China and Mongolia

Landforms

East Asia spans the snowy peaks of the himalaya in the west all the way to the Japanese islands in the east.

The southwest of China contains high plateaus, and the northwest streches wide into dry deserts.

Mongolia is mostly and upland plateau with mountains in the north and south interrupted by basins.

Landforms

The landforms of China can be divided in two parts: the mountains and plateaus of the west and the plains and hills of the east

Gonga Shan is the highest point of China, with 24,790 ft (7,556m) and the lowest point is the turpan deppresion, with 426ft (130 m) under the sea level

The highest plateau in East Asia is the Plateau of Tibet (or the plateau of Xizang), which forms a large Part of china's southwest

Rivers

China's major rivers originate on the Plateau of Tibet and flow eastward, down from the plateau and across the lowland plains to the Pacific ocean.

In northern China, the major river sistem is the Huang He, or Yellow river. The river gets this name for the sediment load of yellowish-brown topsoil it carries.

Rivers

The longest of Central china's rivers is the Chang Jiang, or Yangtze River, which flows for 3,434miles (5,525 km)

The recent construction of the Three Gorges Dam helps control flooding along the lower portions of the river and provides water for irrigation and hydroelectric power.

The Xi river and its tributaries form the largest major river system in southern China.

China's grand canal is the world's longest human-made waterway

Mountains

In far western China, a mountain range called the Pamirs forks a node from which several other ranges radiate. This remote interior region includes the Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan ranges.

The Altay Shan range, farther north, lies along part of the border between China and Mongolia.

Mountains

China is separated from South Asia by the Himalaya, the world's highest mountains and the location of the world's highest peak.

Mongolia has areas of mountains in the north and the south with basins in between. Some contain remnants of extinct volcanoes.

Climates

China's climates are extremely diverse, ranging from tropical in the south to subartic in the north.

A humid subtropical climate, with hot summers and heavy rains, characterizes the midlatitudes of much of eastern China and the island of Taiwan.

Deserts such as the Gobi and the Taklimakan, and the steppe lands experience extreme temperatures. Daytime temperatures can fall as much as 55F degrees overnight. Temperatures in the gobi rage from 100F degrees to -30F degrees, although thet average 73F degrees in summer and 0F degrees in winter.

Climates

In mountains the higher the elevation is, the cooler the temperature is. For example, the average high temperature in the plateau of tibet is a cool 58F degrees

The tropical wet climate has high-temperatures year-round.

In summer, the rainy monsoons, or seasonal winds.

Heat and humidity from the pacific ocean arrive in China during the summer monsoon, which

blows from southeast to northeast.

Biomes and resources

Humid forests dominate the south and east, while the north and west are characterized by dry highlands and grasslands.

Deciduoud trees and evergreens with broad leaves both flourish in this part of Asia. The tree-like grass bamboo grows in many warmer areas, this fast growoing plant-some species grow as much as one foot per day- is also hardy and versatile. It can be used for everything from medicine, food, and decoration to building material. It also provides food for two rare mammals: the giant panda and the smaller red panda.

Biomes and resources

Other native plants with value are the mulberry tree, whose leaves are food for silk worms, and the tea bush. Tea, silk, and bamboo have always been important and are symbols of Chinese culture.

Lower mountain slopes bloom with meadows, grass, flowers, and trees. No trees grow above the timberline: only mosses and colorful lichens survive here.

Managing resources

China's growing economy properity has fueled a demand for more electric power. China is now the number one electricity consumer worldwide.

While hydroelectric plants provide some power to china, the country's main source of power it comes from burning fossil fuels.

China and Mongolia both utilize large local reserves of coal. Rising oil prices make it difficult to end this dependency on cheaper coal.

Managing resources

Future plans, however, involve the construction of at least 100 more nuclear plants.

Power from nuclear plants in an option for many countries, but China has been slow to embrace it. Nuclear power provides only 1 percent of China's electricity.

