Chinese Geography
A look at the demographics, climate, and landscapes of China.
China is a Central and East Asian nation bordering the seas of the Western Pacific. It is the fourth largest nation in the world, with borders touching nations as diverse as India, Mongolia, Russia, Vietnam, Korea, and Kyrgyzstan. Overall, the country’s land area covers 3,600,947 square miles or 9,326,410 square kilometers. Its major cities include Shanghai (approx. population 25.582 million), its capital Beijing (19.618 million), Chongqing (14.838 million), Guangzhou (12.683 million), Tianjin (13.215 million) and Shenzhen (11.908 million). Population density is highest in the eastern provinces, especially in coastal cities. Its total population is estimated at 1.4 billion people.
China is engaged in a number of territorial disputes, most notably over ownership of Tibet, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the border regions of India.
China’s geography, in keeping with its size, changes considerably between and within regions. Eastern China is home to the majority of Chinese people due to its fertile, river-fed plains and mild climate. To the west, the southern Tibetan plateau is dominated by the Himalayan mountain range, including Mt. Everest along the Indian border. Moving north, the region including Inner Mongolia consists mainly of high, desert plateaus, mountains, and grasslands. The Gobi desert stretches across its border with Mongolia.
Among China’s major rivers are the Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong. Common tree species include red pine, oak, larch, maidenhair, katsura, ginkgo, fir, and magnolia. Bamboo, a tall-growing grass, is also present. The nation’s more famous wildlife include pandas, tigers, cranes, river dolphins, alligators, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and Bactrian camels.
References
Gernet, Jacques. A History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge University Press. 1996.
Gunde, Richard. Culture and Customs of China. Greenwood Publishing. 2002.
Newman, Jacqueline. Food Culture in China. Greenwood Publishing. 2004.
“The World Factbook: China.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 July 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html.
Von Glahn, Richard. An Economic History of China. Cambridge University Press. 2016.
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