General physical and geographical position of China. Geographical features of China

China is located in the eastern part of the Eurasian continent. The area of ​​China is 9.6 million square meters. km. It is the largest country in Asia. Among countries around the world, China is second only to Russia and Canada in area.

From east to west China's territory extends to 5500 km. The westernmost point (73º40′ E) lies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The extreme eastern point (135º5′ E) is located at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri. The northern tip of the country (53º31′ N) is also located on the Amur near the city of Mohe. The southern point (4º15′ N) is Cape Zengmuansha at the southern tip of the Nansha Archipelago. Distance between the southern and northern points - 5200 km. The length of the country's land border is 22.8 thousand km.

China shares land borders with 14 countries: with Korea in the northeast, with Russia and Mongolia in the north, with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and India in the southwest, with Burma, Laos and Vietnam in the south. In the east and southeast, China has maritime borders with Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

The country's topography is extremely diverse. Mountainous regions make up 2/3 of China's entire territory. The PRC is located within the fragmented Chinese Precambrian Platform and younger areas. The eastern part is mostly lowland, and the western part is elevated and mountainous. The territory of China resembles a four-step staircase descending from west to east. In the west are Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau(the highest average altitude in the world is about 4500 m). In the northwest- high plains and mountains Eastern Tien Shan, the central part is Loess plateau, further to the east lowlands stretched out Great Chinese Plain. Low chains stretch across northeast China Manchu-Korean Mountains and Khingan, A in the south- mountains Nanling and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Rocky Taklamakan and Gobi deserts occupy vast areas in the north and west of the country, and subtropical forests occupy southeast China.

The coast of mainland China in the east and south is washed by the waters of the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China Seas, which belong to the Pacific Ocean. The total length of China's coastline is 32 thousand km, including the length of the continental coastline is 18 thousand km. China has many bays and convenient harbors, although most of them are shallow. In China there are 6961 islands, of which 433 are inhabited. Of these, the largest are Taiwan and Hainan. China's easternmost islands are Diaoyu and Chiweiyu, located northeast of Taiwan. To the south are the Spartly Islands.

The geographical location of China is quite favorable. The coastal location contributes to the development of its economy and foreign economic relations. The country has access to the sea from the remote interior via the Yangtze River. Sea vessels rise upstream of the Yangtze for more than 1000 km. The water resources of the PRC are large; the eastern, more populated and highly developed part of the country is most endowed with them. River waters are widely used for irrigation. China ranks first in the world in terms of potential hydropower resources, but their use is still very limited.

China is located in three climate zones. Northern and western China are located in the temperate continental climate zone. The average temperature in winter is -7°C, in summer +22°C. Winter and autumn are characterized by strong drying winds. Central China lies in the subtropical climate zone. Temperatures in winter are from 0 to -5°C, in summer +20°C. South China and the islands are located in a tropical monsoon climate. Temperature in winter is from +6 to +15°C, in summer +25°C. This part of the country is characterized by powerful typhoons.

More about the geographical location of China

CHINA, the People's Republic of China (PRC), a country in Central and East Asia, includes China proper (18 historical provinces of the Chinese Empire), Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Northeast (Manchuria) and Tibet. The province of Taiwan, which is controlled by the People's Republic of China, is considered separately. The PRC occupies an area of ​​9,561 thousand square meters. km (without Taiwan).

Within China, three large orographic regions are distinguished: in the southwest, the Tibetan Plateau with an altitude of more than 2000 m above sea level; to the north of it there is a belt of mountains and high plains, located in the altitude range from 200 to 2000 m above sea level, and in the northeast, east and south of the country - low-lying accumulative plains (below 200 m above sea level) and low mountains.

The Tibetan Plateau covers more than a quarter of China's territory and includes the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and western Sichuan Province. The western and central parts of the highlands, located above 4000 m, are rightly called the “roof of the world.” Numerous ridges crossing Tibet have a latitudinal strike and rise to heights of 5500–7600 m. The ridges are separated by wide valleys, cold and mostly uninhabited. The highlands are framed by even higher mountain ranges: in the south - the Himalayas with the highest peak Qomolungma (Everest, 8848 m), in the northwest - the Karakoram and Pamir mountains, in the north - the majestic Kunlun, Altyntag and Qilianshan mountain ranges, which abruptly fall off in the north direction.

In the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, between the Kunlun Mountains in the south and the Altyntag and Qilianshan ridges in the north, at altitudes of 2700–3000 m above sea level. The Tsaidam depression is located. The western part of the depression is occupied by desert, and in its central part there are extensive swamps and salt lakes. The mostly nomadic population of this area has been breeding horses for many centuries. The discovery of oil, coal and iron ore deposits in this basin and the development of rich salt deposits contributed to the development of local industry.

The northern and western regions of Tibet and the Tsaidam Basin are internal drainage basins. There are hundreds of endorheic salt lakes into which small rivers flow. On the northern slope of the Himalayas, the Brahmaputra River originates (in China it is called Matsang, and then Zangbo) and flows east for 970 km, and then, cutting through mountain ranges, turns south and enters the plains of Northern India. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries flow in deep sheltered valleys, which contribute to the concentration of sedentary populations in cities such as Lhasa, Gyangtse and Shigatse. Three of the world's greatest rivers, the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween, originate on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. In this area, the huge ridges that cross the Tibetan plateau curve in a south-easterly and then southerly direction and typically exceed 3000 m, with some peaks reaching higher elevations. For example, Guangshan Peak (Minyak-Gankar) in the Daxueshan Mountains in western Sichuan Province rises to 7556 m.

The belt of highlands and depressions adjoins the Tibetan Plateau in the north, northeast and east and has an altitude range from 200 to 2000 m. The autonomous regions of Xinjiang Uygur, or Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia and the plains of China proper, are confined to this belt, differing significantly in the nature of the relief.

