Editing Geography of China (section)

==Physical geography==

=== Generalities ===
[[File:China topography full res.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Topographic map of China]]
The [[topography]] of China has been divided by the Chinese government into five homogeneous physical macro-regions, namely Eastern China (subdivided into the northeast plain, north plain, and southern hills), Xinjiang-Mongolia, and the Tibetan highlands.<ref>{{citation|title=Communist China Map Folio|author=CIA|publisher=U.S. Central Intelligence Agency |date=October 1967 |url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/china_map_folio/txu-oclc-588534-54922-10-67-text.jpg}}</ref> It is diverse with snow-capped mountains, deep river valleys, broad basins, high plateaus, rolling plains, terraced hills, sandy dunes with many other geographic features and other landforms present in myriad variations. In general, the land is high in the west and descends to the east coast. Mountains (33 percent), plateaus (26 percent), and hills (10 percent) account for nearly 70 percent of the country's land surface.  Most of the country's arable land and population are based in lowland plains (12 percent) and [[structural basin|basins]] (19 percent), though some of the greatest basins are filled with deserts. The country's rugged terrain presents problems for the construction of [[Transportation in the People's Republic of China|overland transportation infrastructure]] and requires extensive terracing to sustain [[agriculture in China|agriculture]], but is conducive to the development of [[forestry]], [[mineral]] and [[hydropower]] resources, as well as [[tourism in China|tourism]] in the country.

=== Eastern China ===
{{Main article|East China}}
;Northeast Plain
Northeast of Shanhaiguan a narrow sliver of flat coastal land opens up into the vast [[Northeast China Plain]]. The plains extend north to the crown of the "Chinese rooster", near where the [[Greater Khingan|Greater]] and [[Lesser Khingan|Lesser Hinggan]] ranges converge.  The [[Changbai Mountains]] to the east divide China from the Korean peninsula.

; North plain
The [[Taihang Mountains]] form the western side of the triangular [[North China Plain]]. The other two sides are the Pacific coast to the east and the Yangtze River to the southwest. The vertices of this triangle are Beijing to the north, Shanghai to the southeast, and Yichang to the southwest.  This alluvial plain, fed by the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, is one of the most heavily populated regions of China.  The only mountains in the plain are the [[Mount Tai|Taishan]] in Shandong and [[Dabie Mountains]] of Anhui.

Beijing, at the north tip of the North China Plain, is shielded by the intersection of the Taihang and [[Yan Mountains]]. Further north are the drier grasslands of the Inner Mongolian Plateau, traditionally home to pastoralists. To the south are agricultural regions, traditionally home to sedentary populations.  The [[Great Wall of China]] was built across the mountains that mark the southern edge of the Inner Mongolian Plateau. The Ming-era walls run over {{convert|2000|km|mi|abbr=on}} east to west from Shanhaiguan on the [[Bohai Sea|Bohai]] coast to the [[Hexi Corridor]] in Gansu.

; South (hills)
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| caption1  = [[Karst]] landscape around [[Yangshuo]] in [[Guangxi]]
 | image2   =Changbai Shan 2008-06-14 IMG 1469 cropped.jpg
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| caption2  = North slope of [[Changbaishan]] in [[Jilin Province]], near the border with [[North Korea]].
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| caption3  = Sand dunes of the [[Gobi Desert]] near [[Dunhuang]], in [[Gansu Province]].
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| caption4 = The Loess Plateau near [[Hunyuan]] in [[Shanxi Province]].}}
East of the [[Tibetan Plateau]], deeply folded mountains fan out toward the [[Sichuan Basin]], which is ringed by mountains with 1,000–3,000 m elevation.  The floor of the basin has an average elevation of 500 m and is home to one of the most densely farmed and populated regions of China.  The Sichuan Basin is capped in the north by the eastward continuation of the [[Kunlun Mountains|Kunlun range]], the [[Qinling]], and the [[Daba Mountains|Dabashan]].  The Qinling and Dabashan ranges form a major north-south divide across [[China Proper]], the traditional core area of China.  Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau and south of the Sichuan Basin is the [[Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau]], which occupies much of southwest China.  This plateau, with an average elevation of 2,000 m, is known for its limestone [[karst]] landscape.

