Geography of China Plateaus, Plains and Basins

Plateaus The Plateau of Tibet “Rooftop of the World” in SW China ¼ of country 13 – 16k ft avg. height Only settled along Brahmaputra River Bordered by Himalayas and Kunlun Mts.

Deserts Taklimakan Desert Vast, sandy desert, in NW Site of earliest contact w/ western civilization Gobi Desert NE China, small nomadic Mongolian shepherds Fierce winds removed soils

The climate here is extreme. Temperatures reach +100° C. in summer, and -40 in winter. Precipitation averages less than 100 mm per year, while some areas only get rain once every two or three years. Strong winds up to 87mph make travel dangerous in spring and fall. Great Gobi National Park is one of the largest World Biospheres, with an area larger than Switzerland.

North China Plain Highest proportion of land under cultivation of any region of China Bordered by mountains and sea Yellow soil Yellow river / Huang He

Turpan Depression and Sichuan Basin Turpan Depression –A fault trough –lowest point in China 502’ below sea level –Oasis city –(Silk Road, Farming)

The Flaming Mountains

The Sichuan Basin –Hilly area surrounded by mts –farmed in terraces

Mountains China has three major mountain ranges 1.The Himalayas run north south and span over 2900 km 2.the Kunluns run east- west, as does the Tian mountain range, above and below the Taklimakan desert

Mt. Everest Facts About Mt. Everest Tallest mountain in the world. Number of people to attempt to climb Mt. Everest: approximately 4,000. Number of people to successfully climb Mt. Everest: 660. Number of people who have died trying to climb Mt. Everest: 142. Height: 29,028 feet, or 5 and a half miles above sea level. This is equivalent to the size of almost 20 Empire State Buildings. Location: part of the Himalaya mountain range; straddles border of Nepal and Tibet. Named for: Sir George Everest, a British surveyor-general of India. Age: approximately 60 million years old. Other names: called "Chomolungma" by Tibetans and Sherpas, which means "Mother Goddess of the Earth." Countries visible from the summit: Tibet, India, and Nepal.

Himalayas from Air, Kunlun Mts

1500 mi, from Russia to China/Mongolia border. Coal, iron, lead, zinc all mined here Grain from the valleys Tian Shan: Heavenly Mountains

Rivers and Seas Mekong River 2600 mi long, begins in Tibetan Highlands and flows south to South China Sea Yangzi River 3,450 mi long, begins in Tibetan Highlands and flows east to East China Sea. Waters China’s middle basin, +++ agriculture Major E-W trade route

Yangze River

Rivers and Seas South China Sea 848,000sm Located between SE China, Taiwan, the Phillipines, and Borneo. Deepest in N.E. East China Sea 290,000sm, part of Pacific Very shallow Dominated by monsoon wind system E. of China N. of Taiwan

Yellow River and Yellow Sea 3000 mi from Kunlun Mts east Very fast summer currents Subject to flooding, has changed course 9 times Located between China and Korea, arm of the Pacific Ocean Connects w/East China Sea below Korea.

The Heavenly Mountain: Tian Zi