In Xinjiang, located north of the Kunlun Mountains, there are two large inland drainage depressions - the Tarim and the Junggar. The Tarim Basin extends from Kashgar in the west to Hami (Kumul) in the east and has absolute heights from 610 m in the central part to 1525 m along the periphery. The depression is framed by the Kunlun and Altyntag mountains to the south, the Pamirs to the west, and the Tien Shan to the north. All these mountains have heights of more than 6100 m. In the east, the Tarim Basin is limited by less impressive mountain ranges with individual peaks exceeding 4300 m. One of the driest and most inaccessible deserts in the world, Taklamakan, is confined to its central part. The Tarim River and its tributaries, which originate in the mountains and are fed by glaciers, are lost in the sands of this desert or flow into the salt lake Lop Nor (in this area the PRC conducts its nuclear tests). North of the lake Lop Nor is the lowest land surface in East Asia - the Turfan depression, which extends approx. 100 km in the latitudinal direction and approx. 50 km – in the meridional. Its most depressed part has an absolute elevation of –154 m. The region of the Turfan Depression is characterized by huge annual temperature amplitudes: from 52° C in summer to -18° C in winter. Precipitation is rare.

To the north of the Tien Shan is the Dzungarian depression, bounded from the northwest by a number of ridges, the highest of which is the Dzungarian Alatau, and from the northeast by Altai. The surface of the Dzhungar depression is about 600 m lower than the Tarim, and the climate is not so arid. Nevertheless, large areas here are occupied by semi-deserts and steppes, where nomads live. In the north-west of Dzungaria, near Karamay, there is a large oil field, and in the south, in the Urumqi region, there is a deposit of coal and iron ores.

China statistics
(as of 2012)

The Tarim depression is drainless, and the Dzhungar depression is drained by the Ili and Irtysh rivers, the flow of which is directed westward, to the plains of Kazakhstan. Along the periphery of the Tarim Basin, on the loess foothill plains in the valleys of rivers flowing from the mountains, a ring of oases formed. Through the cities located in these oases, it is already approx. 2000 years ago, the Great Silk Road ran, connecting China with the Roman Empire.

Inner Mongolia occupies the Chinese portion of the vast Mongolian Basin, with the Gobi Desert at its center. In China, the depression extends in a large arc east of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the border with Russia. From the south and east, Inner Mongolia is framed by the Qilianshan (Richthofen), Helanshan (Alashan), Yinshan and Greater Khingan ridges, which have relatively low altitudes (900–1800 m). The altitudes of most of Inner Mongolia are 900–1500 m above sea level. The landscapes are dominated by dry steppes and semi-deserts. In the western part are the Alashan and Gobi deserts. A few short rivers, originating in the southern mountain frame, flow north and are lost in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

The highlands, middle mountains and lowlands of China proper occupy a significant part of the country's territory south of Inner Mongolia and east of the Tibetan Plateau. In the south they form a system of ridges and extend to the east coast. This elevated area is divided into several large areas, including the Ordos Plateau, Shaanxi-Shanxi Plateau, Qinling Mountains, Sichuan Basin, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Nanling Mountains. All of them are located in the altitude range from 200 to 2000 m.

The Qinling Mountains are a system of ridges that cross central China from southern Gansu Province in the west to Anhui Province in the east. The mountain ranges are the border of the country's two main drainage basins - the Yellow and Yangtze rivers and sharply delimit China proper into northern and southern parts, differing in geological structure, climatic and soil characteristics, the nature of natural vegetation and a set of main crops.

The Shaanxi-Shanxi Plateau, located north of the Qinling Mountains and south of the Ordos Plateau, stretches from the Tibetan Plateau in the west to the lowlands of the North China Plain in the east. A distinctive feature of the plateau is the loess cover up to 75 m thick, which largely masks the original relief. The steep slopes of the hills are artificially terraced in many places, and the soils formed on the loess are fertile and easy to cultivate. At the same time, the loess is subject to water erosion, as a result of which the area is deeply cut by a network of ravines.

North of the Loess Plateau at altitudes of more than 1500 m above sea level. The Ordos plateau is located, characterized by desert landscapes. Sand dunes are common in its northwestern and southeastern parts, and the central part is replete with small salt lakes. The Ordos Desert is separated from the cultivated loess lands by the Great Wall of China.

The Sichuan Basin (or "Red Basin") lies south of the Qinling Mountains, immediately east of the ridges of the eastern frame of the Tibetan plateau - Daxueshan and Qionglaishan, forming a steep high chain, many of the peaks of which exceed 5200 m. These ranges, together with the Minshan and Dabashan mountains to the north and the plateau of Guizhou Province in the south frame a basin, the bottom of which drops from 900 m in the north to 450 m in the south. The soils of this area are very fertile. It is one of the most densely populated areas in China. The Sichuan Basin is composed predominantly of ancient red sandstones, which overlie large but deeply buried Jurassic coal-bearing deposits. Large surface coal deposits are located along the northern, southern and southeastern edges of the basin. Clays and oil-bearing limestones are also widespread. Surrounded by high mountains, Sichuan has a reputation for being difficult to reach.

The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, which is a much lower (average altitude 1800–2100 m above sea level) continuation of the Tibetan Plateau, is located to the south and southeast of the Sichuan Basin. The western part of this area is crossed by narrow (only up to 500 m), but deeply incised (in places up to 1500 m) valleys of the Salween and Mekong rivers, presenting serious obstacles to movement. This highly divided territory has long acted as a barrier between China, India and Burma. In the east, in Guizhou province, the nature of the relief is changing. In some places, the surface height drops to 900 m or less, the slopes become less steep, and the valleys widen.

The Nanling Mountains ("Southern Ranges") extend from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the west to the Wuyi Ranges in the southeastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. This wide belt of low mountains, separating the Yangtze River basins in the north and the Xijiang ("Western") River basins in the south, is rich in minerals. Among them are numerous deposits of tungsten, antimony, lead, zinc and copper.