South of the Yangtze, the landscape is more rugged.  Like Shanxi Province to the north, [[Hunan]] and [[Jiangxi]] each have a provincial core in a river basin that is surrounded by mountains.  The [[Wuling Mountains|Wuling]] range separates Guizhou from Hunan.  The Luoxiao and [[Jinggang Mountains|Jinggang]] divide Hunan from Jiangxi, which is separated from Fujian by the [[Wuyi Mountains]].  The southeast coastal provinces, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, have rugged coasts, with pockets of lowland and mountainous interior.  The [[Nanling Mountains|Nanling]], an east–west mountain range across northern Guangdong, seals off Hunan and Jiangxi from Guangdong.

===Xinjiang-Mongolia===
{{Main article|Northwestern China|Inner Mongolia}}
Northwest of the Tibetan Plateau, between the northern slope of Kunlun and southern slope of Tian Shan, is the vast [[Tarim Basin]] of [[Xinjiang]], which contains the [[Taklamakan Desert]]. The Tarim Basin, the largest in China, measures {{convert|1500|km|mi|abbr=on}} from east to west and {{convert|600|km|mi|abbr=on}} from north to south at its widest parts. Average elevation in the basin is 1,000 m. To the east, the basin descends into the [[Turpan Depression|Hami-Turpan Depression]] of eastern Xinjiang, where the dried lake bed of [[Lake Ayding]], at −154m below sea level, is the lowest surface point in China and [[List of countries by lowest point|the third-lowest in the world]]. With temperatures that have reached 49.6 C., the lake bed ranks as one of the hottest places in China. North of Tian Shan is Xinjiang's second great basin, the [[Dzungaria|Junggar]], which contains the [[Gurbantünggüt Desert]]. The Junggar Basin is enclosed to the north by the [[Altay Mountains]], which separate Xinjiang from Russia and Mongolia.

Northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, the [[Altun Shan]]-[[Qilian Mountains]] range branches off the Kunlun and creates a parallel mountain range running east–west. In between in northern Qinghai is the [[Qaidam Basin]], with elevations of 2,600–3,000 m and numerous brackish and salt lakes. North of the Qilian is [[Hexi Corridor]] of Gansu, a natural passage between Xinjiang and [[China Proper]] that was part of the ancient [[Silk Road]] and traversed by modern highway and rail lines to Xinjiang. Further north, the [[Mongolian Plateau|Inner Mongolian Plateau]], between 900 and 1,500 m in elevation, arcs north up the spine of China and becomes the [[Greater Hinggan]] Range of [[Northeast China]].

Between the Qinling and the Inner Mongolian Plateau is [[Loess Plateau]], the largest of its kind in the world, covering {{convert|650000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} in [[Shaanxi]], parts of [[Gansu]] and [[Shanxi]] provinces, and some of [[Ningxia]]-Hui Autonomous Region. The plateau is 1,000–1,500m in elevation and is filled with loess, a yellowish, loose soil that travels easily in the wind. Eroded loess silt gives the [[Yellow River]] its color and name. The Loess Plateau is bound to the east by the Luliang Mountain of Shanxi, which has a narrow basin running north to south along the Fen River. Further east are the [[Taihang Mountains]] of Hebei, the dominant topographical feature of [[North China]].
[[File:Bayanbulak grassland.jpg|thumb|600px|center|The Bayan Bulak Grasslands in [[Hejing County]] of the [[Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture]] in [[Xinjiang]]]]

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| caption4 = The tallest peak entirely within China is [[Shishapangma]] (8013m, 14th) of the Tibetan Himalayas in [[Nyalam County]] of [[Tibet Autonomous Region]]
 | image5    = Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006.jpg
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 | caption5  = The north face of [[Mount Everest]] in the [[Himalayas]] from the Tibetan side of the China-Nepal border
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 | caption6  = The [[Karakorum Range]] in [[Xinjiang]]}}

