Download China Map Activity

Physiographic Map Study of
China
“China’s geography is an assemblage of pieces.”
Map Study Directions
• Be prepared to answer the 5 essential
questions.
• You need a black line map of China.
• You need pen/pencil/colored pencils.
• Read through the slide show.
• Complete the map as you read through the
slide show.
• Shade the key to reflect your color choices.
• Answer the questions at the end of the slide
show in your notebook.
Essential Questions
• How would you describe China’s physical
borders?
• How would you characterize the western part
of China? The eastern? The southern? The
northern? The central?
• Given these physical attributes, why might it
be difficult for a government to rule China?
• How might a government unify such a vast
and diverse country?
• What does the following quote mean to you?
“China’s geography is an assemblage of pieces.”
Provide examples to illustrate your point of view.
Taklimakan Desert (A)
The Taklamakan Desert is in northwest China. Because it lies in
the rain shadow of the Himalayas, Taklamakan is a cold desert
climate. Extreme lows are recorded in wintertime, sometimes well
below −20 °C (−4 °F). It has very little water; therefore it is
hazardous to cross. Merchant caravans on the Silk Road would
stop for relief at the thriving oasis towns.
East China Sea (B)
The East China Sea is a part of the Pacific
Ocean and covers an area of roughly 1,249,000
square kilometres (482,000 sq mi).
South China Sea (C)
The South China Sea’s importance largely results
from one-third of the world's shipping sailing
through its waters and that it is believed to hold
huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed
Mount Everest (D)
Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain. The
international border between China and Nepal runs
across Everest's precise summit point.
Tian Mountains (E)
Tian Shan lies to the north and west of the Taklamakan Desert and directly
north of the Tarim Basin in the border region of Kazakhstan. Glaciers in the
Tian Shan Mountains have been rapidly shrinking and have lost 27%, or 5.4
billion tons annually, of its ice mass since 1961 compared to an average of
7% worldwide. It is estimated that by 2050 half of the remaining glaciers will
have melted.
Mekong River (G)
The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's
12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. The extreme seasonal
variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong
make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route
between western China and Southeast Asia.
North China Plain (H)
The North China Plain is based on the deposits of the Yellow River
and is the largest alluvial plain of eastern Asia. Because the fertile
soil of the North China Plain gradually merges with Central Asia with
no natural barriers between the two regions, the plain has been
prone to invasion, prompting the construction of the Great Wall of
China.
Yellow River (I)
“Yellow" refers to the perennial color of the muddy water in the lower
course of the river, which arises from soil (loess) being carried
downstream.
The Yellow River is called "the cradle of
Chinese civilization,” because its basin
was the birthplace of ancient Chinese
civilization, and it was the most
prosperous region in early Chinese
history. However, because of frequent
devastating floods and course changes
produced by the continual elevation of
the river bed (due in part to manmade
erosion upstream), sometimes above
the level of its surrounding farm fields, it
also has the name China's Sorrow.
Plateau of Tibet (J)
Himalayas Mountains (K)
This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on Earth,
including the highest above sea level, Mount Everest. The
Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South
Asia. Many Himalayan peaks are sacred in both Buddhism
and Hinduism.
Yangzi River (M)
Also known as the Yangtze or Chang Jiang, it is the longest river in Asia
and the third-longest in the world. For thousands of years, the river has
been used for water, irrigation, sanitation, transportation, industry,
boundary-marking and war. Its Three Gorges Dam is the largest
hydroelectric power station in the world.
Gobi Desert (N)
The Gobi is a cold desert region in Asia. It covers parts of
northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia.
On the next page in your notebook answer the following
questions in complete sentences:
• What does the following quote mean to you? “China’s
geography is an assemblage of pieces.” Provide
examples to illustrate your point of view.
• How would you describe China’s physical borders?
• How would you characterize the western part of
China? The eastern? The southern? The northern?
The central?
• Given these physical attributes, why might it be
difficult for a government to rule China?
• How might a government unify such a vast and
diverse country
Resources
• Photographs were taken from the
Internet.
• Content material comes from TCI
History Alive unit on China.
http://www.historyalive.com/