Editing Geography of China (section)

==Human geography==

=== History ===
[[File:China-Historic macro areas.svg|left|thumb|300px|The Central plain, visible in dark orange]]
Chinese history is often explained in terms of several strategic areas, defined by particular topographic limits. Starting from the [[Central Plain (China)|Chinese central plain]], the former heart of the Han populations, the Han people expanded militarily and then demographically toward the [[Loess Plateau]], the [[Sichuan Basin]], and the Southern Hills (as defined by the map on the left), not without resistance from local populations. Pushed by its comparatively higher demographic growth, the Han continued their expansion by military and demographic waves. The [[Lingnan|far-south]] of present-day China, the northern parts of today's Vietnam, and the [[Tarim Basin]] were first reached and durably subdued by the [[Han dynasty]]'s armies. The Northern steppes were always the source of invasions into China, which culminated in the 13th century by Mongolian conquest of the whole China and creation of Mongolian Yuan dynasty. [[Manchuria]], much of today's [[Northeast China]], and [[Korean Peninsula]] were usually not under Chinese control, with the exception of some limited periods of occupation. Manchuria became strongly integrated into the Chinese empire during the late [[Qing dynasty]], while the west side of the [[Changbai Mountains]], formerly the home of Korean tribes, thus also entered China.

=== Demographic geography ===
<!-- Demography: 10-15 sourced lines-->
[[File:China Pop Density.svg|thumb|right|300px|A population density map of the territories governed by the PRC and the ROC. The eastern, coastal provinces are much more densely populated than the western interior because of the historical access to water.]]
{{see also|Demographics of China#Population density and distribution}}
The demographic occupation follows the topography and availability of former arable lands. The [[Heihe–Tengchong Line]], running from [[Heihe]], [[Heilongjiang]] to [[Tengchong County]], [[Yunnan]] divides China into two roughly equal sections–in terms of geographic area, with areas west of the line being sparsely settled and areas east densely populated, in general. Today there are 5 major religions that have been recognized by the state; Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam. Buddhism and folk religions account for roughly 21% of the population while Protestants make up 5% and Islam 1.6% of the population.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/religion-china|title=The State of Religion in China|work=Council on Foreign Relations|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref> A substantial number of Buddhists live in the southwestern Tibetan region of the country which borders Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan and most notably India, the birthplace of Buddhism. The Islamic population, consisting mostly of Hui and Uighur Muslims, is concentrated in the northwestern Xinjiang region of the country which shares borders with Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Russia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/new-religious-breakdown-in-china-14|title=This fascinating map shows the new religious breakdown in China|work=Business Insider|access-date=2018-10-13}}</ref>

=== Administrative geography ===
[[Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China|Chinese administrative geography]] was drawn mainly during the 1949 and 1954 administrative reorganizations. These reorganizations have been the source of much debate within China. In addition, a parcel of land was ceded from Guangdong to Guangxi to grant the latter immediate access to the Gulf of Tonkin, while Hainan was split from Guangdong in 1988 and Chongqing from Sichuan in 1997.
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=== Agriculture ===
As the country continues to industrialize, the share of agriculture as a part of China's GDP has lowered to 11% in recent years. Of the enormous labor force in China, 27.7% work in agriculture.<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html|title=East Asia/Southeast Asia :: China — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=2018-11-21|archive-date=12 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612213511/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> China's primary agricultural import is wheat from Argentina, Australia, Canada, and France. They import about four to five million metric tons of wheat per year and they are able to buy the wheat for about $700 per ton, making wheat China's most important agricultural import. On the other hand, China's most important agricultural export is rice. China exports about 750,000 metric tons of rice per year for about $1200 per ton.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Why China Imports Wheat|journal=The China Quarterly|issue=45|pages=116–128|jstor = 651886|last1 = Mah|first1 = Feng-Hwa|year=1971|volume=45 |doi=10.1017/S0305741000010456 |s2cid=153871544 }}</ref> Other significant agricultural exports from China are potatoes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, apples, cotton, pork, mutton, eggs, fish, and shrimp.<ref name="cia.gov"/>

