China’s Geography

China is situated in the south-eastern part of the Euro-Asian Continent. The borders of the P. R. of China add up to a total length of 20.000 km and a coastal line of 18.000 km, totalling a landmass of 3.70656 million square miles. Only Russia and Canada have a larger geographic area. Whole of China expands in North-South direction over 50 lines of latitudes, covering the equatorial zone, the tropical, sub-tropical, the mild tempered zone and the cold tempered  zone.  From East to West the landmass spans 62 longitudes displaying diversities in landscapes, forests, meadows, deserts, plains, hill countries and high mountains.

China’s mainland neighbours are Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and North Korea.

The country can be geographically divided into 8 regions:
On the topmost geographic step lie the high plains of Tibet and Qinghai in the Southwest. The Tibetan Highland stretches 4500 m above sea level, the reason why it is commonly referred to as the “roof of the world”.  Along the southern brink of the high plains towers the giant mountain range of the Himalaya, with an average elevation of the mountain peaks of 6.000m, the Mount Everest, in China a. k. a. “Qomolangma,” reaches up to8.844,43 m.

The Xinjiang-highlands of Inner Mongolia span the Estern Ordos-Desert, the southern part of the Gobi desert and the lowland Turpan. The Aydingkol Lake lies 155 m under sea level and  considered the largest inland basin in the world. Worthwhile mentioning is the Tarim basin, with the Taklamakan desert (the largest desert in China) and China’s largest salt lake.

The high plains of Inner Mongolia include the Gobi desert and the easterly lower plains.   The landscape here is humpy and not well suited for agriculture. The southern region in contrast offers fertile loess soil, deposited by strong winds.

The eastern highlands of China cover the Shandong peninsula and the northeast-coastal area. The region is hilly and rich in coal.  
The north-eastern lowlands are considered the best territory for agriculture. The three main plains in the region are at first the Manchuria plain holding large coal- and iron deposits, the northern plain (Huabei-plain), produces mainly wheat and other agricultural products, even though preconditions are natural floods. The eastern plain including the river valley of the Yangtze receives plenty of rain and covers also the fertile delta near Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

The Central Highlands, located between the Eastern Lowlands and the Tibetan highland, drop down to little less than 1.000 m above sea-level.

The Sichuan Basin, known for a well tempered, mild climate and long growth periods and is hence perfectly suited for agriculture.

The Southern Highland stretches almost all of southern China and the island of Hainan. The only horizontal aligned area of this region is the delta of the Pearl River, where Guangzhou(Canton) is located.

All 14 of the highest mountains in the world are located in China. Most of the China’s rivers flow from West to East into the Pacific. In southwest China are a few rivers flowing southbound, which is the exception. The melting of the snow- and ice masses in the west Chinese mountains and at Qinghai (Tibetan highland) contributes as the major source of fresh water supplies to the upper flows for most of the largest rivers in the country: Yangtze (Chang Jiang), Yellow River (Huang Her), Mekong (Lancang Jiang) and Salween (Nu Jiang).

The Yangtze, China’s largest river and third longest river in the world after the Nile and the Amazon, originates in the Qinghai (Tibetan highland) and his flow runs with a length of 6.300 km.
The Yellow River, some 5.460 km long and the second longest river in China, is the birthplace and the cradle of the Chinese Civilisation.
The Salween River (Nu Jian) flows from East-Tibet all the way through the Yunnan Province and than into Mynamar.
The magnificent Emperor’s Channel, the third largest waterway in China, is the longest, artificial (man made) channel in the world. Originally the canal stretched over a distance of 1.800 km, from Hangzhou in southern China all the way to Beijing in the North. Today the northern sections of the canal are no more trafficable.