# Geography By [jone1314168](https://paragraph.com/@jone1314168) · 2021-10-29 --- China's landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from the [Gobi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobi_Desert) and [Taklamakan Deserts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_Desert) in the arid north to the [subtropical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtropical) forests in the wetter south. The [Himalaya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalaya), [Karakoram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakoram), [Pamir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamir_Mountains) and [Tian Shan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Shan) mountain ranges separate China from much of [South](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia) and [Central Asia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asia). The [Yangtze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_River) and [Yellow Rivers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_River), the third- and sixth-longest in the world, respectively, run from the [Tibetan Plateau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Plateau) to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the [Pacific Ocean](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean) is 14,500 km (9,000 mi) long and is bounded by the [Bohai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohai_Sea), [Yellow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Sea), [East China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_China_Sea) and [South China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Sea) seas. China connects through the Kazakh border to the [Eurasian Steppe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Steppe) which has been an artery of communication between East and West since the Neolithic through the [Steppe route](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppe_Route) – the ancestor of the terrestrial [Silk Road](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_UNESCO_World_Heritage_Sites)(s).\[[_citation needed_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)\] ### Landscape and climate _Further information:_ [_Great Green Wall (China)_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Green_Wall_\(China\)) The territory of China lies between [latitudes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latitude) [18°](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_parallel_north) and [54° N](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_parallel_north), and [longitudes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude) [73°](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/73rd_meridian_east) and [135° E](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/135th_meridian_east). The [geographical center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_center) of China is marked by the Center of the Country Monument at [35°50′40.9″N 103°27′7.5″E](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=China¶ms=35_50_40.9_N_103_27_7.5_E_region:CN-62_type:landmark&title=Geographical+center+of+China). China's landscapes vary significantly across its vast territory. In the east, along the shores of the [Yellow Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Sea) and the [East China Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_China_Sea), there are extensive and densely populated [alluvial plains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alluvium), while on the edges of the Inner Mongolian plateau in the north, broad [grasslands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassland) predominate. Southern China is dominated by hills and low mountain ranges, while the central-east hosts the [deltas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_delta) of China's two major rivers, the [Yellow River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_River) and the [Yangtze River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_River). Other major rivers include the [Xi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_River), [Mekong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong), [Brahmaputra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmaputra_River) and [Amur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amur_River). To the west sit major mountain ranges, most notably the Himalayas. High [plateaus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plateau) feature among the more arid landscapes of the north, such as the [Taklamakan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_Desert) and the [Gobi Desert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobi_Desert). The world's highest point, [Mount Everest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest) (8,848 m), lies on the Sino-Nepalese border.[\[136\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-152) The country's lowest point, and the world's third-lowest, is the dried lake bed of [Ayding Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayding_Lake) (−154 m) in the [Turpan Depression](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpan_Depression).[\[137\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-153) [Li River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_River) near [Guilin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin), [Guangxi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangxi) China's climate is mainly dominated by [dry seasons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_season) and wet [monsoons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoons), which lead to pronounced temperature differences between winter and summer. In the winter, northern winds coming from high-latitude areas are cold and dry; in summer, southern winds from coastal areas at lower latitudes are warm and moist.[\[138\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-154) A major environmental issue in China is the continued [expansion of its deserts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertification), particularly the Gobi Desert.[\[139\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-155)[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-156) Although barrier tree lines planted since the 1970s have reduced the frequency of [sandstorms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstorms), prolonged drought and poor agricultural practices have resulted in [dust storms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_dust) plaguing northern China each spring, which then spread to other parts of East Asia, including Japan and Korea. China's environmental watchdog, [SEPA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Environmental_Protection_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China), stated in 2007 that China is losing 4,000 km2 (1,500 sq mi) per year to desertification.[\[141\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-157) Water quality, [erosion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion), and [pollution control](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_in_China) have become important issues in China's relations with other countries. Melting [glaciers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaciers) in the Himalayas could potentially lead to [water shortages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_shortage) for hundreds of millions of people.[\[142\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-msnbc-158) According to academics, in order to limit [climate change in China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_China) to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) electricity generation from [coal in China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_in_China) without [carbon capture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_storage) must be phased out by 2045.[\[143\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-159) Official government statistics about Chinese agricultural productivity are considered unreliable, due to exaggeration of production at subsidiary government levels.[\[144\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-160)[\[145\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#cite_note-161) Much of China has a climate very suitable for agriculture and the country has been the world's largest producer of [rice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_production_in_China), wheat, tomatoes, eggplant, grapes, watermelon, spinach, and many other crops. --- *Originally published on [jone1314168](https://paragraph.com/@jone1314168/geography)*