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| Geographical Survey of China | |
|---|---|
| Name | Geographical Survey of China |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Region | Asia |
| Area km2 | 9596961 |
| Population est | 1,400,050,000 |
| Density km2 | 146 |
Geographical Survey of China is a comprehensive overview of the physical, climatic, hydrological, geological, ecological, demographic, and administrative characteristics of the People's Republic of China and its historical territories such as Republic of China (1912–1949) and regions like Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The survey synthesizes data used by institutions including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Natural Resources (China), National Bureau of Statistics of China and international organizations such as the United Nations and World Bank. It informs policy debates in forums like the Boao Forum for Asia and appears in comparative studies alongside countries such as Russia, India, United States, Brazil, and Australia.
China's physical geography spans features from the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau to the North China Plain, the Tarim Basin, and the Northeast China Plain, incorporating coastal regions along the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea. Mountain systems include the Kunlun Mountains, Tianshan Mountains, Qinling, and Altai Mountains while basins and plateaus feature the Loess Plateau, Yungui Plateau, and Ordos Basin. Coastal deltas such as the Yangtze Delta and Pearl River Delta contrast with deserts like the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan Desert, and island territories include Hainan and disputed features in the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands.
China exhibits a range of climates from the subarctic zones near the Amur River to tropical climates in Yunnan and Hainan, influenced by the East Asian monsoon, the Siberian High, and sea interactions in the Yellow Sea and South China Sea. Seasonal phenomena include the East Asian rainy season, frequent typhoons originating in the Philippine Sea, and winter cold waves linked to the Eurasian Steppe. Climate trends are monitored under frameworks like the Paris Agreement with inputs from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and regional studies by the Asian Development Bank addressing impacts on regions such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Guangxi, and Fujian.
Major river systems include the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Pearl River, Mekong River (known in China as the Lancang River), Salween River (Nujiang), Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo), and transboundary rivers such as the Amur River and Irtysh River. Watersheds feed significant lakes like Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake, Qinghai Lake, and reservoirs created by projects like the Three Gorges Dam and the South–North Water Transfer Project. Water management involves agencies like the Ministry of Water Resources (China) and international treaties impacting riparian states including Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Kazakhstan.
China's geology is characterized by active tectonics across the Eurasian Plate boundary, crustal uplift in the Tibetan Plateau, and orogenies forming the Himalayan orogeny and Altai orogeny. Major mineral and energy resources include coal fields in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, rare earth elements in Bayan Obo, oil and gas basins in the Tarim Basin, Sichuan Basin, and offshore blocks in the South China Sea. Seismic hazards are associated with faults like the Kunlun Fault and events such as the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Exploration and exploitation intersect with corporations like China National Petroleum Corporation, Sinopec, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation.
China supports biodiversity hotspots including the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, Indo-Burma hotspot in Yunnan, and the Mountains of Southwest China. Iconic species include the giant panda, Siberian tiger, yangtze finless porpoise, baiji (historically), red-crowned crane, and numerous endemic plants in the Hengduan Mountains. Ecosystems range from temperate forests in Heilongjiang to tropical rainforests in Hainan, with conservation efforts led by organizations like the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation and policies influenced by conventions such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and CITES.
Population centers concentrate in the North China Plain around Beijing, Tianjin, and the Hebei corridor, the Yangtze River Delta anchored by Shanghai, and the Pearl River Delta around Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Rural-to-urban migration flows involve megacities such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Xi'an, while demographic policy debates reference the One-child policy era, the Two-child policy, and the Household registration system (hukou). Ethnic diversity includes Han Chinese, Tibetan people, Uyghurs, Zhuang people, Hui people, and Miao people, with cultural landscapes shaped by sites like the Great Wall of China, Terracotta Army, Forbidden City, and Potala Palace.
China's administrative geography comprises provinces such as Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Henan; autonomous regions like Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia; municipalities like Beijing and Shanghai; and special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau. Economic zones and initiatives include the Belt and Road Initiative, Special Economic Zones exemplified by Shenzhen and Zhuhai, and regional planning entities like the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Pearl River Delta Economic Zone. Territorial disputes involve Taiwan and maritime claims in the South China Sea adjudicated against rulings like the 2016 Hague tribunal decision.