According to the World Bank, as of 2015, China's total arable land was estimated at 119,000,000 hectares.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.HA?end=2015&locations=CN&start=1961&view=chart|title=Arable land (hectares) {{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|access-date=2018-11-02}}</ref>  Since 2005, arable land in China has been on the decline and the total arable land per citizen has reached .2 acres.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-feeding-china/|title=Farming the World: China's Epic Race to Avoid a Food Crisis|publisher=Bloomberg|date=22 May 2017|access-date=2022-09-29}}</ref> As a percentage, agricultural land makes up about 54.7% of land. The climate of the country is difficult to describe because it varies so much depending on the region of China. The southernmost parts of the country are almost tropical, while the northernmost part is subarctic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html|title=East Asia/Southeast Asia :: China — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=2018-11-17|archive-date=12 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612213511/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{PRC provinces imagemap}}

[[File:China pol01.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Map of the People's Republic of China (click to enlarge), source: CIA]]

=== Territory and boundary disputes ===
The territory of China has been defined as a homeland for many different ethnic and racial groups in the country. However, the way that the territory has been defined varies between ethnic groups. In relation to the Han Chinese, the homeland has been defined by national borders which are more or less accepted internationally. This is because the Han Chinese are the largest population and have most influence politically than any other ethnic population in China. To the Han Chinese population, the territory of the country is defined by the regions of Tibet, inner Mongolia, Manchuria, and the Xinjiang Province which is the most western land of China. The Chinese territory is the second largest in land area and also has the longest combined land border in the world. However, there are many other ethnic groups in China that have their own definitions of what concerns the territory of China.

One group of people in China are the Tibetans. Tibetans and the land of Tibet are considered by the Han Chinese government to be part of China and that the territory of Tibet is also part of the country. However, many Tibetans disagree and are protesting as well as rallying for freedom in present day. To this ethnic population, the territory of Tibet is not considered part of China and so is not defined as a Chinese territory. However, the Chinese government still consider Tibet as a territory of China which reflects the dispute in definition of Chinese territory between two ethnic groups.

Another group of people which have a dispute in definition of territory are the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese people inhabit the island of Taiwan and are markedly politically different as the people of Taiwan have a free market capitalist based economy while the mainland Chinese government employ a communistic state run economy. There are disputes in the definition of territory between Taiwan and China as the Chinese government claims ownership over Taiwan while some Taiwanese people maintain that they are a sovereign state completely independent from the mainland Chinese government. These disputes have led to international controversy as many countries such as the United States of America have not officially recognized the sovereignty of Taiwan.<ref name="Chung">{{Cite book|last=Chung|first=Jae Ho|title=Centrifugal Empire |date=2017-09-21|chapter=China Goes Local (Again)|publisher=Columbia University Press|volume=1|doi=10.7312/columbia/9780231176200.003.0002|isbn=9780231176200 }}</ref>

====Central Asia====
China's borders have more than {{convert|20000|km|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} of land frontier shared with nearly all the nations of mainland [[East Asia]], and have been disputed at a number of points. In the western sector, China claimed portions of the {{convert|41000|km²|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} [[Pamir Mountains]] area, a region of soaring mountain peaks and glacier-filled valleys where the borders of [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], the former [[Soviet Union]], and China meet in [[Central Asia]]. North and east of this region, some sections of the border remained undemarcated in 1987. The {{convert|6542|km|0}} frontier with the Soviet Union has been a source of continual friction. In 1954 China published maps showing substantial portions of Soviet Siberian territory as its own. In the northeast, border friction with the Soviet Union produced a tense situation in remote regions of [[Inner Mongolia]] and [[Heilongjiang]] along segments of the [[Argun River (Asia)|Argun River]], [[Amur River]], and [[Ussuri River]]. Each side had massed troops and had exchanged charges of border provocation in this area. In a September 1986 speech in [[Vladivostok]], the Soviet leader [[Mikhail S. Gorbachev]] offered the Chinese a more conciliatory position on Sino-Soviet border issues. In 1987 the two sides resumed border talks that had been broken off after the [[1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]] (see [[Sino-Soviet relations]]). Although the border issue remained unresolved as of late 1987, China and the Soviet Union agreed to consider the northeastern sector first. In October 2004, China signed an agreement with [[Russia]] on the [[delimitation]] of their entire {{convert|4300|km|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}-long border, which had long been in dispute.

