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China's territory can be divided into nine geographic regions:
Millions of years ago, this region was submerged beneath the ancient Mediterranean Sea. During the creation of the mighty Himalayan Mountains, the seabed lifted skyward, eventually forming the Tibetan Plateau, the highest plateau on earth. Here, across the "Roof of the World," lie some of the most famous mountain ranges on the planet; the Himalayan Mountain Range in the southwest, the Kunlun and Kalakunlun Mountains in the northwest, and the Kailas Range,Thanglha Range, and Nyenchhen Tanglha Mountains across the center.
Lording over this land is Qomolangma Feng (Mount Everest), the world's highest peak at 8,848.13 m (29,029 ft), towering over the Himalayas along the China-Nepal border. Five other peaks in this region exceed 8,000 m and 50 peaks reach above 7,000 m in height. The snow and ice melt from this sea of ragged peaks and glaciers form numerous rivers and lakes that nurture Tibet's fertile land. From nearly any perspective, it is a land of breath-taking beauty.
North of Tibet, the Kunlun Mountains descend into the vast Takla Makan, China's largest desert. Along the northern extent of this desert is the Tarim Basin out of which rises the eastern end of the Tienshan Mountain Range. Beneath the southern slopes of the Bogda Mountains at the eastern end of the Tienshan Range is the Turfan Depression, known as China's "Oasis of Fire." Here, at an elevation -154 meters (- 505 feet) below sea level, air temperatures reach a scorching 120° F. Beyond the Tienshan Range lies the Dzungaria Basin, bounded on the north and east by the Altai Mountains.
East of the Takla Makan desert in north central China, beyond the Pei Shan and Ch'ilien Shan Mountains lies the Alashan Desert and the great grasslands that extend north into Mongolia. Sitting at an elevation of 3,205m (10,515 ft) above sea level in north central China, Lake Ch'inghai is the country's largest salt water lake.
Further east, across steep valleys carved by the mid-waters of the Yellow River is the vast Ordos Plateau, the southern extent of the great Gobi Desert and the Inner Mongolian Plateau, bounded along its eastern flanks by the Greater Khinghan Range stretching northeastward across Manchuria.
The northeast coastal region is dominated by the Manchurian Plain, the densely populated and flood-prone North China Plain, and the broad Yantze River valley. Rising from this vast plain and covering the Shandong Peninsula between the Yellow River in the north and the Shu River in the south, the hilly, coal rich Eastern Highlands provide a break in the otherwise flat countryside. About 48 km (30 mi) south of the Yellow River port city of Jinan, Mt. Tai Shan rises to a height of 1,544m (5,067 ft).
China's largest cities and best agricultual land are located in this region, comprised of the North China Plain and the Yangtze River valley, including the fertile triangle between Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou south of the Yangtze River delta. Population density in the Yangtze Valley can exceed 5000 per square mile.
China is a country with over 1,500 large rivers. The largest of these rivers is the mighty Yangtze River, originating in the high mountains of eastern Tibet and flowing for 5,464 km (3,395 mi) before emptying into the East China Sea north of Shanghai.
China's second largest river, the Yellow River (Huang He) also begins high in Tibet and follows a winding course for 4,700 km (2,920 mi), cutting around the Ordos Plateau and descending onto the North China Plain whre it eventually empties into the Gulf of Bo Hai.
The mighty Amur River (Heilong Jiang), which forms the northeastern border between China and Russian Siberia, flows 4,300 km (2,672 mi) in its winding course to the northern end of the Tatar Strait near Sakhalin Island.
Nearly as long, the mighty Mekong River emerges from eastern Tibet and descends southward for 4,200 km (2,609 mi) through mountainous country draining most of Southeast Asia before reaching the vast Mekong River Delta in South Vietnam.
This region is punctuated by hills and mountains and valleys that lie between the eastern lowlands and the Tibetan Plateau in the west. A number of China's 370 large lakes are found in this region. Northeast of Nanchang is Lake Poyang, fed by the Yuan River and runoff from the Chiuling Mountains to the west.
Further west, beyond the Mufuo and Chiuling Mountains in northern Hunan Province, is Lake Tungt'ing, fed by numerous rivers and streams descending from the surrounding mountains. These and other lakes in the region drain northward to the Yangtze River valley.
The Sichuan Basin is located in central China, bounded by the Chin Ling Mountains to the north, the Chiunglai and Taliang Mountains to the west, and by the Yangtze River Basin to the south. Drained by five major rivers that flow south into the Yangtze River, this densely populated agricultural region includes the major cities of Ch'engtu and Ch'ungch'ing.
Southern and southeastern China is very hilly country cut by a large number of rivers flowing south out of the cental uplands which average 1,500 to 2,000 m (4,900 ft to 6,560 ft) in elevation. About the only level land to be found is the Pearl River delta region south of the port city of Guangzhou (Canton). West of the southern coastal uplands toward China's border with Burma, the terrain rapidly climbs across the Ailao, Wuliang, Yunling, and Kaolikung Mountain Ranges to the high Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, where peaks range upwards of 5,500 m (18,000 ft). Here too, lies the northern end of the Mekong River valley, cutting its way south toward Laos and Thailand.
Taiwan
Shaped a bit like a tobacco leaf, the island of Taiwan is 394 km (245 miles) long and 144 km (89.5 miles) wide at its broadest point. Taiwan is dominated by the heavily forested Central Mountain Range (Chungyang Shanmo) which bisects the island from north to south along the eastern seacoast and accounts for nearly three-fourths of the land area. The remainder of the island is comprised of foothills, terraced flatlands, coastal alluvial plains, and basins along the west coast.
The highest peak on Taiwan is Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) at 3,950m (12,959 ft). Over 60 peaks along the Central Mountains exceed 3,000 m (9,850 ft). Sitting over the Pacific Rim's seismic belt, Taiwan is one of China's most earthquake-prone regions.
Hainan
Also known as Qiong'ai, Hainan is China's second largest island. One-third of the enitre island is dominated by the parallel Wuchi and Limu Mountians. The highest point on the island is the Wuchi peak at 1,892 m (6,207 ft) above sea level. Northern Hainan is mostly gentle lowlands while along the southern coast the mountains drop steeply into the South China Sea.
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