Low-lying accumulative plains. Only ok. 10% of China's territory is located at altitudes less than 200 m above sea level, but this is where most of the country's population is concentrated. There are five main lowland regions: the North China Plain, the Great Chinese Plain, the Huaihe River valley, the middle reaches basin and the Yangtze River delta, the Northeast (Manchurian) Plain and the Xijiang River basin. The North China Plain, the Huaihe River valley and the Yangtze Delta meet near the sea coast, forming a single strip of plains stretching from Beijing in the north to Shanghai in the south and interrupted only by the highlands in Shandong province. In the interior of the mainland, the depression to which the middle course of the Yangtze River is confined is separated from this vast plain by the Dabeshan Mountains (the eastern continuation of the Qinling mountain system). In the north, a narrow coastal strip connects the North China Plain with the Northeast. The Xijiang River basin is located south of the Yangtze River basin and is separated from it by the Nanling and Wuyi Mountains. Each large lowland plain is composed of sediment from one or more rivers.

Water resources - Yellow River and North China Plain. The Yellow River (translated as “yellow”), 5163 km long, originates in the Tibetan Plateau (Qinghai Province). Rushing east like a stormy stream, it makes its way down from the plateau through the Liujiaxia gorge and further through the highlands of Gansu province. Near Lanzhou, the 2,400 km long “great northern bend” of the Yellow River Valley begins, which from the north skirts the Mu Us Desert on the edge of the Ordos Plateau, and then turns sharply to the south, crossing the central Loess region and forming the border between the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi. In this section, the river carries a huge volume of silt, especially in summer, when it is at its deepest. Due to the large amount of solid runoff on the plains located downstream, floods are frequent, and the Huang He River itself is nicknamed “the grief of China.”

Having reached the Qinling Mountains, where the Weihe River flows into it from the west, the Yellow River turns sharply to the east, passes through Sanmenxia (“Three Gate Gorge”) and enters the North China Plain. When leaving this gorge, the river is at an absolute level of only approx. 180 m, while the distance to its confluence with Bohai Bay is 970 km. Here, on a gradually descending section of the valley, the river loses speed. As a result, over the course of thousands of years, the Yellow River regularly flooded, depositing sediment and gradually expanding and increasing the accumulative plain. When ok. 3000 years ago, Chinese civilization first arose in this territory; people tried to regulate the flow regime with the help of dams. However, the likelihood of destructive floods increased due to the fact that the area of ​​sediment accumulation was limited to the river bed. As the layer of silt grew, higher and higher dams had to be built until the river and ramparts were higher than the level of the surrounding plain. When the dam breaks, which often happens at the peak of the summer flood, the river floods the plain, flooding gigantic areas and destroying crops. Since the river's waters cannot return to the elevated bed, the Yellow River often changes its course. From 1048 to 1324 it flowed into Bohai Bay north of the Shandong Peninsula. In 1324 it connected with the Huaihe River, and its waters flowed into the Yellow Sea south of the peninsula, and in 1851 the Yellow River again began to flow into Bohai Bay. In 1938, the right bank dikes were destroyed by order of Chiang Kai-shek to prevent the advance of the Japanese army. In 1947, as part of a UN project, the river was returned to its former course and now flows back into Bohai Bay. On its way through the North China Plain, the Yellow River does not receive large tributaries. The Grand Canal connects it with the Yangtze River and the major seaports of Tianjin and Shanghai. The total length of this canal is 1782 km.

In 1955, the Chinese government began to implement the so-called. a “step plan” for regulating the Huang He River, including the construction of four large and 42 auxiliary dams on the main river and its tributaries. After the construction of the most important dam, a reservoir with an area of ​​2350 square meters was formed in the Sanmenxia Gorge. km, length approx. 300 km and a volume of more than 35 km3. This hydraulic structure counteracts the most powerful floods and is also designed to generate electricity, irrigate land and improve navigation. Large-scale programs are complemented by numerous local projects involving the construction of thousands of small dams on tributaries of the Huang He River and small rivers, terracing of loess hillsides to prevent erosion and reforestation of large areas.

Huaihe River and its basin. Directly south of the lower Yellow River is the smaller but important river system of the Huaihe River, separated from the Huanghe River basin and the North China Plain by a barely visible watershed stretching from Kaifeng to Xuzhou, and by a somewhat more pronounced upland on the Shandong Peninsula, from Xuzhou to the Yellow Sea. The length of the Huaihe River is only approx. 1090 km, however, unlike the Huang He River, it has many tributaries, mostly left ones, flowing from northwest to southeast. The river and its tributaries drain an area of ​​174 thousand square meters abounding in lakes. km, covering the southern and eastern parts of Henan Province, the entire Anhui Province and the northern part of Jiangsu Province. The Huaihe River flows into the large Hongzehu Lake, from which its waters are carried in the form of natural rivers and through recently constructed canals into the Yellow Sea. Alluvial soils in the Huaihe River basin are very fertile, but the river itself has always been subject to powerful floods, so work to regulate the flow regime in its basin was given paramount importance. Ten dams have been built in the upper reaches of the main river and its tributaries. As a result, reservoirs were formed (the largest are Meishanshuiku and Fozilingshuiku in Anhui province). Dams with a total length of hundreds of kilometers were built and strengthened and complex irrigation measures were carried out.

Yangtze River and adjacent plains. The length of the Yangtze River is more than 5600 km. The river originates from glaciers in the central part of the Tibetan Plateau, flows south, forming deep gorges in the eastern part of the plateau and, having reached the highlands of Yunnan Province, turns sharply to the east. In this fast-flowing section, the river is called Jinshajiang (“Golden Sand River”). Near the city of Yibin, the river enters the Sichuan Basin and flows at the foot of the mountains of its southern frame. Here it receives four large tributaries - Minjiang, Tuojiang, Fujian and Jialingjiang, which cross the basin from north to south and give it the name Sichuan (“Four Rivers”). In the middle reaches of the Minjiang River, near Chengdu, a complex system for regulating water flow, created by engineer Li Ping during the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), still operates.

