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Geography and Climate
Home » China » China Overview and History » Geography and ClimateThere are several different types of landscapes in China. In the west there are mainly plateaus and mountains, and in the east, there are lower lands. Because of this, the main rivers, such as the Yangtze, the Huang He, and the Amur, flow west to east. Most of the rivers in China empty into the Pacific. Much of the land for growing crops lies along the two major rivers, the Yangtze and the Huang.
In the east, there are densely populated alluvial plains located along the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. The shore of the South China Sea is primarily hill country and mountain ranges.
In the west, there are alluvial plains to the north and a vast calcareous tableland to the south. This tableland contains many hill ranges, including the Himalayans, which contains the highest point of Mount Everest. Among the plateaus in the northwest are the Gobi Desert and the Takla-Makan. Dust storms are common in this area and blow dust all the way to southern China, Taiwan, and the West Coast of the United States.
The climate varies with the different regions in China. The northern region, which contains Beijing, has terribly cold winters with Arctic severity. The central region, which contains Shanghai, has a more temperate climate. The southern region, which contains Guangzhou and other southern provinces, has a subtropical climate.
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