Transcript Geographic Settings of China

Geographic
Settings of China
Chapter 15 Section 1
Pages 323-327
By: Shanna N.
Basics
• China was thought to be the center of the
Earth
• Covers a huge area of Asia & is one of the
largest nations in the world
• Physical barriers include the Gobi Desert,
the Mongolian & Tibetan plateaus, & the
Himalaya Mountains (largest in the world)
• Mountains & rain forests separate China
from Southeast Asia
These physical barriers limited
contact with other
civilizations in the early
ages but still continued:
– Trading goods to
India & Middle East
countries
– Buddhism carried
to China
– Invaders coming
and spreading
ideas &
technologies
• Home to 1.2 billion people (1/5 of the worlds
population today) but most Chinese crowd to
the eastern third of the country
WHY??
• Mountains & plateaus cover over 80% of China
• Many people are farmers so they need fertile
soil to grow their crops which in China there
is only 10% of good farming land
• People have built into hills & mountains
because of limited land for farming
Regions
• Six main regions
• 2 of the 6 regions lay in the Chinese
heartland which is North & South China
–home to China’s 1st civilization
• The 4 other regions include the Northwest,
Mongolia, Xinjiang & Xizang
North & South China
(the heartland)
North China
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Has warm summers &
cold winters
Unpredictable rainfall
Main crops are wheat &
millet
Main cities are the
capital Beijing &
Tianjin
South China
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Richer in farming &
industry growing
Grows rice, cotton, tea,
vegetables & other
crops
People are packed into
farmlands near bodies
of water
The Northeast & Mongolia
Northeast
Was known as
Manchuria where they
conquered China in
the 1600s
Government is
developing many new
resources
Due to cold climate,
population is very
small
Mongolia
Harsh climate
Summers are
particularly hot &
winters are very cold
Government is
working on improving
irrigation, which will
promote farming
Xinjiang & Xizang
Xinjiang
 Oil-producing region
 May
start producing
wheat & cotton
 Home to Muslim
Uighurs, Kazakhs, &
Kyrgyz
Xizang
 Known
as Tibet
 Region is along the
Himalayas where it
is barren & treeless
 Developing
hydroelectric power
 Rich in minerals
Rivers
• 3 main rivers include the Huang He,
Chang, & Xi Rivers
• Millions of Chinese work on river
valleys risking flooding but technology
has helped by building dikes and canals
Huang He River
• A.K.A. the Yellow River due to it emptying into
the Yellow Sea & from its yellow-brown soil
called loess from which the wind carries
across the North China Plain
• Floods frequently due to loess clogging the
riverbed & heavy rains
• The only advantage of flooding is the end result
of the fertile soil after it dries
Chang River
• Also known as the Yangzi which carries most of China’s trade
• Busiest port city is Shanghai
• Government debates over hydroelectric power worrying that
there will be so much power which can harm the environment
and cause flooding ensuing 1 million people to move out of their
homes
Xi River
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Or known as the West River flowing
through South China
Major port is Guangzhou which ships
goods to all over the world
Tens of millions of Chinese live in Xi delta
for its ample water, good climate, &
excellent soil
People
• 95% of the people are Han
(ethnic Chinese)
• Minorities are the
Mongols, Tibetans, &
Tajiks
• Everyone speaks different
forms or dialects of
Chinese
• Official language =
Mandarian
THE
END