The Yangtze River makes its way from the Sichuan Basin through several picturesque gorges located between Fengtse and Yichang. This section of the river is difficult and dangerous. In summer, the current speed in places can reach 16 km/h. Passing Yichang, the river passes through a series of basins (plains), which are often collectively called the middle course of the Yangtze River. The first of these is an area abounding in lakes within the provinces of Hunan and Hubei. Its northern part is crossed by the Han River, which originates in the Qinling Mountains, flows through a wide valley in a southeast direction and flows into the Yangtze near Hankou (“Mouth of the Han River”), one of the cities of the Wuhan agglomeration. In the south, the Hunan basin is drained by the Xiangjiang, which originates in the Nanling Mountains and flows into the large Dongting Lake, which drains into the Yangtze River. Within this basin, the Yangtze is gaining full strength. While in the Chongqing region (Sichuan Province) the width of the river is only 275 m, in the vicinity of Wuhan its bed widens and reaches 1.6 km. The difference between low water and high water is estimated to be approximately 12 m. In winter, ships with a draft of more than 2 m must move with caution, while in summer, ocean-going ships with a displacement of 15 thousand tons can reach Wuhan.

Below Wuhan, before entering the next basin, the river bed narrows somewhat. This basin, located almost entirely to the south of the Yangtze, belongs mainly to the drainage basin of the Ganjiang River, which carries its waters through the large Poyang Lake before flowing into the Yangtze. Lakes Poyang and Dongting serve as large reservoirs on large tributaries of the Yangtze, regulating water flow in the summer, when the rivers are at their fullest.

The third basin, to which the middle course of the Yangtze River is confined, occupies the central and southern parts of Anhui province. Approximately midway between Wuhu and Nanjing, this plain meets the vast Yangtze delta plain.

The floodplain soils in the middle Yangtze basin, composed mainly of red alluvium brought from the Sichuan Basin, as well as sediment from the Hanshui, Xiangjiang and Ganjiang rivers, are very fertile. Hunan Province is one of the most important rice-growing areas in China. Although the Yangtze carries a lot of silty sediment, the high speed of the current contributes to the removal of most of it into the sea, as a result of which the Yangtze does not experience such destructive floods as the Yellow River, and its banks are less embanked. However, in the summer, when there is particularly intense snowmelt in Tibet or unusually heavy rainfall, floods occur. Thus, in 1931, an area of ​​approx. 91 thousand sq. km. To prevent the recurrence of such floods, two reservoirs were built, the capacity of which is supplemented by the natural lake reservoirs of Poyang and Dongting. The reservoir near Shashi (north of Dongting Lake) was built in 1954 almost entirely by hand in 75 days. Its area is 920 sq. km, capacity – 5.4 km3. A somewhat smaller reservoir is located near the city of Wuhan.

The Yangtze Delta begins about 50 km from Nanjing, upstream of the river. This completely flat surface, located slightly above sea level, is composed of silty sediments. It is steadily and quickly moving towards the sea, as well as in a southern direction, into Hangzhou Bay. The groundwater table of the low-lying plain is located very close to the surface. This plain is crossed by countless drainage and irrigation canals, which are also used as routes of communication. Trees, mainly mulberries, are planted along the canals, serving as a base for local sericulture. The delta is replete with lakes, of which the largest is Taihu (“Great Lake”). The delta region is very densely populated. By 1968, three bridges were built across the Yangtze from the western border of Sichuan province to the sea. The largest, 6.7 km long, in Nanjing, has two levels - with a two-track railway and a four-lane road. In 1956, a large bridge was erected in Wuhan, and a slightly smaller one in Chongqing. At the mouth of the river is the large port city of Shanghai. This is not only the main point of concentration and redistribution of all manufactured goods of the vast Yangtze basin, but also the largest center of heavy and light industry in China.

Valley of the Xijiang (“Western”) River. The drainage basin of the Xijiang River, separated from the Yangtze River basin by the Nanling Mountains, is located mainly in the tropics. The source of the river is in the Nanling Mountains and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Then Xijiang crosses an area characterized by a variety of karst landforms, the so-called. remnant tower karst. The Xijiang River, with a total length of 2655 km, in the upper and middle reaches has a narrow valley sandwiched between mountains, and only below Wuzhou, where it forms a common delta with the Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers within the alluvial plain, does its flow become calm. Below the city of Xinan (Sanshui), where the Xijiang merges with the Beijiang River, it is divided into many branches, mostly created by man. The soils of this delta region are very fertile and there is a high population density.

The Leizhoubandao Peninsula and Hainan Island are located in the far south of the country. Hainan Island with an area of ​​34 thousand square meters. km is divided into two parts: the northern - wide coastal plain and the southern - mountainous area. The plain is densely populated, mostly by Chinese. The Miao and Lu people live in the mountains, and the population density there is low.

The Northeast Plain (Manchurian) includes the basins of the Liaohe rivers in the south and the Songhua (Chinese: Songhuangjiang) rivers in the north, separated by ridges of low ridges. The Liaohe River originates in the Liaoxi Mountains and flows into the Liaodong Bay of the Yellow Sea. A significant part of its lower course passes within the Songliao Plain, where it is navigable. In the lower reaches there are fertile lands used in agriculture. In the southeast, the Northeast Plain is bounded by the Yalu River (Amnokkan).

The Songhua River with its tributaries Nenjiang and Lalinhe crosses the Northeast Plain in the north and flows into the Amur (Chinese: Heilongjiang), along which China's northern border with Russia passes. The eastern border of China and Russia runs along the Ussuri River (Chinese: Usulijiang). These rivers provide important communication routes during the summer months, but are frozen in winter. The Amur opens later than the Songhua, which is why vast wetlands are formed at their confluence.

Coastline. The length of the Chinese coastline is approx. 8000 km. It is divided into four main sectors. The northernmost part of the coast within the Bohai Bay and Liaodong Bay is slightly indented. A huge amount of silt is carried here from the Shanxi Plateau by the Yellow River and other less deep rivers. The sea here is shallow, the coastline moves towards the sea every year, and there are few good natural harbors. To prevent siltation of the Tianjin-Tanggu outport, dredging work is constantly being carried out in Bohai Bay. Yingkou Port on Liaodong Bay freezes over in the middle of winter.

