China Essay, Research Paper

Land and Resources

China is located in Eastern Asia. Fourteen countries border it, the most bordering a country in the world. The country s total area is nine million five hundred and seventy-one thousand and three hundred kilometers. It is the third largest country in the world. China includes more than three thousand and four hundred off coast islands.

China has a great diversity of landscapes and a corresponding variety of natural resources. China s higher elevations are found in the west, where some of the world s highest mountain ranges are located. Mountains occupy fourty-three percent of the country s land. Tien Shan, Kunlun Mountains, and Qin Ling are very old mountain ranges in China. The Himalayas are very young compared to them. The country s numerous mountain ranges contain several plateaus and basins.

The North China Plain, the largest flat lowland area in China, consists of fertile soils. Most of the plain is under intense cultivation. Located to the east, the Shandong Plateau on the Shandong Peninsula consists of two distinct areas of mountains flanked by rolling hills. The rocky coast of the peninsula provides some good natural harbors.

China s climate is diverse. It is tropical in the south and subarctic in the north. Monsoons control China s climate. In winter, cold dry winds blow out of the high-pressure system of central Siberia, bringing low temperatures to all regions north of the Yangtze River and drought to most of the country. In summer, warm moist air flows inland from the Pacific Ocean, producing rainfall in the form of cyclonic storms. Amounts of precipitation decline rapidly with distance from the sea. The basins of the northwest receive little precipitation. Summer temperatures are consistent throughout most of the country, but extreme temperature differences between north and south characterize the winters.

A broad range of climatic types, from the subarctic to tropical supports a variety of plant life. Dense tropical rain forests are found in the southern region. These forests consist of broadleaf evergreens intermixed with palms. Subtropical vegetation extends north to the Yangtze Valley and west to the Tibetan Plateau. This zone is especially rich in species, including evergreen oak, ginkgo, bamboo, pine, azalea, and camellia. Also found are forests with laurel and magnolia and a dense undergrowth of smaller shrubs and bamboo thickets. Conifers and mountain grasses dominate plant life at higher elevations.

People

China is the most populated country in the world. Ninety-two percent of the population belong to the Han ethnic group. The government has been trying to control overpopulation. They encourage couples to only have one child and have incentives for those who do. Most people speak Standard Chinese or Mandarin.