China Geography 1

8/14/2019 China Geography 1

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Chinas PopulationChinas Population


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Population Density ComparisonPopulation Density Comparison

between US and Chinabetween US and China


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Chinas GeographyChinas Geography

n For thousands of years, theancient Chinese thought theywere pretty much alone onthe planet Earth. They knew

there were people to thenorth, the Felt Tent People -the Mongols - but they did notknow that other advancedancient civilizations existedanywhere else.

n China's natural barriers to thewest, south, and east helpedto protect these early peoplefrom invasion.


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NortheastNortheast

n Northeast Chinais densely

populated andhas served asthe countrys

administrativeand industrialcenter for


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Northeastern GeographyNortheastern Geography

n Northeast China includeseastern China from the AmurRiver in the North to the GreatChina Plain in the south. The

western boundary is made upof the Greater KhingganRange

n The capital of China, Beijing,is located in Northeast Chinaand the region has the

highest population density


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He and JiangHe and Jiang

n He- River- A river that is broad andgeologically old

n

Jiang-River- A river that is geologicallyyoung which cuts through a narrow valley


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Huang He (Yellow RiverHuang He (Yellow River

n Causes erosion as ittravels its routethough eastern China

n As it gathers sedimentit becomes a river ofmud containing 40%sediment

n The river gets itsname from thesediment it gathersalon its route


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Huang He, Yellow River, orHuang He, Yellow River, or

Chinas SorrowChinas Sorrown The Yellow River gets its name from

the yellow sediment called loess,which runs into the river from thenorthern part of China

n The sediment is so fertile that

Northeast China has some of the bestfarmland in China

n The Huang He also provides anessential transportation route

n Levees and embankments have beenbuilt to prevent flooding

n Also known as Chinas Sorrow -in

1877, over 1 million people died fromflooding and the destruction of crops

n Today, not enough water is theproblem. Too many people use theriver as a resource. As a result, waterhas been taken from other areas to


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Huang He Changes CourseHuang He Changes Course

n The lower course ofthe river has changed26 times in Chinas

historyn 9 times bringing

disaster to the villagesand towns in the North

China Plainn More than 100 million

people live in there ion


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SoutheastSoutheast

n Once a major agriculturalarea, the Southeast region ofChina has become the centerof Chinas booming economy

n The Southeast Region consistsof the North China Plain to thecountrys southern mostborder and from the eastcoast to the Westernhighlands.

n The Southeast is moremountainous, wetter, andhotter than the Northeast This makes the area excellent


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Terracing and IrrigationTerracing and Irrigation

n By managing natural resourcesand expanding opportunities for

the production of food, theChinese have transformed landin many areas of the world havebeen considered impossible tofarm through terracing and

irri ation.


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TerracingTerracingn Throughout the

rugged areas ofnorthern and southernChina farmers havesculpted the hilly landinto step likelandscapes calledterraces.n Occasionally terraces

occur naturally andneed only littlemodification for


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IrrigationIrrigation

n The building ofterraces on slopedland not only createslevel land, but alsoprovides means ofmanaging rain water.n When rain falls on hill

slopes it tends to causeerosion, but when

rainfalls on terracedhillsides the terracesslow down the flow ofwater and reduceerosion. At the sametime, an even

distribution of water ispassed from oneterrace to the next

n Other systems controlwater from production


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Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)

n Chinas Main Street it playsthe role of Chinas north westhighway

n Courses through 6300km

through several of Chinasmost economically developedregions including Shanghai.More inland you will find theThree Gorges Dam which isunder construction.

n The flow is 20 times largerthan the Huang He


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NorthwestNorthwest

n The Northwest can bedescribed as stark, rugged,and barren.

n It consists mostly of the Gobi

Desert nothing grows theren The silk road, one of the great

trade routes of ancient times,crossed the bare landscape

n Rest stops on the routebecame heavily populatedcities in Northwestern China

n However, the main economicfunction of the Northwest isnomadic herding


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Southwest: TibetSouthwest: Tibet

n One landform the cold, dryplateau of Tibet dominatesChinas southwest.

n The plateau is isolated from the

rest of the world with elevationsreaching 14,000 feet

n Since the 14thcentury China hascontrolled Tibet. However, from1911-1950 Tibet was independentfrom China.

n In 1950, China reasserted control

over Tibetn China has increased control over

China which led to the exile of theTibets theocratic leader theDalai Lama in 1959


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Tibet ContinuedTibet Continued

n In 1965, China instituted acommunist government and gave

Tibet limited self-government

n During the 1960s and 1970s, the

Chinese destroyed TibetsBuddhist monasteries and forcedfarmers to live in communes allof which was a threat to Tibetanculture

n In recent years, Tibetans havebeen allowed to practice their

religion more openly. However,more and more Chinese aremoving to the region and aproposed railroad to connect Tibetwith Western China is viewed as


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The Great Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China

n The Great Wall of China is nota continuous wall, but acollection of walls that followthe hillsides of China andextends 1500 miles

n 1st completed during the QinDynasty 221-205 BCE whensegments of the existing wallfrom earlier periods wereconnected

n Earlier parts of the wall wereconstructed of earth. The

brick walls that we knowtoday were constructedduring the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)

n The Great Wall wasconstructed to manage the


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Grand CanalGrand Canaln Since Chinas major rivers

flow from west to east andthere is no naturalcommunication north tosouth except by way of thecoastal routes TheChinese dug the GrandCanal as a safe inlandwater route between twomajor rivers, in the processconnecting a number ofminor regional rivers

n Constructed in 605 CE for

commercial and militarypurposesn The canal was extended


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The Grand CanalThe Grand Canal

China Geography 1

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