The coasts of the Shandong and Liaodong Peninsulas, composed of shales and gneisses and separated by an underwater trough, are characterized by dissected, sometimes steep, banks. There are numerous natural harbors here. The most important port is Qingdao, located on the southern coast of the Shandong Peninsula. Due to frequent fogs and dust storms, navigation off the northern coast of China is difficult.

From the southern part of the Shandong Peninsula to Hangzhou Bay, the coast again becomes smooth as a result of the accumulation of silty sediments carried by the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. These sediments are transported south by the cold East China Current and fill Hangzhou Bay and the adjacent areas of the water area around the Zhoushanqundao archipelago. There are no natural harbors here. Wusong, Shanghai's outport, is kept navigable only by constant dredging.

Along the entire southeastern and southern sections of the coast from Hangzhou Bay to the Vietnamese border in the Gulf of Tonkin area, mountains approach the sea directly. Due to tectonic subsidence, the shores are uneven, deeply indented, the so-called. rias type. There are many convenient natural harbors, including ports such as Ningbo, Wenzhou, Xiamen (Amoy), Shantou (Swatou) and Hong Kong.

Population of China

China ranks first in the world in terms of population. The first population census was conducted on July 30, 1935 and determined the number of inhabitants at 601 million 938 thousand, of which 574 million 505.9 thousand were the population directly subject to the census, this included emigrants, students abroad, as well as residents islands of Taiwan. The absence in the country of not only regular censuses, but even current records does not make it possible to get a true idea of ​​the magnitude of natural population growth, which was hardly significant, since along with a high birth rate, there was also a high mortality rate. But at the same time, by 1957, about 656 million people lived in China, which amounted to 1/4 of the total population of the globe. And in 1986, the number of inhabitants reached 1060 million people, and according to the 1990 census - already 1 billion 134 million. Human. It is no coincidence that for two millennia China has been the most populous country in the world, which leaves its mark on all aspects of social life, and, above all, is reflected in the peculiarities of its demographic policy. According to the Chinese Constitution, planned childbearing must be carried out in the country. Students are prohibited from marrying; one family must have no more than one child, and the birth of a second or third child requires permission from a special committee on planned childbirth. Despite the implementation of such a strict demographic policy, the population of China, according to expert forecasts, by the year 2000 will exceed 1.3 billion people.

In the PRC, as in any socialist country, the land, its subsoil and industrial enterprises belong to the people, and only a small part in relation to state property is in the hands of private owners, therefore in China there are no large owners, and the main classes are peasants and workers , traders and intelligentsia.

The ethnic composition of China includes about 50 nationalities. The vast majority of China's population is Chinese (Han). In addition, representatives of the following national and ethnic groups live in the country: Zhuang, Uyghurs, Huizu, Tibetans, Miao, Manchus, Mongols, Bui, Koreans, Tutjia, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hani, Tai, Li, Lisu, She , Lahu, Wa, Shui, Dongxiang, Na-si, Tu, Kyrgyz, Jingno, Mulao, Sabo, Salars, Bulans, Gelao, Maoan, Pumi, Well, Aian, Benlurs, Yugurs, Baoan, Orogons, Gaoshan, Hezhe, Menba , Loba, Tatars, Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Russians. The entire multinational population of China belongs to three language families and inhabits more than 1/2 of the entire territory of the country.

To date, China has more than 800 million working-age people, of which 2/5 are young people. 51.182% are men and 48.18% are women. Like many national countries, China is characterized by significant contrasts in settlement. The population is unevenly distributed throughout the country: to the East of the conventional line running from the city of Heihen to the city of Tengchong on Yunan, in an area of ​​not much more than 1/3 of the country's territory, about 90% of the total population is concentrated, and the average density here exceeds 170 people. km2. In the remaining, larger western part of the country there are only a few people per square kilometer. The plains along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the lowland strip of the Southeast coast, where in some places the population density reaches 600-800 people/km2, are especially densely populated. In addition, there are more than 30 cities in China with a population exceeding 1 million people, including: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Harbin, Tsang-shin, Tatyuan, Luida, Slan, Chengdu, Qingdao.

Source - Internet sites

(function(w, d, n, s, t) ( w[n] = w[n] || ; w[n].push(function() ( Ya.Context.AdvManager.render(( blockId: "R-A -143470-6", renderTo: "yandex_rtb_R-A-143470-6", async: true )); )); t = d.getElementsByTagName("script"); s = d.createElement("script"); s .type = "text/javascript"; s.src = "//an.yandex.ru/system/context.js"; s.async = true; , this.document, "yandexContextAsyncCallbacks");

Located in the eastern part Eurasian continent, on the west coast Pacific Ocean. In terms of territory - almost 9.6 million sq km (1/4 of the area of ​​Asia, 1/14 of the landmass of the globe) - China is the third country in the world, second only to Russia and Canada.

In terms of population - 1.31 billion people, China ranks first in the world. The population is distributed very unevenly: in some provinces in the east of the country it exceeds 400 people per 1 sq. km, while in the desert and highlands of the western and northwestern regions there are in some places less than 1 person per square kilometer.

Most of the country's territory is located between 20º and 50º north latitude and belongs to the temperate zone. The most western point (73º40′ E) lies west of Wuqia County in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Extreme eastern point (135º5′ E) is located at the confluence of the Heilongjiang (Amur) and Ussuri rivers. Northern the tip of the country (53º31′ N) is located on the fairway of the Heilongjiang River north of the city of Mohe. South point (4º15′ N) – Cape Zengmuansha at the southern tip of the Nansha archipelago.

Thus, the length of the country from north to south is approximately 5.5 thousand km, from west to east – 5.2 thousand km. China has long borders: the length of the land border reaches 22,143 km, of which more than 7.5 thousand km are on the border with the CIS countries, and the mainland coastline is more than 14,500 km.

