China’s Geography

A land of contrasts

China today is a very large country, approximately 1.25 times bigger than Australia. Extending from 20° north of the equator to 53° degrees north, its environments range from coastal plains and tropical rainforest, to large mountain ranges and hot and cold deserts.

Geography of China

©Alan Mak¹ , CC BY-SA 3.0²

Find out more about China’s geographic regions³ (select ‘terrain’ from the ‘choose a map’ drop-down menu).

Test your knowledge of China’s diverse geography⁴ at this webpage.

Now find out more about China’s different climates.

The cradle of Ancient China

The Yellow (or Huang He) River⁵ and the Yangtze River⁶, the third longest in the world, were the most significant natural features in Ancient China. The Yellow River was to China what the Nile was to Egypt, and its basin provided some of the best agricultural land⁷. The Yangtze was vital for inland transportation, trade and many irrigation projects.

Together, these waterways became the hub for the development of Ancient Chinese civilisation⁸ (click on the year tabs below the maps to witness this evolution).

⁹

The Mother Huang He statue: 6 metres long, 2.6 metres high and weighing 40 tonnes

What can we conclude from the photo of the statue?

China’s Geography

A land of contrasts

The cradle of Ancient China

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