China Geography 1

China’s Population

Population Density Comparison between US and China

China’s Geography n

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For thousands of years, the ancient Chinese thought they were pretty much alone on the planet Earth. They knew there were people to the north, the Felt Tent People the Mongols - but they did not know that other advanced ancient civilizations existed anywhere else.  China's natural barriers to the west, south, and east helped to protect these early people from invasion.

Northeast n

Northeast China is densely populated and has served as the country’s administrative and industrial center for centuries

Northeastern Geography n

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Northeast China includes eastern China from the Amur River in the North to the Great China Plain in the south. The western boundary is made up of the Greater Khinggan Range The capital of China, Beijing, is located in Northeast China and the region has the highest population density

He and Jiang n

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“He”- River- A river that is broad and geologically old Jiang-River- A river that is geologically young which cuts through a narrow valley

Huang He (Yellow River n

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Causes erosion as it travels its route though eastern China As it gathers sediment it becomes a “river of mud” containing 40% sediment The river gets it’s name from the sediment it gathers along it’s route

Huang He, Yellow River, or China’s Sorrow n

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The Yellow River gets it’s name from the yellow sediment called loess, which runs into the river from the northern part of China The sediment is so fertile that Northeast China has some of the best farmland in China The Huang He also provides an essential transportation route Levees and embankments have been built to prevent flooding Also known as “China’s Sorrow” -in 1877, over 1 million people died from flooding and the destruction of crops Today, not enough water is the problem. Too many people use the river as a resource. As a result, water has been taken from other areas to help keep the Huang He a vital part of

Huang He Changes Course n

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The lower course of the river has changed 26 times in China’s history 9 times bringing disaster to the villages and towns in the North China Plain More than 100 million people live in the region

Southeast n

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Once a major agricultural area, the Southeast region of China has become the center of China’s booming economy The Southeast Region consists of the North China Plain to the country’s southern most border and from the east coast to the Western highlands. The Southeast is more mountainous, wetter, and hotter than the Northeast – This makes the area excellent for farming

Terracing and Irrigation

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By managing natural resources and expanding opportunities for the production of food, the Chinese have transformed land in many areas of the world have been considered impossible to farm through terracing and irrigation.

Terracing

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Throughout the rugged areas of northern and southern China farmers have sculpted the hilly land into step like landscapes called terraces. n

Occasionally terraces occur naturally and need only little modification for

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The building of terraces on sloped land not only creates level land, but also provides means of managing rain water. n

Irrigation

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When rain falls on hill slopes it tends to cause erosion, but when rainfalls on terraced hillsides the terraces slow down the flow of water and reduce erosion. At the same time, an even distribution of water is passed from one terrace to the next Other systems control water from production from rice paddy to rice

Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) n

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China’s “Main Street” it plays the role of China’s north west highway Courses through 6300km through several of China’s most economically developed regions including Shanghai. More inland you will find the Three Gorges Dam which is under construction. The flow is 20 times larger than the Huang He

Northwest n

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The Northwest can be described as stark, rugged, and barren. It consists mostly of the Gobi Desert – nothing grows there The silk road, one of the great trade routes of ancient times, crossed the bare landscape Rest stops on the route became heavily populated cities in Northwestern China However, the main economic function of the Northwest is nomadic herding

Southwest: Tibet n

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One landform – the cold, dry plateau of Tibet – dominates China’s southwest. The plateau is isolated from the rest of the world with elevations reaching 14,000 feet Since the 14thcentury China has controlled Tibet. However, from 1911-1950 Tibet was independent from China. In 1950, China reasserted control over Tibet China has increased control over China which led to the exile of the Tibet’s theocratic leader – the Dalai Lama in 1959

Tibet Continued n

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In 1965, China instituted a communist government and gave Tibet limited self-government During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Chinese destroyed Tibet’s Buddhist monasteries and forced farmers to live in communes – all of which was a threat to Tibetan culture In recent years, Tibetans have been allowed to practice their religion more openly. However, more and more Chinese are moving to the region and a proposed railroad to connect Tibet with Western China is viewed as an effort to speed this migration.

The Great Wall of China n

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The Great Wall of China is not a continuous wall, but a collection of walls that follow the hillsides of China and extends 1500 miles 1st completed during the Qin Dynasty 221-205 BCE when segments of the existing wall from earlier periods were connected Earlier parts of the wall were constructed of earth. The brick walls that we know today were constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) The Great Wall was constructed to manage the

Grand Canal n

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Since China’s major rivers flow from west to east and there is no natural communication north to south except by way of the coastal routes – The Chinese dug the Grand Canal as a safe inland water route between two major rivers, in the process connecting a number of minor regional rivers Constructed in 605 CE for commercial and military purposes The canal was extended several times and now

The Grand Canal