China’s Land and Climate(The People’s Republic of China)

Ch. 24, Section 1Mrs. Tinkey

World Geography

China’s Land• 3rd largest country by land area

– What are the 1st two?• China has a wide range of

landforms– Mountains– Deserts– Plains– Rivers– Depressions– Plateaus– Peninsulas – Islands

Himalayas

Kunlan Shan

Qilian Shan

Tian Shan

Atlay Mountains

Plateau of Tibet*The world’s largest plateau*Nicknamed the “Roof of the World”

-What landform was the “Roof of Africa?”

*13,000 feet above sea level *Covered with shrubs and grasses.*On the eastern end of the plateau rare animals such as Pandas and Golden Monkey’s roam.

Turpan Depression

*East of Tian Shan*Lies 505 ft BELOW sea level*Partially filled with salt lakes*The hottest place in China

-Daytime temps can reach 122 degrees (F)

Taklimakan Desert

*In Northern China, mountain ranges surround deserts like this one.

-That makes this area very isolated.

Gobi Desert*Instead of sand, this desert is made of rocks and stones.*Temperature varies by elevation.

-Ranges from -30 to 110 degrees (F)

Manchurian Plain

*The Manchurian Plain, lies in a region of China

called… Manchuria!

North China Plain

*About 90% of China’s people live in this region.

Yangtze River

*China’s longest river -Flows from the Plateau of Tibet to

the East China Sea (3,964 mi)*Chinese name for it is Chang Jiang, meaning long river.*There is rich, fertile land and many industrial centers along this river.*Three Gorges Dam is located on this river.

-Controls flooding-Increases ship trading and

transportation-Creates electricity for China’s

people.

Yellow River

*Also known as the Huang He-Chinese civilization began here.

-Think back to ancient river valley map from earlier this year.*Flows from the Plateau of Tibet across the North China Plain.*Called China’s Sorrow, because of the lives lost due to the flooding of this river.*The Chinese have built dams and dikes to control flooding.

-Dike: a high bank of soil along a river

Xi River (Shee)*During flood time, this river is very important to transportation and trade to

inland cities.

Ring of Fire Area in the Pacific known for its volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.

Climate

*Turn to page 672 in your text book

*7 Different Climate Zones-What are they?

*Monsoons greatly affect China’s climate.-In the winter, cold dry air blows in from C. Asia-In the summer, the monsoons blow in from the sea

with warm, moist air.-Monsoons often bring in Typhoons

*Typhoons are also known as hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean-Tropical storms with strong winds and heavy rains.