;Highlands
The [[List of highest mountains|world's tallest mountains]], the [[Karakorum]], [[Pamirs]] and [[Tian Shan]] divide China from [[South Asia|South]] and [[Central Asia]]. Eleven of the seventeen tallest mountain peaks on Earth are located on China's western borders. They include the world's tallest peak [[Mount Everest]] (8848 m) in the [[Himalayas]] on the border with Nepal and the world's second tallest peak, [[K2]] (8611 m) on the border with [[Pakistan]].  From these towering heights in the west, the land descends in steps like a terrace.

North of the Himalayas and east of the Karakorum/Pamirs is the vast [[Tibetan Plateau]]. It is the largest and highest plateau in the world, and for this reason is also informally known as the "Roof of the World". Its average elevation is 4000 meters above sea level. Its area is 2.5 million square kilometers which is just over a quarter of China's total area. In the north, the plateau is hemmed in by the [[Kunlun Mountains]], which extends eastward from the intersection of the Pamirs, Karakorum and Tian Shan.

;Tallest mountain peaks
Besides Mt. Everest and K2, the other 9 of the world's 17 tallest peaks on China's western borders are: [[Lhotse]] (8516 m, 4th highest), [[Makalu]] (8485 m, 5th), [[Cho Oyu]] (8188 m, 6th), [[Gyachung Kang]] (7952 m, 15th) of the Himalayas on the border with [[Nepal]] and [[Gasherbrum I]] (8080 m, 11th), [[Broad Peak]] (8051 m, 12th), [[Gasherbrum II]] (8035 m, 13th), [[Gasherbrum III]] (7946 m, 16th) and [[Gasherbrum IV]] (7932 m, 17th) of the Karakorum on the border with [[Pakistan]]. The tallest peak entirely within China is [[Shishapangma]] (8013 m, 14th) of the Tibetan Himalayas in [[Nyalam County]] of [[Tibet Autonomous Region]].  In all, 9 of the 14 mountain peaks in the world over 8,000 m are in or on the border of China.  Another notable Himalayan peak in China is [[Namchabarwa]] (7782 m, 28th), near the great bend of the Yarlungtsanpo (upper [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]]) River in eastern Tibet, and considered to be the eastern anchor of the Himalayas.

Outside the Himalayas and Karakorum, China's tallest peaks are [[Kongur Tagh]] (7649 m, 37th) and [[Muztagh Ata]] (7546 m, 43rd) in the Pamirs of western [[Xinjiang]], [[Gongga Shan]] (7556 m, 41st) in the [[Daxue Mountain|Great Snowy Mountains]] of western [[Sichuan]]; and [[Jengish Chokusu|Tömür Shan]] (7439 m, 60th), the highest peak of Tian Shan, on the border with [[Kyrgyzstan]].

=== Southwestern regions ===
{{Main|Southwestern China}}
{{Expand section|date=September 2023}}
Southwestern China is a transition between eastern plains and the high Tibetan plateau; the region is largely mountainous.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url= |title=Atlas of China |date=2006 |publisher=SinoMaps Press |isbn=9787503141782 |location=Beijing, China |page=}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=September 2023}}

