Chapter 19
Studying China
To understand Chinese
history and geography,
it’s helpful to divide it
into 2 main areas: Outer
China and Inner China.
 Most of Chinese history
involves only Inner
China.
 The 2 areas did not
become 1 country until
the 1600s C.E., but the
geography of both areas
affected the early
settlement and history of
China.
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Overview
Modern day China is
home to about 1.2 billion
people, more than any
other country.
 That’s 1/5 of the world’s
population!
 It was much smaller in
ancient times, though.
 China is a land of
extremes with weather
varying from ice storms
in the mountains to sand
storms in the deserts.
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The Tibetan Plateau
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The southwestern part of
Outer China is dominated
by the Tibetan Plateau.
The plateau is so large it
covers almost a quarter of
the land in China.
This area is often called
“The Roof of the World”
because of its extremely
high elevation.
Because the land is so
high, the air is thin and dry,
and it stays cold with snow
even in the summer.
The Himalayas are on the
southern edge of the
plateau.
The Gobi Desert
The northwestern part of
Outer China is known
for its great deserts,
including the Gobi and
Taklimakan.
 Stretching over 500,000
square miles, the Gobi
Desert is one of the
world’s largest deserts.
 Most of the Gobi Desert
is stony, not sandy.
 Its surface is made up of
small pebbles and tiny
bits of sand.

The Taklimakan Desert
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The Taklimakan Desert is
about 105,000 square
miles and is considered
one of the most dangerous
deserts in the world.
In fact, its name means,
“Once you go in, you will
not come out.”
Sandstorms arise with
stunning speed, and
legend says that 2 armies
and 300 cities are buried
600 feet beneath the sand
dunes.
In ancient times, this
helped protect Inner China
from outside invaders.
The Huang He (Yellow River)
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The ground of the Gobi
Desert is covered by
yellow limestone silt which
gets swept away by winds
to the North China Plain.
There, it mixes with the
waters of the Huang He
River making it appear
yellow.
While the Huang He helps
farmers, it has also been
the source of many
disasters for China.
In the past 3,000 years,
the river is said to have
flooded more than 1,500
times!
Other Rivers
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The Chang Jiang is even
longer than the Huang He.
In fact, its name means
“Long River.”
The climate around this
river is warm and wet
making it an excellent
region for growing rice.
The Sungari is a very deep
river.
When it freezes in the
winter, people use it as a
road!
Both rivers are used for
transporting people and
goods by boat.
Early Settlement in Ancient China
Archeologists believe
that the 1st inhabitants
of China lived in caves
more than 500,000
years ago.
 When people in China
began farming, they
settled mostly on the
North China Plain in
Inner China.
 This area had plenty of
water, fertile soil, and a
moderate climate while
other regions were
either too wet or too dry
for farming.
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Ancient China’s Isolation
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China’s geography kept
the early settlements in
Inner China isolated.
In the southwest, the
towering mountains, rocky
plateaus, and cold climate
formed a natural barrier.
In the northwest, the large
deserts were another
barrier.
Later in Chinese history,
the same geographic
features that kept China
isolated also made it
difficult to govern as one
unified state.