====Southern border====
Eastward from [[Bhutan]] and north of the [[Brahmaputra River]] (Yarlung Zangbo Jiang) lies a large area controlled and administered by India but claimed by the Chinese. The area was demarcated by the British [[McMahon Line]], drawn along the Himalayas in 1914 as the Sino-Indian border; India accepts and China rejects this boundary. In June 1980 China made its first move in twenty years to settle the border disputes with India, proposing that India cede the Aksai Chin area in Jammu and Kashmir to China in return for China's recognition of the McMahon Line; India did not accept the offer, however, preferring a sector-by-sector approach to the problem. In July 1986 China and India held their seventh round of border talks, but they made little headway toward resolving the dispute. Each side, but primarily India, continued to make allegations of incursions into its territory by the other. Most of the mountainous and militarized boundary with India is still in dispute, but Beijing and [[New Delhi]] have committed to begin resolution with discussions on the least disputed middle sector. India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding lands to China in a 1964 boundary agreement.

The China-Burma border issue was settled 1 October 1960, by the signing of the Sino-Burmese Boundary Treaty. The first joint inspection of the border was completed successfully in June 1986.

India: On 15 May 2015, Mr. Li from China and Mr. Modi from India held talks at the Great Hall of the people during Modi's China tour. The two leaders held talks on border disputes that began in 1914 when the British still controlled India and signed an agreement with Tibet to make the McMahon line the de facto boundary between India and China, even though China had rejected this agreement. Both countries had various claims to disputed territories such as the South Tibetan region of Zangnan which is considered to be part of the Arunachal Pradesh state in India. So far there have been only talks and no solutions and tensions continue to rise as each country continues to increase regional influences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-32747667|title=India and China 'to resolve dispute'|date=2015-05-15|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-26}}</ref>

====Seas====
China is involved in a complex dispute with [[Malaysia]], [[Philippines]], [[Vietnam]], and possibly [[Brunei]] over the [[Spratly (Nansha) Islands]] in the South China Sea. The 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" eased tensions but fell short of a [[legally binding]] [[code of conduct]] desired by several of the disputants. China also controls the [[Paracel (Xisha) Islands]], which are also claimed by Vietnam, and asserts a claim to the [[Japan]]ese-administered [[Senkaku Islands|Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands]] in the East China Sea.

South China Sea: On 16 June 2011, the Chinese government sent out one of its largest patrol ships known as the Haixun-31 which the Chinese government describe as routine. The ship will pass the Paracel and Spratly Islands and make its way up from the Malaysian to Filipino coast. Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia all have competing claims to the Spratlys Islands while Beijing and Hanoi are in dispute over the Paracel islands. Hanoi has proposed a multilateral solution between the Asian countries but China says that it prefers to negotiate with individual states separately.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13796958|title=China sends ship to disputed sea|date=2011-06-16|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-26}}</ref>

==== Border security ====
The security and strength of the Chinese borders vary depending on the location of the section of the border in question. This is due to the nature of the borders as well as the physical geography of the country. China has a large territory, about the same size as the United States, but the actual distribution of population is highly disproportionate. Sixty percent of the population live on the east coast of China which is only 22 percent of its territory while the other 78 percent lying inland is sparsely populated with ethnic minorities such as Tibetans, Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Chinese Muslim groups. Many of these groups have little to no loyalty to the central government of China further adding to the strained security of China's borders. The regions of Xinjiang and Tibet in particular harbor strong separatist movements.<ref name="Chung"/>

China signed the [[Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance]] with the Soviet Union in 1950. In the wake of the [[Sino-Soviet split]] during the 1960s, the Sino-Soviet border became highly militarized: at one point over 1.5 million nuclear-armed troops were installed along both sides of the border. Relations improved in the mid-1980s due to the decrease in threat to the Chinese government from the USSR.<ref name="Chung"/> On 13 January 2011, the parliament of Tajikistan voted to ratify a 1999 deal to cede {{cvt|1000|km2}} of land in the remote Pamir Mountain range, which thoroughly resolved a century-long border dispute with China. China is the largest investor in the Tajik economy especially in the energy and infrastructure sectors.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12180567|title=Tajikistan cedes land to China|date=2011|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-11-26}}</ref>