=== Rivers  ===
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{{See also|List of rivers of China}}
[[File:China rivers.svg|thumb|left|Main rivers of China]]
China originally had an estimated number of 50,000 rivers. However, due to statistical discrepancies, water and soil loss, and climate change, there are currently only an estimated 22,000 rivers remaining.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/28-000-rivers-disappeared-in-china-what-happened/275365/|title=28,000 Rivers Disappeared in China: What Happened? |first1=Angel |last1=Hsu |author-link1=Angel Hsu |first2=William  |last2=Miao |date=2013-04-29|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref> The rivers in China have a total length of 420,000 kilometers. 1,500 have a catchment area exceeding 1,000 square kilometers. The majority of rivers flow west to east into the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The [[Yangtze]] (Chang Jiang) rises in [[Tibet]], flows through [[Central China]] and enters the [[East China Sea]] near [[Shanghai]]. The Yangtze is 6,300 kilometers long and has a catchment area of 1.8 million square kilometers. It is the third longest river in the world, after the [[Amazon River|Amazon]] and the [[Nile]]. The second longest river in China is the Huang He ([[Yellow River]]). It rises in Tibet and travels circuitously for 5,464 kilometers through [[North China]], it empties into the [[Bo Hai Gulf]] on the north coast of the [[Shandong]] Province. It has a catchment area of 752,000 square kilometers. The [[Heilongjiang]] (Heilong or [[Black Dragon River]]) flows for 3,101 kilometers in [[Northeast China]] and an additional 1,249 kilometers in [[Russia]], where it is known as the [[Amur River|Amur]]. The longest river in [[Northern and southern China|South China]] is the Zhujiang ([[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]]), which is 2,214 kilometers long. Along with its three [[tributaries]], the Xi (West), Dong (East), and Bei (North) rivers, it forms the [[Pearl River Delta]] near [[Guangzhou]], [[Zhuhai]], [[Macau]], and [[Hong Kong]]. Other major rivers are the [[Liaohe]] in the northeast, [[Haihe]] in the north, [[Qiantang River|Qiantang]] in the east, and [[Lancang River|Lancang]] in the southwest.

[[File:West Lake at night in Hangzhou.jpg|thumb|250px|[[West Lake]] in [[Hangzhou]], at night]]
Inland drainage involving upland basins in the north and northeast accounts for 40 percent of the country's total drainage area. Many rivers and streams flow into lakes or diminish in the [[desert]]. Some are used for [[irrigation]].

China's territorial waters are principally marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean. These waters lie on the indented [[coastline]] of the mainland and approximately 5,000 [[island]]s. The [[Yellow Sea]], [[East China Sea]], and [[South China Sea]] are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean. More than half the coastline, predominantly in the south, is rocky; most of the remainder is sandy. The [[Bay of Hangzhou]] roughly divides the two kinds of [[shoreline]].

; Northern plain
There is a steep drop in the river level in the [[North China Plain]], where the river continues across the delta, it transports a heavy load of sand and mud which is deposited on the flat plain. The flow is aided by manmade [[Levee|embankments]]. As a result, the river flows on a raised ridge fifty meters above the plain. Waterlogging, floods, and course changes have recurred over the centuries. Traditionally, rulers were judged by their concern for or indifference to preservation of the embankments.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} In the modern era, China has undertaken extensive flood control and conservation measures.

Flowing from its source in the Qingzang highlands, the Yellow River courses toward the sea through the North China Plain, the historic center of Chinese expansion and influence. [[Han Chinese]] people have farmed the rich alluvial soils since ancient times, constructing the [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]] for north–south transport during the [[History of China|Imperial Era]]. The plain is a continuation of the [[Dongbei]] (Manchurian) Plain to the northeast but is separated from it by the [[Bohai Gulf]], an extension of the Yellow Sea.

Like other densely populated areas of China, the plain is subject to floods and earthquakes. The mining and industrial center of [[Tangshan]], {{convert|165|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Beijing, was leveled by an earthquake in July 1976, it was believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll.

The [[Hai River]], like the [[Yangtze River (China)|Yangtze River]], flows from west to east. Its upper course consists of five rivers that converge near [[Tianjin]], then flow seventy kilometers before emptying into the [[Bohai Gulf]]. The [[Huai River]], rises in [[Henan]] Province and flows through several lakes before joining the Yangtze River near [[Yangzhou]].

; East and Yangtze
The [[Qin Mountains]], a continuation of the [[Kunlun Mountains]], divides the North China Plain from the [[Yangtze River Delta]] and is the major physiographic boundary between the two great parts of [[China Proper]]. It is a cultural boundary as it influences the distribution of customs and language. South of the Qinling mountain range divide are the densely populated and highly developed areas of the lower and middle plains of the [[Yangtze River]] and, on its upper reaches, the [[Sichuan Basin]], an area encircled by a high barrier of mountain ranges.

