***Very important River = Huang He River -cuts through the Northern plains Two Nicknames: Yellow River: because yellow soil called loess flows in the river making it look yellow. China’s Sorrow: has flooded throughout history – wiping out crops and homes 2. Yangtze River – located in warm, rainy climate ideal for growing rice.

Interesting Facts about the Geography of Ancient China Today the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River serves as the world's largest hydro-electric power source. The Yellow River also has the name "China's Sorrow" because of the terrible floods that have occurred throughout history when its banks overflowed. The Taklamakan Desert has the nickname of the "Sea of Death" because of its temperature extremes and poisonous snakes. Taklamakan literally translates to what goes in won’t come out. Much of the Silk Road trade route traveled along the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts to the north and west of China. The religion of Buddhism is closely associated with the Himalaya Mountains.