China has a great variety of land forms, climate and
vegetation. Much of China is
mountainous. Only about 15 percent of
the land in the east is low and flat.
The greater part of
China in the west covered with high mountains and plateaus. The important mountain ranges are the Kailas,
the Kunlun, the Tien Shan and the Nan Shan. All of these ranges are over 5000
metres in height.
Tibet is the world’s highest plateau ad is known as the
‘Roof of the World’.
Takla Makan is a
barren desert to the north of Tibet. The
Gobi is a famous desert in the interior of China. Most of these highlands are barren and of
little use to man.
Several big rivers of Asia rise amid the snow-capped peaks
of tese mountains. The Yangtze Kiang, the Hwang Ho and the Sikiang are the
three greatest rivers of China. All of
them flow from west top east to join the Pacific Ocean. The eastern part of China is a land of three
river basins. A few hills separate one river basin from
another. Her most of the land is flat
and fertile. These plains have been made by the alluvium brought by the three great rivers.
The Yangte Kiang is China’s most important river. It flows through the Great Northern Plain of
China. It carries huge amount of yellow silt.
Owing to the district colour of
its slit, the Hwang Ho is often called the Yellow River. The Hwang HO is notorious for its disastrous
floods. With every flood, houses are
washed away, crops ruined and lives lost. That is why, it is known as China’s
Sorrow The Communist
government has built several big dams
across this river to controlfor irrigation.
To the west of the Great Northern Plain, there is a regin
of hills and Plateau. It is covered with deep layers of fine, powdery slit called
loess.The Si Kiang is China’s third great river. It flows through the southern part of China. The
valley of Si Kiang is narrow bounded by hills
and mountains.
China has a modified form of monsoon climate. It differs from the Tropical monsoon climate
in the coldness of the winter season.Most of the rainfall occurs in summer but winter rainfall is not altogether absent. Summer rainfall is mainly caused by the South
east monsoon. The amount of rainfall in China decreases steadily from south to
north.
Agriculture
China is mainly an agricultural country. More than 75 per cent of its population is
engaged in agriculture. Since, the greater part of China
is eigher mountainous or dry, agricultural land is limited. Only 12 per cent of the total land is suitable for cultivation.
With a very large population to be fed emphasis has always
been on food crops, rice is the principal food crop in southern and central China. Two or even three crops of
rice are regularly harvested in many parts.
China is the leading producer of rice in the world. Wheat is the
major food crop in northern China.
Barley, millets, maize sweet, potatoes and soyabean are other important
food crops. Cotton tea, sugarcane,
tobacco, oilseeds are important ash crops, a large variety of vegetables and
fruit is also grown in the country.
Till 1949, when the Communists came into power, most of the
people in China lived in villages. They
cultivated small plots of land in a
traditional manner. In 1958 small fields
and villatges were grouped in big farms called communes. Tractors and other farm machinery were used on many
communes.
Silk production is another important occupation in
China. Silk is produced by silkworms
Catle are scarce in China.
Pig, chickens and ducks are widely reared all over the country fishing
is a popular occupation with many people in southern China.
Minerals
and Industries
-China is rich in several minerals, it has large reserves
of good quality coal, tungsten, antimony andmagnesium. Iron ore, copper,zinc, lead, bauxite,
sulphure are some other important minerals.
-Oil has been discovered
are several places but reserves
are unknown
-Coal is most abundant. Two largest coalfields of China
occur in the loess plateau of shensi and Shansi and in the Szechgwan basin
-Iron ore deposits
are found in Manchyuria, iner Mongolia, Sinkiang and near Paotow. China
is one of the leading, producers of
antimony and tungsten in the world.
Population
and the People
-About 75 percent of the Chinese live in the fertile river
basins of the Hwang Ho, Yangtze Kiang and Si Kiang. In these fertile lands the average density
may range from 400 to 800 persons per square kilometer. Large tracts of Tibet,
Mongolia and the mountainous region are very
sparsely populated.
-Like Indians, the Chinese are a people of ancient culture
and tradition. The population consists
of several races such as the Mongols, Tibetans and Huns the majority of the
people and Buddhists. Some are Taoists who follow the teachings of
Lao-tse. In inner Mongolia Sinkiang and
Tibet, there are also many Muslims.
Taiwan
Taiwan is a small island which lies about 150 kilometres
off the coast of south-eastern
China. It has a separate government of
its own and is often called Nationalist China.
It has population of about 19 million rice is the main crop of the island recently is has made
progress in several industries, the capital of Taiwan is Taipei.
Major
Industrial Region of China
There are seven major industrial regions in China.
1. Manchuria: The
‘Anshan-Fushun-Shenyang’ or Mukden Triangle’ has China’s greatest are
for heavy industry. The availability of
both coal and iron ore is the basis of the iron and steel industry. Automobile
and chemicals industry also flourish here.
2. Tianjin-Beijing
(Tienstin-Peking) Area: Shanshi and Hebei have rich coal deposits
which give rise to the
metallurgical and engineering industries here. Ship-building textiles and chemicals are important in Tianjun and light industries,
textiles and machine – making in Beijing, the national capital.
3.Shanshi-Baotou
Area: China’s largest coalfield, in the provinces of Shensi and
Shansi and the presence of iron-ore,
with a metallic content of about 50% has contributed to iron and steel
industries of such towns as Baotou, Taiyuan, and Datong.
4. Lower Chang Jiang
(Yangtze Kiang) Area: China’s oldest
industrial region. Shanghai is famous
for cotton textile mills. Some of them are
the largest in Asia. Shanghai, being the premier part of China, also
handles the bulk of the foreign trade.
There are also shipyards, oil refineries, flour mills, steel plants,
engineering and metal works in the lower
Chang Jiang region.
5. Wuhan Area:
In the Central Chang Jiang and Han Basin three large towns, Wuchang, Hanyang
and Hankou from the conurbation of Wuhan.
The iron and Steel works here are based on Pingsiang coal and Tayeh iron
ore. The Chang Jiang forms an easy means
of communication for assembling the
raw-materials and disposal of the finished products.
6. Si. Kiang (Xi Jiang) Delta Region: At the mouth of the Si Kiang is the port of
Canton (Guangzhou) Industries including iron and steel, shipbuilding, textiles,
chemicals brewing, handicrafts and food processing are important Canton is
famous for Silk. Its proximity to Hong
Kong has stimulated trade and industries.
7. Sichuan
(Szechwan): Sichuan province above the
Chang Jiang garge has many important industries around Chungkingand Chengu.
8. Other Industrial Cities:
i)Anning, Kiuchuan (Iron and Steel)
ii)Yumen and hangzhou (Oil refining)
iii)Lanchow (Chemicals, textiles mining equipments)
iv)Kunming
(Chemicals, machinery, textiles)