In the northeast, China borders on North Korea, in the north - on Russia and Mongolia, in the northwest - on the former Soviet republics, and now independent member states of the CIS - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in the west and southwest - on Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan, in the south - with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. China also shares maritime borders with South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

China washed the waters of three seas - the Yellow, East China and South China, which are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea. It is characteristic that in Chinese-language literature the Bohai Gulf is often singled out as a separate sea.

Mainland coastline It is characterized by a generally flat topography and is dissected by numerous bays; there are many beautiful bays and convenient harbors, most of which are ice-free.

However, in recent years, a tendency for the water level to gradually rise has begun to be observed in the coastal strip. According to calculations by the State Oceanographic Administration of China, sea levels in the coastal areas of the country will constantly rise over the next 3-10 years. Currently, the highest rates of sea transgression are observed in the Tianjin region, where over the past 50 years the average annual rate of water level rise has been 2.5 mm, which is slightly higher than the world average. In general, the trend of “wave-like” sea level rise has continued in recent years. In 2003, the average sea level in the country was 60 mm higher than the level recorded in previous years. Apparently, one of the reasons for this is global warming.

The total area of ​​China's territorial waters is approximately 4.73 million sq km (data from different sources differ slightly), where there are more than 5.4 thousand islands. Of these, the largest are Taiwan and Hainan.

The most eastern islands China are Diaoyu and Chiweiyu, located northeast of Taiwan. The Diaoyu Islands (Japanese: Senkaku) are the subject of a territorial dispute between China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The total area of ​​this island group, lying on the continental shelf of the East China Sea, does not exceed 6.3 sq km. However, significant oil reserves were discovered here. Given that both China and Japan are among the world's largest oil importers, the dispute has significant political and economic implications.

There are also unresolved territorial issues in the South China Sea, primarily related to the Paracel Islands (Chinese). Xisha Qundao西沙群岛) and the Spratly Islands (Chinese. Nansha Qundao南沙群岛). The Paracel Islands are claimed by China and Vietnam, and a number of states are fighting over the Spratlys - China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. The area of ​​the Paracel Islands is approximately 3 sq km, and the island. Itu Aba, the largest of the Spratly Islands, is only 0.42 sq km, although the Spratly region itself has a length of more than 1000 km, where more than 100 islands are located. Again, despite the sufficient distance from the coast of China (the Paracel Islands are 250 km, and the Spratly Islands are 1000 km from Hainan Island) and the proximity to the coasts of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia (70-200 km), the dispute is, in fact, over the right to own oil fields, as well as for control over one of the most intense international shipping routes between the Pacific and Indian oceans, and, accordingly, over cargo flows of important economic importance (oil, ores, food, industrial products, etc.).

In addition, the very belonging of the island of Taiwan to China is not obvious, although the Chinese authorities recognize the existence of only one China. It declares that “Taiwan Province is an integral part of the People's Republic of China, and any state that has established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China must sever all official contacts with the Administration of Taiwan.”

© , 2009-2019. Copying and reprinting of any materials and photographs from the website in electronic publications and printed publications is prohibited.

Ancient China arose on the basis of Neolithic cultures that developed in the 5th - 3rd millennia BC. e. in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The Yellow River basin became the main territory for the formation of the ancient civilization of China, which developed for a long time in conditions of relative isolation. Only from the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. the process of expanding the territory begins in a southerly direction, first to the area of ​​the Yangza basin, and then further to the south. At the end of our era, the state of Ancient China extended far beyond the Yellow River basin, although the northern border of the ethnic territory of the ancient Chinese remained almost unchanged.

China occupies a significant part of the territory of East and Central Asia. The diversity of China's landscape is not surprising. This huge country stretches for five and a half thousand kilometers from the banks of the border Siberian Amur River in the north, to the tropical islands (at the latitude of Thailand) in the South China Sea in the south. And five thousand two hundred kilometers from west to east, from the Pamir passes to the Shandong Peninsula.

The terrain of China is predominantly mountainous, with significant elevation changes. There are two main parts of the territory - the western, or Central Asian, predominantly with high-mountain or plateau terrain, and the eastern, which is dominated by deeply dissected mid-altitude and low mountains, alternating with lowlands and plains. The south of the Central Asian part is occupied by the Tibetan Plateau.

Its base lies at an altitude of 4000-5000 meters. Along the outskirts of the highlands stretch the large mountain systems of the Karakoram, Kunlun, Nanshan and Sino-Tibetan mountains, with peaks of 7000-8000 meters or more. In the Himalayas, China owns only the northern slope, where the highest peak - Chomolungma (Chomolungma) or Everest - is located on the border of China and Nepal, 8848 meters above sea level. It is in these mountainous regions that the Yellow River and Yangtze originate, carrying their waters to the east - into the East China and South China Seas.

The north of the Central Asian part is a belt of plateaus, hills, plateaus and partly mountains. This belt includes in the West the Tarim and Dzungarian basins, separated by the Tien Shan mountain system, in the East - the elevated plains of the Gobi and Bargi and the Ordos Plateau. The prevailing heights are 900-1200 meters. In the South are the Nanling Mountains, the Jianghan Plain, the Guizhou Plateau, the Sichuan Basin and the Yunnan Plateau. This part also includes large islands, mainly with mountainous terrain - Taiwan and Hainan.

The central regions of China are the kingdom of the great Yangtze River, which supposedly divides the country into north and south. To the north of it is the Great Chinese Plain, through which another major river of China, the Yellow River, flows. The inhabitants of the plains built levees for many centuries in an effort to protect themselves and their fields from devastating floods.

The dams rose higher and higher as the river bed filled with silt, and now the Yellow River bed rises several meters above the surrounding area, the river flowing on its own sediment. To the south of the Yangtze, rice fields stretch for hundreds of kilometers - an integral part of Chinese landscapes. In the subtropical southeastern part of China rise the South China Mountains, the slopes of which are continuous terraces.

Here you can see tea plantations and the very “Chinese camellia” that has conquered the whole world.

