Huge in size country occupying profitablegeographical location - China. She is in East Asia. Its relief is very diverse. In China, there are mountains, hills, plains, highlands, river valleys, deserts. It is the most populated country in the world. But the vast areas of China are deserted. After all, most of the population is concentrated on the plains.
Geographical position
China is on the world map positionwest coast of the Pacific Ocean. Its area is almost equal to the area of all of Europe. China covers an area of 9.6 million square kilometers. By area, this country is overtaken only by Russia and Canada.
The territory of China stretches for 5.2 thousand kilometersfrom east to west and 5.5 thousand kilometers from south to north. The country's easternmost point is located at the confluence of the Ussuri and Amur rivers, the westernmost point is in the Pamir Mountains, the southernmost is among the Spratlys, the northernmost is on the Amur River in the Mohe district.
China is washed on the world map from the eastseveral seas that are part of the Pacific. The coastline of the country stretches for 18,000 km. The sea in China creates a border with five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Brunei and the Philippines.
From the south, north and west passes overlandthe border. Its length is 22117 km. By land, China has a border with Russia, the DPRK, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, India, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar.
China occupies a geographic position rather successful for its economic development.
Relief
The relief of the country is very diverse. China, whose geography is wide, has a stepped landscape. It consists of three levels, descending from west to east.
In the southwest of the state are Tibetanhighlands and the Himalayas. They are the highest level in the landscape of a country like China. Geography and terrain are mostly composed of highlands, plateaus and mountains. The lowest level, consisting of plains, is off the coast.
Southwest china
Part of the world's highest mountain systemlocated in the southwest of the country. In addition to China, the Himalayas are spread in the territories of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan. On the border of the state in question there are 9 of the 14 highest mountains of the world - Everest, Chogori, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho-Oyu, Shishabangma, Chogori, several peaks from the Gasherbrum massif.
Тибетское нагорье расположено к северу от Himalayas. It is the largest in area and the highest plateau in the world. It is surrounded by ridges from all sides. In addition to the Himalayas, the neighbors of the Tibetan highlands are the Kunlun, Tsilyanshan, Karakorum, and the Sino-Tibetan mountains. The last of them and the adjacent Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau are inaccessible areas. It is cut by the deep Yangtze, Salween and Mekong rivers.
Thus, the characteristic of the geographical position of China in the southwest is characterized by the presence of mountainous areas.
Northwest China
На северо-западе страны около Тибетского нагорья there are the Tarim Basin, the Takla Makan desert and the Turfan Basin. The last object is the deepest in East Asia. Further north is the Dzhungar plain.
East of the Tarim Basin contrasts anothermore geographical location. China in these places is changing the landscape on the steppes and deserts. This is the territory of Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region. It is located on a high plateau. Most of it is occupied by the Gobi and Alashan deserts. The Loess Plateau adjoins them from the south. This area is very fertile and rich in forests.
Northeast China
The northeastern part of the country is fairly flat.There are no high mountain ranges. In this part of China lies the Sunlao plain. It is surrounded by small mountain ranges - Big and Small Hingany, Changbai.
North China
In the north of China are concentrated the mainagricultural areas. This part of the country consists of vast plains. They are well fed by rivers and very fertile. These are such plains as Liaoheskaya and North China.
Southeast China
The southeastern part of the country stretches from the Huaiianshan Range to the Qinling Mountains. It also includes the island of Taiwan. The local landscape consists mainly of mountains, alternating with river valleys.
South china
In the south of the country are areas of Guangxi, Guangdong, and part of Yunnan. This also includes a year-round resort, Hainan Island. The local terrain consists of hills and small mountains.
Climate and weather
The climate of the country is not uniform. It is influenced by geography. China is located in three climatic zones. Therefore, the weather is different in different parts of the country.
North and West China are in the zone.temperate continental climate. The average temperature here in the winter season is -7 ° C. Although it happens, it drops to -20 ° C. In summer, the temperature is + 22 ° C. Strong drying winds are characteristic of winter and autumn.
Central China lies in a subtropical climate zone. In winter, the air temperature ranges from 0 to -5 ° C. In the summer, it stays at + 20 ° C.
Южный Китай и острова имеют тропический муссонный climate. There, the thermometer in winter is in the range of +6 to + 15 ° C, and in summer it rises over + 25 ° C. This part of the country is characterized by powerful typhoons. They occur in winter and autumn.
