Geography of The People’s Republic of China

1. Geography of The People’s Republic of China By: Aidan and Theo

2. General Facts • The People’s Republic of China (PRC/China for short) stretches approximately 5,026 km (3123 miles) across the East Asian landmass. • China’s latitude lies between 18° and 54° and longitude 73° and 135°. • China has an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometers and has a coastline that stretches for 18,000 km. • Mountains (33%), plateaus (26%), and hills (10%) compose nearly 70% of the country’s land surface. • There are fourteen other countries that share a border with China. • Some Major Cities are Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, and Chengdu.

3. MORE General FACTS! • China’s population is around 1.34 billion making it the country with the largest population in the world! • China’s geography comes with many diverse features such as snow-capped mountains, deep river valleys, high plateaus, endless plains, to sandy dunes, volcanic calderas, glaciers, and basins with deserts.

4. The Yangtze River: Longest river in China, third longest river in the world

5. Bodies of Water • China is bordered by the sea and bodies of water which are East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea. • The Yangtze River is the longest river in China followed by the Yellow River, “the Mother River of the Chinese People”, both flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. • Most of the lakes in Northwest China are salty or brackish whereas many of the lakes in Southeast China are usually freshwater lakes. This is Erhai Lake, one of the seven largest freshwater lakes in China.

6. Climate • The climate in China is very diverse ranging from tropic in the south to sub arctic in the north. • China’s south and eastern coasts are often stricken with typhoons. (around 5 per year) From Tropical Hainan to icy cold Harbin where the annual snow festival.

7. Vegetation • Because the regions in China can vary from sub-arctic to tropical, the plant life that can grow in China is very diverse. China ranks third in the world in species of plants. This is a Metasequoia. They were once thought to be extinct but a grove was found in a secluded region of China. Only around 5,000 trees are left in the wild. This is a dove tree. It is named after its unique flowers that blossom in the spring.

8. Animals • The Giant Panda, the Golden Monkey, the Chinese Alligator, and the White-Flag Dolphin are all native species of animals from China. Unfortunately, many of these animals are critically endangered due to loss of habitat, pollution, or even over hunting the animals.

9. Environment • China is divided into 5 different regions. (Eastern China [subdivided into the northeast plain, north plain, and southern hills], Xinqiang-Mongolia, and the Tibetan-highlands.) • Because of over population and mass production in factories going on, there has been a lot of environmental damage due to fossil fuels and pollution and habitat loss to native species of animals and plants.

10. Conclusion • China has a very diverse regions therefore is able to sustain many different life forms and have a wide range of climates. • There are a LOT of people living in China and because of that, the country has used many harmful ways to sustain the population causing harm to the environment. • Even so, it is a country full of history and is one of the world’s major super powers in present day.

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12. Bibliography Contd. • Hubbuch, Chuck. "Metasequoia - Gardening in the Coastal Southeast." Gardening in the Coastal Southeast. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • LaVergne, Lisa. "Native Plants & Animals of China." EHow. Demand Media, 11 June 2010. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • One World Nations Online. “Map of China Showing Self-governed Municipalities, Autonomous Regions, Provinces and Special Administrative Regions (S.A.R)."Political Map of China, China's Administrative Divisions. One World Nations Online, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • Peplow, Mark. "Nature.com." Nature News Blog. Nature.com, 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • Picstopin. "Wallpaper China Flag Red Stars Dirt Wallpapers Textures Picture." Pin Wallpaper China Flag Red Stars Dirt Wallpapers Textures on Pinterest. Picstopin, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • Sina.com. "Ex Water Chief: China Won't Divert World's Highest River to Thirsty North."China News. Sina.com, 25 May 2009. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • TravelChinaGuide. "China Geography: Location, Regional Divisions, Mountains, Rivers."China Geography. TravelChinaGuide, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • Visit Hainan. "Visit Hainan - Australia's Leading Hainan Holiday and Tour Website." Hainan -€“ China's Tropical State Secret. Visit Hainan, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • Webster, Donovan. "Alashan Plateau-China's Unknown Gobi." Alashan Plateau—China's Unknown Gobi. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. • Wikimedia Foundation. "Environment in the People's Republic of China." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012.