Editing Sichuan (section)

==Geography and biodiversity==
Sichuan consists of two geographically very distinct parts. The eastern part of the province is mostly within the fertile [[Sichuan basin]] (which is shared by Sichuan with Chongqing Municipality). The western Sichuan consists of numerous mountain ranges forming the easternmost part of the [[Tibetan Plateau]], which are known generically as the [[Hengduan Mountains]]. One of these ranges, the [[Daxue Mountains]], contains the highest point of the province [[Gongga Shan]], at {{cvt|7556|m|ft}} above sea level. The mountains are formed by the collision of the Tibetan Plateau with the [[Yangtze Plate]]. Faults here include the [[Longmenshan Fault]] which ruptured during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Other mountain ranges surround the Sichuan Basin from north, east, and south. Among them are the [[Daba Mountains]], in the province's northeast.

The [[Yangtze River]] and its tributaries flow through the mountains of western Sichuan and the Sichuan Basin; thus, the province is upstream of the great cities that stand along the Yangtze River further to the east, such as [[Chongqing]], [[Wuhan]], [[Nanjing]], and [[Shanghai]]. One of the major tributaries of the Yangtze within the province is the [[Min River (Sichuan)|Min River]] of central Sichuan, which joins the Yangtze at [[Yibin]]. There are also a number of other rivers, such as the [[Jialing River]], [[Tuo River]], [[Yalong River]], [[Wu River (Yangtze tributary)|Wu River]], and [[Jinsha River]], and any four of the various rivers are often grouped as the "four rivers" that the name of Sichuan is commonly and mistakenly believed to mean.<ref name=ruf /><ref name=rowan />

Sichuan borders [[Qinghai]] to the northwest, [[Gansu]] to the north, [[Shaanxi]] to the northeast, [[Chongqing]] to the east, [[Guizhou]] to the southeast, [[Yunnan]] to the south, and the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] to the west.

<gallery heights="150px" perrow="4" mode="packed">
File:Larix potaninii trees Huluhai.jpg|''[[Larix potaninii]]'' in fall.
File:1 Seda facing south.jpg|[[Garzê Prefecture]]
File:Zitong-sichuan-china.jpg|[[Zitong County]]
File:A Typical Linpan unit in Pi County.jpg|[[Linpan in Chengdu Plain]] is a well-known landmark in [[Chengdu Plain]], Sichuan.
</gallery>

===Giant panda===
[[File:Chengdu-pandas-d10.jpg|thumb|[[Giant panda]]s eating bamboo in [[Chengdu]], Sichuan]]

[[Giant panda]]s live in [[Bamboo|bamboo forests]] and low mountainous areas such as the [[Min Mountains|Minshan Mountains]] in Sichuan.<ref>[https://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/where_panda_lives_habitat/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501161518/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/where_panda_lives_habitat/|date=1 May 2018}}, Survey in Minshang Mountains by Michel</ref> The majority of the panda population lives in Sichuan, with their range spreading into [[Shaanxi]] and [[Gansu]]. As it is abundant where they live, pandas' diet consists of 99% bamboo, with small other plants, or small animals consisting of the other 1%. As the panda is native to China, they have become a national symbol of China.<ref>[http://www.spiritanimal.info/panda-spirit-animal/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424202525/http://www.spiritanimal.info/panda-spirit-animal/|date=24 April 2018}}, Panda Symbolism by Elena Harris.</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Sichuan 1991–2020.svg|alt=Köppen–Geiger climate classification map at 1-km resolution for Sichuan (China) for 1991–2020|thumb|380x380px]]
Due to great differences in terrain, the climate of the province is highly variable. In general, it has strong [[monsoon]]al influences, with rainfall heavily concentrated in the summer. Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], the [[Sichuan Basin]] (including [[Chengdu]]) in the eastern half of the province experiences a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cwa'' or ''Cfa''), with long, hot, wet summers and short, mild to cool, dry, and cloudy winters. Consequently, it has China's lowest sunshine totals.

The western region has mountainous areas producing a cooler but sunnier climate. Having cool to very cold winters and mild summers, temperatures generally decrease with greater elevation. Due to high altitude and inland location, the far northwestern areas like [[Garzê County]] and [[Zoigê County]] exhibit a [[subalpine climate]] (Köppen ''Dwc'') or even an [[alpine climate]] (''ETH''), featuring frigid winters down to {{convert|&minus;30|°C|disp=or}} and even cold summer nights. The region is geologically active with landslides and earthquakes. Average elevation ranges from {{convert|2,000|to|3,500|m|ft|-2|disp=or}}; average temperatures range from {{convert|0|to|15|°C|°F|disp=or}}.<ref name=TibetansSichuan>{{cite journal |title=Study on Rural Poverty in Ecologically Fragile Areas-A Case Study of the Tibetan Areas in Sichuan Province |journal=Asian Agricultural Research |year=2012 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=27–31, 61 |url=http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/133098/2/06.PDF |access-date=26 March 2013 |author=Lan Hong-xing |publisher=USA-China Science and Culture Media Corporation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513063229/http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/133098/2/06.PDF |archive-date=13 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The southern part of the province, including Panzhihua and Xichang, has a sunny climate with short, very mild winters and very warm to hot summers.