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

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.