China Natural Environment

China occupies the eastern part of the continent of Asia up to the coast with the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea.  North of its border are the desert plains and mountains of Mongolia and the eastern region of Russia; to its northeast is Korea; to its west are the plateaus and highlands of the central Asia republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan; along its southern borders are the Himalayan countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan and the highlands that separate China from Southeast Asian countries of Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.
 
The country has an area of 9.6 million sq km and is the third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada.  The distance between the east and west ends of the country is about 5,200 km, and that between the north and south is about 5,500 km.  Off its eastern and south-eastern coasts are many islands; the largest one is Taiwan, followed by Hainan Island off the south-west coast.
 
Mountains, plateaus, highlands and deserts, mainly in the western region, cover about two-thirds of the country.  The major mountain ranges include Tien Shan near the Kazakhstan border in the northwest, the Himalayan Mountains in the south, and the Kunlun Mountain Range in the middle of the country (which forms the watershed separating the Yellow and Yangtze river basins).  From the west, the terrain gradually slopes downwards towards the east until the land becomes coastal plains and deltas.
 
The highest region is the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, which has an elevation of over 4,000 m above sea level.  Extending from this region to the northeast are the highlands of the Inner Mongolian steppes, and to the southeast are the highlands of Yunnan north of the border with Vietnam and Laos.  This highland region is generally too cold and dry for agriculture.  The terrain immediately to the east of Qinghai-Tibet is still covered with mountains and gorges although gradually descending to about 1,000 to 2,000 m, until the land gets nearer to the coast where one will find large floor plains. 
 
As the terrain descends from the west to the east, the country’s great rivers, the Yellow River (5,500 km), the Yangtze River (6,300 km), the Pearl River and the Heilongjiang (along the border in the northeast with Russia), all flow from the west to the east. 
 
The great rivers of China have played an important in shaping China’s history. 
 
The Yellow River, Yangtze and Pearl River basins all produce fertile land for agriculture and historically have been heavily populated.  Unfortunately, the first two rivers have from time immemorial caused disastrous floods, significant destruction and deaths periodically. 
 
The Yellow River is the cradle of China’s civilisation, because it brings vast amounts of yellow sediments from the loessial plateau upstream and deposits them along the way as it course through Northern China – hence the name “Yellow River”, to produce fertile land downstream for agriculture.  However, for the same reason, the lower reaches of the river have changed course 26 times in China's history, causing untold misery.   On the other hand, the river delta has continued to be enlarged by the alluvium deposits so that in the last few decades, the river has lengthened by at least 45 km.
 
The Yangtze also produces a similar story of flood and destruction in China’s history.  However, as it produces nearly 20 times more flow than the Yellow River and has less suspended alluvium in its waters, the Three Gorges Dams are being built to tame the river and harness its hydropower.  While some environmentalists have voiced concern about this project, the dams should be seen in the context of past deaths and destructions, and lives saved and miseries avoided in the future.