In southern China, tea has been drunk for more than two thousand years. In the 9th century, tea spread from China to Japan, then to Korea. And tea came to Russia from Asia through Siberia. In 1567, Cossack atamans who visited China described a Chinese drink unknown in Rus'. A century later, tea appeared at the royal court, brought by Ambassador Vasily Starkov as a gift from the Mongol Khan.

Naturally, the climate in different areas of such a large country is different. China is located within three climatic zones: temperate, subtropical and tropical. Differences in air temperature are especially pronounced in winter. So, in January in Harbin the temperature often drops to -20° C, and at this time in Guangzhou +15° C.

In summer the temperature difference is not so great. Climatic contrasts can be fully experienced in the northwestern part of China. Here, hot summers give way to cold winters. Winter is most severe in the areas west of the Greater Khingan ridge, where average January temperatures drop to -28° C, and the absolute minimum temperature reaches -50° C. But in the summer there is real heat here, especially in the intermountain basins. The hottest place in China is the Turfan depression, which is located north of the Taklamakan desert, in the spurs of the Tien Shan. In July, the air here heats up to +50° C.

In Beijing, the climate is more familiar to Russians. In the North China Lowland, despite the proximity of the sea, a continental climate prevails. In winter, from October to March, icy winds from Siberia blow here, but the humidity is low, making the frost relatively easy to bear. In winter, when it snows, the pagodas and courtyards of the Summer Palace look incredibly picturesque. Then a short spring comes and sandstorms hit the city. Summer in Beijing is much hotter than, for example, in Moscow. In September, golden foliage indicates the approach of autumn.

In Shanghai, the climate is much warmer; in winter the temperature rarely drops below zero, but the air humidity is very high and amounts to 85–95%. In summer it is very hot and humid. Even further south, Guangzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate.

The summer monsoon carries a huge amount of water, so summers here are muggy and humid. In June–September there are heavy rains, typhoons often occur (their name comes from the Chinese phrase da feng - big wind), which cause downpours and hurricanes in these places. Winter is warm and humid.

The ideal time to travel to China is late spring, especially May. Warm and comfortable weather in most of China also occurs in autumn, in September–October, and in the south in November–December.

Topic of the article: Geographical location of China

Main rivers of China:

Yangtze - Length - 6300 km. The basin area is 1,807,199 sq. km.

The catchment areas are Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

Outflow into the East China Sea

Yellow River - Length - 5464 km. The basin area is 752,443 sq. km.

Catchment areas - Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong

Outflow into the Bohai Sea

Heilongjiang - Length - 3420 km. The basin area is 1,620,170 sq. km.

Catchment areas - Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang

Flow into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk

Zhujiang - Length - 2197 km. The basin area is 452,616 sq. km.

Drainage areas - Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong

Outflow into the South China Sea

Lancangjiang - Length - 2153 km. The basin area is 161,430 sq. km.

Catchment areas - Qinghai, Tibet and Yunnan

Outflow into the South China Sea

Yalutsangpo - Length - 2057 km. The basin area is 240,480 sq. km.

Catchment areas – Tibet

Flow into the Bay of Bengal

Nujiang - Length - 2013 km. The basin area is 124,830 sq. km.

Catchment areas - Tibet and Yunnan

Flow into the Bay of Bengal.

Main lakes of China

Qinghai - Area - 4583 sq. km. Depth - 32.8 m. Height - 3196 m. Qinghai.

Shinkai - Area - 4500 sq. km. Depth - 10 m. Height - 69 m. Heilongjiang.

Poyang - Area - 3583 sq. km. Depth - 16 m. Height - 21 m. Jiangxi.

Dongting - Area - 2820 sq. km. Depth - 30.8 m. Height - 34.5 m. Hunan.

Khulun-Nur - Area - 2315 sq. km. Depth - 8.0 m. Height - 545.5 m. Inner Mongolia.

Nam Tso - Area - 1940 sq. km. Height - 4593 m. Tibet.

Selling-Tso - Area - 1530 sq. km. Height - 4514 m. Tibet.

About a quarter of China's territory is washed by seas. The eastern and southeastern coasts of the country are washed by the waters of the Bohai (inland sea), Yellow, East China and South China seas. One after another, these seas form a water basin with a total area of ​​4.78 million square kilometers.

Geography of China

Introduction

China is a developed country in East Asia, the largest country in the world by population (over 1.3 billion), and ranks third in the world in terms of territory, behind Russia and Canada.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in December 1949, four Constitutions were adopted (in 1954, 1975, 1978 and 1982). In accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China (December 1982), the PRC is a socialist state under the democratic dictatorship of the people. The highest body of government is the unicameral National People's Congress (NPC), consisting of 2,979 deputies elected by regional people's congresses for a term of 5 years. Sessions of the NPC are convened on an annual basis. Due to the large number of deputies in the period between sessions, the functions of the NPC are performed by a standing committee elected from among the delegates (about 150 people). Only deputies from the Communist Party of China and the eight so-called democratic parties belonging to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) are allowed to participate in the elections ). Their own legislative bodies operate in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. All NPC deputies are representatives of the bloc of communists and democrats. The Chairman of the People's Republic of China is Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. This is a representative of the fourth generation of country leaders. The transition of power to this generation began in 2002, when Hu Jintao replaced Jiang Zemin as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. In March 2003, Hu Jintao was elected Chairman of the People's Republic of China, and in September 2004 - Chairman of the Central Military Council (CMC) of the CPC Central Committee. Previously, all these posts were also held by Jiang Zemin. On March 8, 2005, a session of the Chinese Parliament (National People's Congress) approved Jiang Zemin's request to resign from the post of Chairman of the Central Military Council of the PRC. Later, this post was also taken by Hu Jintao, which completed the process of change of power in the country's top leadership.

What is it washed with, what does it border on?

From the east, China is washed by the waters of the western seas of the Pacific Ocean. The area of ​​China is 9.6 million km². China is the largest country in Asia. The total length of China's land borders is 22,117 km with 14 countries. The Chinese coastline stretches from the border with North Korea in the north to Vietnam in the south and is 14,500 km long. China is bordered by the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea and South China Sea. The island of Taiwan is separated from the mainland by the Taiwan Strait.