Mongolias valueable mineral deposits are putting its enviroment at risk. Mining often has long-term detrimental effects such as water resources contamined with toxins and dead zones around open-pit lines

Human impact

In a world increasingly connected by the internet and business and cultural exchanges, globalization exerts a stronger influence on chinese life than ever before

When the communists triumphed in 1949, the only area of the country able to mantain international connections was Hong Kong, ruled by the British.

The loosening of government control has resulted in the rise of regional identities, which had been suppressed before the late 1970s.

Human impact

Since the end of the cold war, the balance of power in East Asia has shifted, with china rising to the top.

China's phyisical geography could potentially cause major problems in the future. Two of China's great rivers, the Huang He and the Chang Jiang, have often produces disastrous floods. Flood control of the river has been attemped by constructing drainage channels and irrigation canals to carry away or redirect the water. Levees, dikes, and dams have also been built. Still, terrible flooding.

Addresses and Issues

Industrial and economic growth has created very real benefits for the Chinese people.

The impact of China's economic boom on the enviroment and human health has been enormous.

Blowing coal dust in the northern industrial areas worsens air pollution and causes many people to suffer from lung diseases.

Burning coal creates not only air pollution, but also acid rain.

Addresses and issues

Like other rapidly urbanizing countries, China has trouble disposing of wates. Pollution has made cancer be the leading cause of death in China.

China's large population and thriving industry depend on huge qhatities of lumber. So each year Chine cuts down thoushands of acres of trees.

Disasters such as the floods prompted China to plant trees on million of acres of deforested riverbanks.

Traditional Chinese medicines often utilize products delivered from rare and exotic animals.

Some areas in china are protected like the bamboo groves in the western Sichuan province.

History and government

China's culture spands more than 5,000 years.

Archeological evidence indicates it began in the Wei River Valley around 1766 B.C.

This Shang dynasty arose on the North China Plain. They faced attacks by nomads of central Asia, rebellions by local nobles and natural disasters. This dynasty ruled for 700 years until 1046 b.c.

The Zhou (JOH) dynasty ruled for the next 800 years. Under its rule, Trade grew, Chinese culture spread, and the making of iron tools began. Crossbows, ox-drawn plows, and horseback riding were introduced, as were widespread irrigation and other efforts to control water. This helped to increase crop yields.

China's most famous teacher and philosopher, Conficius, lived during the Zhou dynasty. He founded the system of though called confuciaism. It still has a big impact in China and other Asian civilizations nowadays

Population patterns

Ethnic Han Chinese comprise the 92% of china with more than 1.3 billion people.

Chinese people who immigrated to taiwain make most of the population of the country. Only 2% of Taiwan's population are original inhabitants.

Most inhabitants of Mongolia are ethnic Mongolians. About 80% are Khalka Mongols and speak Mongolians. Other Mongolians belong to different linguistic groups.

Population Patterns

About 90% of the chinese population live on one-sixth of the land

Mongolia's population density is 5 people per sq.mile over its vast steppe regions. Most of Mongolia's 3 million people live in the north-central part of the country

Chinese government made a one-child per family policy in 1979, this ended in 2015.

Society and culture today.

China's government has made efforts to improve the literacy in the general population because in the past only wealthy people could read and write.

Mandarin, a dialect of Han Chinese, dominates spoken language in China. Written Chines uses ideograms, symbolic pictures that stand for ideas, unlike Western languages, which use letters to represent sounds.

Society and culture today

Life expectancy has risen to over 75 years due to better health care.

Some chinese are identified as atheists, or those who do not believe in a deity, but others practice Buddhism, Daoism, and Islam.

Economy

A little more than one-third of China's workforce is involved in agriculture, maiking it the largest segment of the economy.

Since 1949, the agricultural sector has seen many changes enforced by the government. But Chinese leaders instituted new policies in the 1980s that encouraged the development of small family farms

Economy

At the beggining of the 21 century, chinese farms began operating under different conditions. And after the market reforms that china made in 2010 it became he world's larger exporter.

China's waterways provide important routes for the trade of goods to seaports.

Although China's economy is strong and its global trade aspirations ambitious, positive political reforms have lagged.

Hong kong's robust economy is due in large part to its proximity to Shenzhen, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that welcomes foreign investment