Geography of China

Ch. 19 Geography and Settlement of China

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Tibet-Qinghai (Tih-bet Ching-hi) Plateau
OR
The Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau is often called the "Roof of the World."

The Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau is rocky land surrounded by towering mountains. Because of its high elevation, the climate is very cold. The air is thin and dry. It even snows in the summer.

Multiple Choice

Why do you think geographers call the Tibetan Plateau the "Roof of the World"?

• It is very large and at a very high elevation

• It is hidden in the clouds like the sky

• If you stand on it you are at the highest point on earth

• You can't breathe there

The Taklimakan Desert

Covers an area of about 105,000 square miles. It is considered one of the most dangerous deserts in the world. Its name means "once you go in, you will not come out". Desert winds and huge sand dunes bring dangerous sandstorms. Legend says that two armies and 300 cities are buried here.

Multiple Choice

What makes the Taklimakan Desert so dangerous?

• thousands of miles across

• sandstorms

• high temps in summer, low temps in winter

• All of these

The Gobi Desert

Stretching over 500,000 miles, the Gobi Desert is one of the world's largest. Most of the desert is stony.

Multiple Choice

The Gobi Desert is used as a training ground for astronauts. Why do you think that is?

• It gets really hot there.

• It is really huge.

• It has a similar environment to places like Mars.

• It is at a high elevation.

The Northeastern Plain is located east of present-day Mongolia.  It is a land of low hills and plains. The natural vegetation is mostly prairie grass. In ancient times, the grass provided food for horses, sheep, and other animals raised by herders. Two major rivers run through the Northeastern Plain: the Liao (lyow) and the Sungari (SOONG-guh-ree). ​

​The Northeastern Plain

Multiple Choice

Why do you think the Northeastern Plain would be good for farming?

• It had flat land for planting.

• It had grasslands for grazing animals.

• Two rivers run through it.

• All of these

One of the two major regions in Inner China is the North China Plain, a flat region of grassland. Temperatures range from very warm in the summer to quite cold in the winter.

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​The North China Plain

This region is sometimes called the “Land of the Yellow Earth” because the ground is covered by yellow limestone silt. The silt comes from the Gobi Desert. It is carried by the wind to the North China Plain. The river that runs through the plain is also full of yellow silt. The silt gives the river its name, Huang He (Yellow River).

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​North China Plain

Multiple Choice

The Huang He River helps farmers with its fertile silt. What risk could it pose to farmers?

• Too fertile

• It could flood too much

• It could dry up

• None of these

The Chang Jiang Basins are areas of low, wet coastal plains. The basins are located along the river called the Chang Jiang.

This river is even longer than the Huang He. In fact, Chang Jiang means “Long River.” It has hundreds of tributaries. People use the river to move goods between eastern and western areas of the region.

​The Chang Jiang Basins

Multiple Choice

The Chang Jiang River was useful for many things including

• transportation of goods

• party boats

• surfing

• None of these

China is surrounded by water to the east. These seas became part of the Pacific Ocean further out.

​Yellow Sea
East China Sea
South China Sea

Multiple Choice

What could the seas provide people in ancient China?

• drinking water

• water for crops

• seafood source

• All of these