Editing Shanxi (section)

== Geography ==
Shanxi is located on a plateau made up of higher ground to the east ([[Taihang Mountains]]) and the west ([[Lüliang Mountains]]) and a series of valleys in the center through which the [[Fen River]] runs. The highest peak is [[Mount Wutai]] (Wutai Shan) in northeastern Shanxi with an altitude of 3,058 m. The [[Great Wall of China]] forms most of the northern border with [[Inner Mongolia]]. The [[Zhongtiao Mountains]] run along part of the southern border and separate Shanxi from the east–west part of the Yellow River. [[Mount Hua]] is to the southwest.

The [[Yellow River]] forms the western border of Shanxi with [[Shaanxi]]. The [[Fen River|Fen]] and Qin rivers, tributaries of the Yellow River, run north-to-south through the province, and [[drainage basin|drain]] much of its area. The north of the province is drained by tributaries of the [[Hai River]], such as [[Sanggan River|Sanggan]] and [[Hutuo River|Hutuo]] rivers. The largest natural lake in Shanxi is [[Xiechi Lake]], a salt lake near [[Yuncheng, Shanxi|Yuncheng]] in southwestern Shanxi.

Shanxi has a [[Continental climate|continental]] [[monsoon]] climate, and is rather arid. Average January temperatures are below 0&nbsp;°C, while average July temperatures are around 21–26&nbsp;°C. Winters are long, dry, and cold, while summer is warm and humid. Spring is extremely dry and prone to dust storms. Shanxi is one of the sunniest parts of China; early summer heat waves are common. Annual precipitation averages around {{convert|350|to|700|mm}}, with 60% of it concentrated between June and August.<ref name=":0" />

Major cities:
* [[Taiyuan]]
* [[Datong]]
* [[Changzhi]]
* [[Yangquan]]
* [[Jinzhong]]
* [[Linfen]]
* [[Jincheng]]
* [[Yuncheng]]

The outline of Shanxi's territory is a parallelogram that runs from southwest to northeast. It is a typical mountain plateau widely covered by [[loess]]. The terrain is high in the northeast and low in the southwest. The interior of the plateau is undulating, the valleys are vertical and horizontal, and the types of landforms are complex and diverse. There are mountains, hills, terraces, plains, and rivers. The area of mountains and hills accounts for 80.1% of the total area of the province, and the area of Pingchuan and river valleys accounts for 19.9% of the total area. Most of the province's altitude is above 1,500 meters, and the highest point is the Yedoufeng, the main peak of [[Mount Wutai|Wutai Mountain]], with an altitude of 3061.1 meters, which is the highest peak in northern China.<ref name=":0" />

=== Climate ===

Shanxi is located in the inland of the mid-latitude zone and belongs to the temperate continental monsoon climate in terms of climate type. Due to the influence of solar radiation, monsoon circulation and geographical factors, Shanxi's climate has four distinct seasons, synchronous rain and heat, sufficient sunshine, significant climate difference between north and south, wide temperature difference between winter and summer, and large temperature difference between day and night. The annual average temperature in Shanxi Province is between 4.2 and 14.2&nbsp;°C. The overall distribution trend is from north to south and from basin to high mountain. The annual precipitation in the whole province is between 358 and 621&nbsp;mm, and the seasonal distribution is uneven. In June–August, the precipitation is relatively concentrated, accounting for about 60% of the annual precipitation, and the precipitation distribution in the province is greatly affected by the terrain.<ref name=":0" />

=== Area ===

The province has a length of {{convert|682|km|abbr=on}} and a width of {{convert|385|km|abbr=on}} from east to west, with a total area of {{convert|156700|km2|abbr=on}}, accounting for 1.6% of the country's total area.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.shanxi.gov.cn/sq/sqgk/201607/t20160713_349849.shtml |script-title=zh:省情概貌 |publisher=Shanxi People's Government |date=2016-07-13 |access-date=2018-07-07 |archive-date=2019-05-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504064223/http://www.shanxi.gov.cn/sq/sqgk/201607/t20160713_349849.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>