Climate

China's climate is very diverse - from subtropical in the south to temperate in the north. On the coast, the weather is determined by the monsoons, which occur due to the different absorption properties of the land and ocean. Seasonal air movements and accompanying winds contain large amounts of moisture in the summer and are quite dry in the winter. The arrival and departure of the monsoons largely determine the amount and distribution of rainfall across the country. The huge differences in latitude, longitude and altitude across China give rise to a wide variety of temperature and meteorological regimes, despite the fact that most of the country lies in the temperate climate region.

More than 2/3 of the country is occupied by mountain ranges, highlands and plateaus, deserts and semi-deserts. Approximately 90% of the population lives in coastal areas and floodplains of large rivers such as the Yangtze, Yellow River and Pearl. These areas are in a difficult ecological condition as a result of long and intensive agricultural cultivation and environmental pollution.

China's northernmost province, Heilongjiang, has a temperate climate similar to that of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, while the southern island of Hainan is tropical. The temperature difference between these regions is large during the winter months, but the difference decreases in summer. In the northern part of Heilongjiang, temperatures in January can drop to −30 °C, with average temperatures around 0 °C. The average July temperature in this area is 20 °C. In the southern parts of Guangdong, the average temperature ranges from 10 °C in January to 28 °C in July. Precipitation changes even more than temperature. On the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains, numerous rains fall, the maximum of which occurs during the summer monsoons. As you move north and west of the mountains, the likelihood of rain decreases. The northwestern regions of the country are the driest; in the deserts located there (Taklamakan, Gobi, Ordos) there is practically no precipitation.

The southern and eastern regions of China often (about 5 times a year) suffer from destructive typhoons, as well as floods, monsoons, tsunamis and droughts. The northern regions of China are covered every spring by yellow dust storms, which originate in the northern deserts and are carried by winds towards Korea and Japan

Water resources

China has many rivers, with a total length of 220,000 km. Over 5,000 of them carry water collected from an area of ​​more than 100 square meters. km each. China's rivers form internal and external systems. The external rivers are the Yangtze, Yellow River, Heilongjiang, Zhujiang, Lancang, Nujiang and Yalutsangpo, which have access to the Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans, their total drainage area covers about 64% of the country's territory. Inland rivers, the number of which is small, are significantly distant from each other and have become shallow in most areas. They flow into the lakes of the interior or are lost in deserts or salt marshes; their drainage area covers about 36% of the country's territory.

There are many lakes in China, the total area they occupy is approximately 80,000 square meters. km. There are also thousands of artificial lakes - reservoirs. Lakes in China can also be divided into external and internal. The external ones include mainly freshwater lakes rich in aquatic products, such as Poyanghu, Dongtinghu and Taihu. Inland lakes include salt lakes, the largest of which is Lake Qinghai. Among the lakes in the interior, many are dry, such as Lob Nor and Juyan.

Relief

China's topography is very diverse, with high mountains, depressions, deserts and vast plains. There are usually three major geographical regions:

· The Tibetan Plateau, with an altitude of more than 2000 m above sea level, is located in the southwest of the country

· The belt of mountains and high plains has heights of 200-2000 m, located in the northern part

· Low accumulative plains below 200 m in height and low mountains in the northeast, east and south of the country, where most of China's population lives.

The Great Plain of China, the Yellow River Valley and the Yangtze Delta come together near the sea coast, stretching from Beijing in the north to Shanghai in the south. The basin of the Pearl River (and its main tributary, the Xijiang) is located in southern China and is separated from the Yangtze River basin by the Nanling Mountains and the Wuyi Range (which is a World Heritage Site in China).

In the direction from west to east, the Chinese relief forms three steps. The first of them is the Tibetan Plateau, where altitudes of more than 4000 meters above sea level prevail. The next step is formed by the mountains of Sichuan and Central China, whose heights range from 1500 to 3000 m. Here the vegetation changes dramatically, over relatively short distances there is a change in natural zones from high-mountain cold deserts to subtropical forest. The last step is the fertile plains, occupying altitudes below 1500 m above sea level.

Vegetation

There are about 500 species of bamboo in China, forming 3% of the forests. Bamboo thickets, found in 18 provinces, are not only a habitat for many animals, but also a source of valuable raw materials. Their woody culms (stems) are widely used in industry.

Minerals

China is rich in various types of fuel and raw mineral resources. Reserves of oil, coal, and metal ores are especially important. China has deposits of nearly 150 world-known minerals. The main source of energy in China is coal, its reserves in the country account for 1/3 of the world's reserves. Coal deposits, the reserves of which China is inferior to few countries, are concentrated mainly in Northern China. Large resources are also available in Northwestern China. Other regions, especially the southern ones, are poorer in coal. Most of the deposits are represented by coal. Coal deposits are mainly located in North and Northeast China. The largest coal reserves are concentrated in Shanxi province (30% of total reserves) - Datong and Yangquan coal mines. Another important source of energy resources is oil. In terms of oil reserves, China holds a prominent place among the countries of Central, East and Southeast Asia. Oil deposits have been discovered in various areas, but they are most significant in Northeast China (Sungari-Nonni Plain), coastal areas and the shelf of Northern China, as well as in some inland areas - the Dzungarian Basin, Sichuan.

Historical background

Chinese civilization is one of the oldest in the world. According to Chinese scientists, its age may be five thousand years, while the available written sources cover a period of at least 3,500 years. The presence of administrative management systems, which were improved by successive dynasties, and the early development of the largest agricultural centers in the basins of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, created advantages for the Chinese state, whose economy was based on developed agriculture, compared to its nomadic neighbors and mountaineers. Chinese civilization was further strengthened by the introduction of Confucianism as a state ideology (1st century BC) and a unified writing system.

The defeat of militaristic Japan in August-September 1945 ended World War II, liberating the countries of the Asia-Pacific region from Japanese troops. There was a fierce civil war in China.