Landforms
 Home to 1.3 billion
people
 3.7 million square
miles
 Eastern 1/3 of
country: live in
arable(farmable)
land
 Western China:
nomadic herders
 People make
terraces on hills for
farmland
China vs. the U. S. in Size
China
0
250
500
1,000
1,500
Miles
2,000
United States
Comparing China & the
ChinaU. S. United States
Size
Main physical
barrier
3.7 million
square miles
Himalayas
3.6 million
square miles
Rockies
Main River
Yangtze / East Mississippi /
- West
North – South
Population
East Coast
Connectivity
problems
North - South East - West
East Coast
A.
There are Six Main Regions of China
1. North China
2. South China
3. The Northeast
4. Mongolia
5. Xinjiang (sheen jee ahng)
6. Xizang (shee dzahng)
B. North China: Major city: Beijing
Manufacturing center and China’s
capital
Warm or hot summers and cold winters.
Rainfall varies greatly and farmers never
know how much to expect.
C. South China: much richer farming and
industrial region. Grow rice, cotton, tea,
vegetables and many other crops
D. Manchuria: home to the Manchu who
conquered China during the 1600s (Cold
Climate)
E. Gobi Desert: summers are extremely hot
and winters are bitterly cold
F. Xinjiang: important oil-producing region
G. Tibet- sits among several mountain
ranges, including the Himalayas
- Since taking over Tibet in 1950, China
has tried to develop its rivers for
hydroelectric power. Tibet has wanted
freedom for years from China.
Huang He: Yellow River
 1000s of miles long
 “River of Sorrow” because of floods: but silt is a
positive outcome
Chang (Yangtze) River
 Carries much of China’s trade
 Shanghai
 Hydroelectric power along the river: Three
Gorges Dam
Xi River (West River)
 South China
Bodies of Water
Sea of
Japan
Pacific
Ocean
South
China
Sea
92% of the people who make up China’s
population are Han, or ethnic Chinese
 Minority groups: Mongols, Tibetans
 Many different dialects but Mandarin,
which is spoken in North China, is the
country’s official language

How many people are found in China?
 Where do most of these people live?
 How many regions are found in China?

› Where is most of the manufacturing and
industry found?
Name one important River in China.
 What has helped keep China so isolated from
the rest of the world?
 What is the official language of China?
 Most Chinese are of this ethnic background

Susan M. Pojer
Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
 World Cultures: A Global Mosaic