Annual rainfall decreases from south and east to north and west - from about 2000 mm to 50 mm.
Population
According to the data of 2014, there are 1.36 billion people living in the state. Big country China is home to 20% of the inhabitants of the Earth.
The state is on the verge of demographiccrisis resettlement. Therefore, the government is struggling with high birth rates. His goal is one child per family. But the demographic policy is flexible. Thus, it is allowed to give birth to a second child to ethnic minorities, as well as families living in rural areas, if the first child is a girl or has physical disabilities.
Part of the population opposes such a policy. She is particularly unhappy in the countryside. After all, there is a higher need for the birth of a large number of boys as a future workforce.
But according to forecasts, population growth will grow despite this. According to calculations, in 2030 a half billion people will live in China.
Population density
The population is distributed throughout the countryuneven. This is due to differences in geographical conditions. The average population density is 138 people per square kilometer. This indicator looks quite acceptable. He does not speak about overpopulation. After all, the same figure is typical for some European countries.
But the average figure does not reflect the real situation. There are areas in the country where almost no one lives, and 21,000 people per square kilometer live in Macau.
Half of the country is practically uninhabited. The Chinese live in the basins of rivers, on the fertile plains. And in the highlands of Tibet, in the deserts of the Gobi and Takla Makan there are almost no settlements.
National composition and language of the population
Different nationalities live in the country.Most of the population consider themselves to be Hans. But besides them, in China there are 55 nationalities. The largest nations are Zhuans, Manchus, Tibetans, the smallest are foreheads.
Диалекты в разных уголках страны также различны.The difference between them is so great that a resident of the south of China will not understand the resident of the north. But in the country there is the national language of putunha. Chinese residents moving from region to region are required to own it in order to avoid communication problems.
Mandarin, or Peking, dialect is also widespread in the country. It can be considered an alternative to putunhe. After all, Mandarin dialect owns 70% of the population.
Religion and beliefs of the population
From the middle of the 20th century in China, as in a communist state, adherence to religious beliefs and beliefs was not welcomed. Atheism was the official ideology.
But since 1982, there has been a change in this issue.The right to freedom of religion was incorporated into the constitution. The most common religions here are Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. But Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are also popular.
Largest cities
There are not many big cities in China.The population of this country is not urbanized. But where the construction of the city begins, it grows to the size of a huge metropolis, uniting a large number of residential, business, commercial, industrial and agricultural areas. For example, Chongqing. It is the largest representative of such megalopolises. According to the information for 2014, 29 million people live in it. Its area is almost equal to the area of Austria and is 82400 square kilometers.
Other major cities in the country are Shanghai, Tianjin, Harbin, Guangzhou and, of course, Beijing, the capital of China.
Beijing
The Chinese call Beijing Beijing. This means North Capital. The urban layout is distinguished by its strict geometry. The streets are oriented in parts of the world.
Beijing is the capital of China and one of the most interesting.cities of the country. His heart is Tiananmen Square. Translated, this word means "the gate of heavenly tranquility." The main building on the square is the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
An important attraction of the city is the Forbidden City. It is called Gongun. It is a beautiful and ancient palace ensemble.
No less interesting are Iheyuan and Yuanminyuan.This garden-palace complexes. They surprisingly combine miniature rivers, graceful bridges, waterfalls, residential buildings. Here reigns wonderful harmony and a feeling of unity of man with nature.
In the capital there are many such templesreligious trends, like Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism. One of them is the most interesting. This is the Temple of Heaven Tian Tan. It is the only circular religious building in the city. It has a unique wall. If you utter a word near her even in the quietest whisper, it will spread throughout its length.
The temple of eternal Calm Yonghegun is also remarkable. This Lamaist religious building. It houses a Buddha statue carved from a single sandalwood trunk. Its length is 23 meters.
In Beijing, there are many museums.The National Art Gallery is especially noticeable. It contains a large collection of Chinese painting. No less interesting is the Museum of National History, in which you can trace the entire path of development of China.
Attraction is Wangfujing Street.This is a favorite place for walks, both among tourists and the local population. The history of the street began more than 700 years ago. Now it is reconstructed. The street is located in the shopping center. It harmoniously combines ancient and modern cultures.
Not far from Beijing begins the Great Chinesewall. Most people associate the country with it. This is a grand structure. It stretches for 67,000 km. The construction of the wall lasted more than 2000 years.
