Editing Geography of China (section)

=== Climate ===
{{See also|Hot summer cold winter zone}}
[[File:China Köppen.svg|thumb|380px|[[Köppen climate classification system|Köppen climate]] types of China]]
Owing to tremendous differences in latitude, longitude, and altitude, the [[climate]] of China is extremely diverse, ranging from [[Tropical climate|tropical]] in the far south to [[Subarctic climate|subarctic]] in the far north and [[Alpine climate|alpine]] in the higher elevations of the [[Tibetan Plateau]]. [[Monsoon]] winds, caused by differences in the heat-absorbing capacity of the continent and the ocean, dominate the climate. During the summer, the [[East Asian Monsoon]] carries warm and moist air from the south and delivers the vast majority of the annual precipitation in much of the country. Conversely, the [[Siberian anticyclone]] dominates during winter, bringing cold and comparatively dry conditions. The advance and retreat of the monsoons account in large degree for the timing of the rainy season throughout the country. Although most of the country lies in the temperate belt, its climatic patterns are complex.

The northern extremities of both [[Heilongjiang]] and [[Inner Mongolia]] have a subarctic climate; in contrast, most of [[Hainan Island]] and parts of the extreme southern fringes of [[Yunnan]] have a tropical climate. Temperature differences in winter are considerable, but in summer the variance is considerably less. For example, [[Mohe County]], Heilongjiang has a 24-hour average temperature in January approaching {{convert|−30|°C}}, while the corresponding figure in July exceeds {{convert|18|°C|0}}. By contrast, most of Hainan has a January mean in excess of {{convert|17|°C|0}}, while the July mean there is generally above {{convert|28|°C}}.

[[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] is almost invariably concentrated in the warmer months, though annual totals range from less than {{convert|20|mm|1}} in northwestern [[Qinghai]] and the [[Turpan Depression]] of Xinjiang to easily exceeding {{convert|2000|mm|0}} in [[Guangdong]], [[Guangxi]], and Hainan. Only in some pockets of the [[Dzungaria]] region of Xinjiang is the conspicuous seasonal variation in precipitation that defines Chinese (and, to a large extent, East Asian) climate absent.

Annual sunshine duration ranges from less than 1,100 hours in parts of [[Sichuan]] and [[Chongqing]] to over 3,400 hours in northwestern Qinghai. Seasonal patterns in sunshine vary considerably by region, but overall, [[Northern and southern China|the north]] and the Tibetan Plateau are sunnier than the south of the country.

<gallery>
File:China_average_annual_precipitation_(en).png|The average annual [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] in [[China]] and [[Taiwan]]
File:Snow in China.jpg|Early-season [[snow]] covering part of the North China Plain near [[Shijiazhuang]], [[Hebei]]
File:Heavy Snow in Eastern China.jpg|Snow encircling the area around the [[Bohai Sea|Bo Hai]]
File:Spring Sandstorm Scours China.jpg|The first day of spring 2010 brought a massive sandstorm blowing from [[Inner Mongolia]]
File:2010 Sandstorm over Eastern China.jpg|On November 11, 2010, a wall of sand blew across northern China, covering much of the North China Plain and [[Shandong Peninsula]].
File:Haze over East China Sea, Feb 2004.jpg|Smog from Eastern China spread over neighboring areas in February 2004.
File:Haze over China.jpg|[[Haze]] over the [[North China Plain]] and the [[Lüliang Mountains]] of [[Shanxi]]
File:2010 Smog over China.jpg|Natural color satellite image of a [[smog]] event in the heart of northern China
File:Feb 2011 Haze over China.jpg|Dense smog settled over the North China Plain on February 20, 2011.
</gallery>