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A country with more than 4,000 years’ history of civilization,
China is bursting with mysteries of great age and cultures of unique
depth. Located on the east of Asia and to the west of the Pacific,
it is a country with scenic landscapes as well as being culturally
and artistically rich. It is the third-largest country in the world
in land area and the largest in population.
China practiced a ‘closed-door economy’ for years but
is ‘wide awake’ today and ready to accept friends from
all corners of the world. It's hotel and tourism industry is growing
rapidly as is the infrastructure to accept western visitors. There
is so much to see and do in this country that 'boredom' won't be
part of your time spent here.
The government of China, is based in Beijing and rules 21 provinces
and the five ‘autonomous regions’ of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia,
Xinjiang, Guangxi, and Tibet. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are all
firmly regarded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as
Chinese territory. (Hong Kong and Macau have already been handed
back to China and Taiwan’s relationship with China has yet
to be determined.)
China’s topography varies from mountainous regions to flat
plains. The mountains are well known throughout the world such as
the Himalayas and Taiwan mountains, which are the most popular,
less known are it's valleys, rivers, plains and long beaches which
hold mysteries of their own that wait to be discovered.
 Situated
in the southeastern part of the Asian Continent, the People's Republic
of China has a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, a international land
borders of more than 20,000 kilometers, and a total land area of
9.6 million square kilometers, third only in size to Russia and
Canada. Its territory extends over 50of latitude from north to south,
embracing the equatorial belt, the tropics, the subtropics, the
moderate temperate zone and the cold temperate zone. From east to
west, China extends over 62of longitude with land covered by forests,
grasslands, deserts, plains, hills and mountains.
China shares land borders with Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma),
India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and North Korea.
The country can be divided into 8 regions:
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1.
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The plateau of Tibet and Qinghai in the southwest. The Tibetan
Highlands average 4500m above sea level, and are often referred
to as the 'Roof of the World'. At the southern rim of the
plateau is the Himalayan mountain range, with peaks averaging
6000m , among which Mount Everest, known to the Chinese as
Qomolangma Peak, reaches more than 8000m.
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2.
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The Xinjiang-Inner Mongolian Uplands include the eastern
Ordos Desert, the southern part of the Gobi Desert and the
Turpan depression - 150 metres below sea level. This region
also boasts the largest inland basin in the world, the Tarim
Basin, where the Taklamakan Desert (the largest in China)
and China's largest shifting salt lake are situated.
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3.
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The Inner Mongolian Border Uplands include the Gobi and eastern
lowlands and are distinguished by a rugged terrain with little
agriculture, though the southern area has fertile loess soil
which has been deposited by the wind.
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4.
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The Eastern Highlands includes the Shandong Peninsula and
the northeast coastal region. The region is hilly and with
rich deposits of coal.
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5.
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The Eastern Lowlands provide the best farming land in the
country. There are three main plains in this region: the Manchurian
Plain, which also has large coal and iron deposits; the North
China plain which produces wheat, although the area is subject
to flooding; and the Yangtze River valley which has flat land
with good rainfall and a fertile delta where the cities of
Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou are to be found.
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6.
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The Central Uplands, located between the eastern lowlands
and the Tibetan plateau, are less than 1000m above sea level.
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7.
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The Sichuan Basin, with a mild climate and long growing season,
is a good area for agriculture.
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8.
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The Southern Uplands cover Southeast China and Hainan Island.
The only level area here is the Pearl River delta where the
city of Guangzhou is located.
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China has 14 of the world's highest peaks , each of these mountains
is more than 8,000 meters above sea level.
Most of China's rivers flow from west to east into the Pacific
Ocean except for a few in southwest China that flow to the south.
Melting snow and ice from the mountains of western China and the
Qinghai -Tibet Plateau are the main sources of the headwaters for
the country's largest rivers: the Yangtze (Chang Jiang), Yellow
(Huang He), Mekong (Lancang Jiang) and Salween (Nu Jiang) rivers.
The Yangtze River, the nation's largest river and the third longest
in the world, after the Nile and the Amazon, originates on the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau, has a length of 6,300 kilometers,and runs through spectacular
gorges.
The Yellow River, about 5460km long and the second longest river
in China, is described as the birthplace of Chinese civilization.
The Salween River (Nu Jiang) runs from eastern Tibet into Yunnan
province and then into Myanmar.
The Grand Canal, is another great waterway of China and is the
longest artificial canal in the world. Originally it stretched for
1800km from Hangzhou in the south to Beijing in the north. Now most
of it is no longer in use.
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