China's Diverse Geography: Regions, Rivers, Mountains
1. Interesting facts about the geography of China
In general, the country can be divided into two areas: the South and
the North. A geographical line formed by Qinling Mountain and Huai
River is usually seen as the boundary of these two large areas. The
climate, landscape, as well as people’s lifestyle varies a lot between
the North and the South. However, this doesn’t automatically mean
that inside each area there is a great similarity.
That’s part of the reason why there are 34 administrative divisions,
including 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, four municipalities
directly under the central government, and two special administrative
regions. The concept of the province is similar to “state” in the US and
“county” in the UK. Among the 34 divisions, there are world-renown
cities like Beijing, Shanghai (both of which are super metropolis), Xi’an
and Henan (famous for their rich cultural heritage). Others are known
for their natural landscapes and great views, like Tibet and Yunnan.
The largest administrative region of the country is Xinjiang
autonomous region, which makes up one-sixth of China’s overall
territory. Guangdong province has the largest population, which is
more than 1 billion.
2. Some interesting facts
China’s terrain is high in the west and low in the east. The average
altitude of Tibet is above 4000 meters whereas the altitude of the
coastal plain in the southeast can be a few meters high only. This is
why the two longest river, Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and
many others flow from the west to the east. When people living in east
China travel to Tibet, they might have the so-called “Altitude Sickness”
because their bodies can’t get acclimated to the change of the height
in such a short time.
3. As mentioned above, the longest river in China is the Yangtze River,
which is 6300 kilometers long. It is the third longest river in the world,
after the Nile and the Amazon River. But these two rivers flow through
several countries while the whole Yangtze River is within China’s
territory. Another important river in China is the Yellow River, which got
its name because of the color of the water. The regions along the
Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese Civilization. So the river has got
another name, River Mother.
4. After rivers, we come to the mountains. Mount Everest is the highest
mountain in China and also in the world. It is 8,848 meters high and is
still gradually rising! The summit of Everest is literally the top of the
world and the ultimate dream of all hikers. Beside Everest, there are
many other mountains in different regions across China. Some of them
are famous for their historic heritage while others have spectacular
views!
Well, I hope you now have gotten to know China a little bit better
geographically. Compared to a general overview, I believe it will be
more interesting to read more about what you find fun so I will write
more on this topic in the future!