The country's longest and most important waterway, the Yangtze River, is navigable for the majority of its length and has a vast [[hydroelectric]] potential. Rising on the Qingzang Plateau, the Yangtze River traverses {{convert|6300|km|mi|abbr=on}} through the heart of the country, draining an area of {{convert|1800000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} before emptying into the East China Sea. Roughly 300 million people live along its middle and lower reaches. The area is a large producer of rice and wheat. The Sichuan Basin, due to its mild, humid climate and long growing season, produces a variety of crops. It is a leading [[silk]]-producing area and an important industrial region with substantial [[mineral resources]].

The [[Nanling Mountains]], the southernmost of the east–west mountain ranges, overlook areas in China with a [[tropical climate]]. The climate allows two crops of rice to be grown per year. Southeast of the mountains lies a coastal, hilly region of small deltas and narrow valley plains. The drainage area of the Pearl River and its associated network of rivers occupies much of the region to the south. West of the Nanling, the [[Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau]] rises in two steps, averaging 1,200 and 1,800 m in elevation, respectively, toward the precipitous mountain regions of the eastern Qingzang Plateau.

=== Geology and natural resources ===

China has substantial [[mineral reserve]]s and is the world's largest producer of [[antimony]], [[natural graphite]], [[tungsten]], and [[zinc]]. Other major minerals are [[aluminum]], [[bauxite]], [[coal]], [[crude petroleum]], [[diamonds]], [[gold]], [[iron ore]], [[lead]], [[magnetite]], [[manganese]], [[mercury (element)|mercury]], [[molybdenum]], [[natural gas]], [[phosphate rock]], [[tin]], [[uranium]], and [[vanadium]]. China's [[hydropower]] potential is the largest in the world.

===Land use===
{{main|Land use in China}}
Based on 2005 estimates, 14.86% (about {{convert|1400000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}) of China's total land area is [[arable land|arable]]. About 1.3% (some 116,580&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is planted to permanent [[crops]] and the rest planted to temporary crops. With comparatively little land planted to permanent crops, intensive agricultural techniques are used to reap [[harvest]]s that are sufficient to feed the world's largest population and still have surplus for [[export]]. An estimated 544,784&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of land were [[irrigated]] in 2004. 42.9% of total land area was used as [[pasture]], and 17.5% was [[forest]].
===Deserts===
Nearly 20 percent of China (about 1,900,000 km2) is [[desert]]:

# [[Gobi Desert]] and [[Hami Desert]] - 1,295,000 km2 (with [[Mongolia]])
# [[Dzungaria]] - 777,000 km2 
# [[Taklamakan Desert]] - 337,000 km2
# [[Ordos Desert]] - 215,952 km2
# [[Lop Desert]] - 50,000 km2
# [[Gurbantünggüt Desert]] - 50,000 km2
# [[Mu Us Desert]] - 48,288 km2
# [[Badain Jaran Desert]] - 49,000 km2
# [[Tengger Desert]] - 36,700 km2
# [[Kubuqi Desert]] - 18,600 km2
# [[Shapotou, Zhongwei]] - 5,380 km2
# [[Kumtag Desert]] - 2,600 km2

===Wildlife===
{{main|Wildlife of China}}
China lies in two of the world's major [[Biogeographic realm|ecozone]]s, the [[Palearctic]] and the [[Indomalaya]]. In the Palearctic zone mammals such as the [[horse]], [[camel]], and [[jerboa]] are found. Among the species found in the Indomalaya region are the [[leopard cat]], [[bamboo rat]], [[treeshrew]], and various other species of monkeys and apes. Some overlap exists between the two regions because of natural dispersal and migration, and deer or antelope, bears, wolves, pigs, and rodents are found in all of the diverse climatic and geological environments. The famous [[giant panda]] is found only in a limited area along the [[Yangtze]].  There is a continuing problem with trade in [[endangered species]], although there are now laws to prohibit such activities.