Download China: The Land - Cloudfront.net

China: The Land
Chapter 23 / Section 1
China Compared to Other
Countries
Location & Size
• China is located in East Asia
• It is the world’s 3rd largest country
in terms of size (after Russia and
Canada)
• It covers more than 3,600,930 sq
miles
Landforms
Landforms
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Mountains
Plateaus
Deserts
Plains
Highlands
1) Mountains
• Cover 1/3 of China
• The are located in the western
part of the country
• The Himalaya Mountains (“Abode
of Snow”) are the largest & most
famous (located on the border
b/w China & Nepal)
The Himalaya Mountains
2) Plateaus
• In the center of China’s mountainous
area (in the western part of the
country)
• The Plateau of Tibet is the largest
plateau of the world (“Roof of the
World” = 13,000 feet high)
• Vegetation: shrubs & grasses
Plateau of Tibet
3) Deserts
• Mountain ranges circle desert basins
• Two famous deserts:
a) Taklimakan Desert: in the west;
extremely high temperatures,
sandstorms & dunes
b) Gobi Desert: in the east; large difference
b/w daytime & nighttime temperatures
(140 F); e.g. day = 110F; night = -30 F
Taklimakan Desert
Sandstorm from Taklimakan
Gobi Desert
4) Coastal Plains
• Located along the coasts of the
East China and South China
Seas
• They have fertile lands 
agriculture
• 90% of China’s population lives
on the plains
Coastal Plains continued…
Two major coastal plains:
1) Northeast Plain: in the Manchuria region
of northeast China
1) North China Plain: south of the Northeast
Plain
Northeast Plain (Manchuria)
North China Plain
5) Highlands
• Located mostly in the southeast
• Limestone hills that rise 100-600
feet
• One of China’s most scenic areas
 tourism
Scenic Highland
Bodies of Water
Four major rivers:
1) Huang He (Hwahng Huh)
2) Chang Jiang (Chahng Jee-ang)
3) Xi (Shee)
4) Mekong River
Importance:
a) Transportation routes
b) Source of soil
1) Huang He = Yellow River
• Located in the center of the country (flows
from west to east & empties into the
Yellow Sea)
• It is called “yellow” b/c it carries a
yellowish-gray soil, called loess
• The river basin is rich in fertile loess 
excellent farming area
• Prone to flooding (“China’s sorrow”)
Huang He = The Yellow River
2) Chang Jiang = Yangtze River
• Located in the southern part of the country
• Flows west to east & empties into the East
China Sea
• Also prone to flooding  dams to control
flooding & harvest hydroelectric power
• 1994-2008: Three Gorges Dam (the
world’s largest construction project)
Chang Jiang = The Yangtze River
Three Gorges Dam
Climate
• Due to its enormous size, China has a
number of different climate regions
• They are affected by location, elevation,
and wind currents
Climate Regions:
1) Highland: in the Himalaya Mountains and
on the Plateau of Tibet
- Cold temperatures year-round
- Influenced by elevation
2) Desert: in the Taklimakan and Gobi
Deserts
- Hot during the day, cold during the night
year-round
- Hardly any rainfall
- Influenced by location & elevation
Climate Regions continued…
3) Humid Continental: on the Northeast
Plain and North china Plain
- Four seasons
- Cold winters, warm summers
4) Humid Subtropical: on the highlands of
the south
- Short, mild winters and long, humid, hot
summers
- Influenced by location (close to the
tropics)
Monsoons & Typhoons
1) Monsoons:
a) In the winter: cold, dry air from central Asia
across China
b) In the summer: warm, moist air from the
Pacific Ocean
2) Typhoons:
- Brought on by the monsoons in the summer
- Tropical storms w/ strong winds & heavy rains
- They are called hurricanes when they are
formed over the Atlantic Ocean
Monsoons
Typhoon
The Economy
• China is a developing, rural country
• Its main economic activities are farming
and industry
• Farming is more important than industry,
though, because ~ 60% of China’s people
make their living from farming
• Its industry is growing: if you take all
products and services that China produces
each year, it is in the top 10 countries in
the world
Type of Economy
• China has been an “officially” communist country
since 1949, when the communists, led by Mao
Zedong, overthrew the nationalist government of
Chiang Kai-shek
• In reality, China is increasingly moving toward a
capitalist (free enterprise) economy
• Why?
- Wants to become a modern, industrialized
nation
- Wants to continue to trade w/ the US & W.
Europe
Problems with Industrialization
Environmental problems: due to factory
smoke
- Pollution of rivers: endangers species
- Pollution of air: acid rain  destroys plants
& building; breathing problems
- Displacement of people, farmlands,
villages, and canyons (Three Gorges
Dam)
Economic/Social Problems:
- Inflation (prices go up but not the
paychecks)
- Income gap: the rich is getting richer, while
the poor is getting poorer
Economic Regions
1) The North: plains & highlands of NE
China
• Manufacturing: textiles, chemicals,
electronic equipment, farming machinery,
airplane parts, metal products
- Major industrial center: Beijing
• Mining: coal, petroleum, iron ore,
tungsten (metal used in electronics)
• Farming: wheat, cotton, soy beans
• Fishing
2) South: southeast China
• Fertile soil, humid climate, long growing
season
• Growing crops on terraced fields: strips of
land cut out of a hillside like stair steps
• Tea, jute, silk, fruits, and vegetables
• Mineral resources: bauxite, iron ore, tin
• Urban manufacturing centers: Wuhan,
Guangzhou
• Ships, machinery, textiles, electrical
equipment
3) The West
• Mountains, deserts, and grasslands
• Most of it is not suitable for farming
• Only grazing of livestock that can handle
the harsh conditions, e.g. yaks
• Low-lying areas: cotton & wheat
• Mineral resources: petroleum, coal, & iron
ore
The People
•
•
•
•
Capital: Beijing
Population: 1.3 billion
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Religion: Confucianism (philosophy), Buddhism,
Taoism, Islam, Christianity
• Ethnicities: 94% Han Chinese
• Type of Government: Communist
- Used to have dynasties (power was handed
down to family members from one generation to
the next)
• Rural: only 30% live in cities
• Calligraphy: the art of beautiful writing
(Chinese writing uses characters that
express words/ideas instead of sounds 
50,000 characters, only 8,000 is
recognized by an average person)
• Pagodas: Buddhist temples w/ several
floors
• Inventions: paper, ink, clock, compass,
printed book, fireworks, gunpowder,
porcelain (made of coal dust and white
clay), etc.