Geography of China
China geography
- Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
- Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 105 00 E
- Area: total: 9,596,960 sq km
- land: 9,326,410 sq km
- water: 270,550 sq km
- Area - comparative:
- world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US);
- slightly smaller than the USA
- Land boundaries: total: 22,117 km
- border countries:
- Afghanistan 76 km,
- Bhutan 470 km,
- Burma 2,185 km,
- India 3,380 km,
- Kazakhstan 1,533 km,
- North Korea 1,416 km,
- Kyrgyzstan 858 km,
- Laos 423 km,
- Mongolia 4,677 km,
- Nepal 1,236 km,
- Pakistan 523 km,
- Russia (northeast) 3,605 km,
- Russia (northwest) 40 km,
- Tajikistan 414 km,
- Vietnam 1,281 km
- regional borders:
- Hong Kong 30 km,
- Macau 0.34 km
- border countries:
- Coastline: 14,500 km
- Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
- Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
- Elevation extremes:
- lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
- highest point: Tibet - Mount Everest 8,850 m [shared with Nepal]
- Natural resources: coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
- Land use: arable land: 15.4%
- permanent crops: 1.25%
- other: 83.35% (2001)
- Irrigated land: 525,800 sq km (1998 est.)
- Natural hazards:
- frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods;
- tsunamis;
- earthquakes;
- droughts;
- land subsidence
- Environment - current issues:
- air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain;
- water shortages, particularly in the north;
- water pollution from untreated wastes;
- deforestation;
- estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development;
- desertification;
- trade in endangered species
provinces and regions of China
| Name | Area [sq miles] | Area [sq km] | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
Provinces |
|||
| Anhui | 54,015 | 139,900 | Hefei (Hofei) |
| Fujian (Fukien) | 47,529 | 123,100 | Fuzhou (Fukien) |
| Gansu | 137,104 | 355,100 | Lanzhou |
| Guangdong | 76,100 | 197,100 | Guangzhou (Canton) |
| Guizhou (Kweichow) | 67,181 | 174,000 | Guiyang |
| Hainan | 13,200 | 34,300 | Haikou |
| Hebei (Hopei) | 81,479 | 211,030 | Shijia Zhuang |
| Heilongjiang | 178,996 | 463,600 | Harbin |
| Henan (Honan) | 64,479 | 167,000 | Zhengzhou |
| Hubei (Hupeh) | 72,394 | 187,500 | Wuhan |
| Hunan | 81,274 | 210,500 | Changsha |
| Jiangsu (Kiangsu) | 40,927 | 106,000 | Nanjing (Nanking) |
| Jiangxi (Kiangsi) | 63,629 | 164,800 | Nanchang |
| Jilin (Kirin) | 72,201 | 187,000 | Changchun |
| Liaoning | 53,301 | 138,050 | Shenyang |
| Qinghai (Chinghai) | 278,378 | 721,000 | Xining (Sining) |
| Shaanxi (Shensi) | 75,598 | 195,800 | Xian (Sian) |
| Shandong | 59,189 | 153,300 | Jinan (Tsinan) |
| Shanxi (Shansi) | 60,656 | 157,100 | Taiyuan |
| Sichuan (Szechwan) | 219,691 | 569,000 | Chengdu |
| Yunnan | 168,417 | 436,200 | Kunming |
| Zhejiang (Chekiang) | 39,305 | 101,800 | Hangzhou |
Autonomous Regions |
|||
| Guangxi Zhuang | 85,096 | 220,400 | Nanning |
| Inner Mongolia | 454,633 | 1,177,500 | Hohhot (Huhehot) |
| Ningxia Hui | 30,039 | 77,800 | Yinchuan |
| Xinjiang Uygur | 635,829 | 1,646,800 | Urumqi (Wulumuchi) |
| Tibet | 471,660 | 1,221,600 | Lhasa |
map of china provinces