| |
Geographical information
China, the third-largest country in the world, is surrounded by the deserts of Mongolia, the inhospitable Tibetan plateau and the Himalaya in the west, and the East and South China seas. The topography included in China's vast panorama runs the gamut from towering mountains to featureless plains, the terrain descends across the planet from Tibet's 'roof of the world' in the west, down through the Inner Mongolia Plateau and east to the plains of the Yangzi River valley. In the south-west, the Yunnan-Guizhbou Plateau has a lacerated terrain with numerous gorge rapids, waterfalls, underground caverns and limestone pinnacles. Inland features include the Taklamakan. Desert shifting salt lakes and the Turpan Depression (China's hottest region, and known as the Oasis of Fire). Melting snow from the mountains of western China and the Tibetan Plateau provides the headwaters for many of the country's major trade routes: the Yangzi, Yellow, Mekong and Salween rivers.
|
|
Nature
| Flora | China's plant life is threatened by deforestation, grazing and intensive cultivation. The last great tracts of forest are in the subarctic north-eastern region near the Russian border, while the tropical south is home to the country's most diverse plant life, including rainforest. Tropical South China's dense rain forests contain broadleaf evergreens intermixed with palms. Subtropical East Central China is especially rich in plant species: oak, ginkgo, bamboo, pine, azalea, camellia, laurel, and magnolia all grow here. Forests often have dense undergrowth of smaller shrubs and bamboo thickets. Conifers and mountain grasses dominate at higher elevations. In the eastern portion of the Mongolian Steppe, drought-resistant grasses grow. The Tibetan Plateau, especially at lower elevations with greater humidity, contains tundra vegetation, consisting of grasses and flowers. China's many useful plants include bamboo, ginseng, angelica and fritillary. | | Fauna | The diverse habitats in China support a wide range of fauna, from arctic species in north-east China and Tibet to many tropical species in southern China. Some species that have become extinct elsewhere still survive in China. Among these are great paddlefishes of the Yangtze River, species of alligator and salamander, giant pandas (found only in south-western China), and Chinese water deer (found only in China and Korea). Magnificent animals endemic to China include pandas, snow leopards, elephants, argali sheep, wild yaks, reindeer, moose, musk deer, bears, sables and tigers. Bird-watchers can spot cranes, ducks, bustards, egrets, swans and herons in the country's lakes and nature reserves (of which there are more than 300). | | National parks | Nanwenquan Park (South Hot Spring), 15 miles south of the city Chongqing, is a park in the mountains of China. |
|
|
Climate
China is a large nation and has a great diversity of climates: from tropical conditions in the south to a sub-arctic climate in the north. The north-east experiences hot and dry summers and is known for cold winters. It also has almost continuous rainfall. The central area experiences long, hot summers and short, cold winters, and rain most of the year. In the south, the summers are semi-tropical and the winters are cool. It mostly rains from April to October. Along the coast, fog rolls in at least 80 days per year.
|
|
