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Chapter 19. Geography and the early settlement of china. Studying China. To understand Chinese history and geography, it’s helpful to divide it into 2 main areas: Outer China and Inner China. Most of Chinese history involves only Inner China.
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Chapter 19 Geography and the early settlement of china
Studying China • To understand Chinese history and geography, it’s helpful to divide it into 2 main areas: Outer China and Inner China. • Most of Chinese history involves only Inner China. • The 2 areas did not become 1 country until the 1600s C.E., but the geography of both areas affected the early settlement and history of China.
Overview • Modern day China is home to about 1.2 billion people, more than any other country. • That’s 1/5 of the world’s population! • It was much smaller in ancient times, though. • China is a land of extremes with weather varying from ice storms in the mountains to sand storms in the deserts.
The Tibetan Plateau • The southwestern part of Outer China is dominated by the Tibetan Plateau. • The plateau is so large it covers almost a quarter of the land in China. • This area is often called “The Roof of the World” because of its extremely high elevation. • Because the land is so high, the air is thin and dry, and it stays cold with snow even in the summer. • The Himalayas are on the southern edge of the plateau.
The Gobi Desert • The northwestern part of Outer China is known for its great deserts, including the Gobi and Taklimakan. • Stretching over 500,000 square miles, the Gobi Desert is one of the world’s largest deserts. • Most of the Gobi Desert is stony, not sandy. • Its surface is made up of small pebbles and tiny bits of sand.
The Taklimakan Desert • The Taklimakan Desert is about 105,000 square miles and is considered one of the most dangerous deserts in the world. • In fact, its name means, “Once you go in, you will not come out.” • Sandstorms arise with stunning speed, and legend says that 2 armies and 300 cities are buried 600 feet beneath the sand dunes. • In ancient times, this helped protect Inner China from outside invaders.
The Huang He (Yellow River) • The ground of the Gobi Desert is covered by yellow limestone silt which gets swept away by winds to the North China Plain. • There, it mixes with the waters of the Huang He River making it appear yellow. • While the Huang He helps farmers, it has also been the source of many disasters for China. • In the past 3,000 years, the river is said to have flooded more than 1,500 times!
Other Rivers • The Chang Jiang is even longer than the Huang He. • In fact, its name means “Long River.” • The climate around this river is warm and wet making it an excellent region for growing rice. • The Sungari is a very deep river. • When it freezes in the winter, people use it as a road! • Both rivers are used for transporting people and goods by boat.
Early Settlement in Ancient China • Archeologists believe that the 1st inhabitants of China lived in caves more than 500,000 years ago. • When people in China began farming, they settled mostly on the North China Plain in Inner China. • This area had plenty of water, fertile soil, and a moderate climate while other regions were either too wet or too dry for farming.
Ancient China’s Isolation • China’s geography kept the early settlements in Inner China isolated. • In the southwest, the towering mountains, rocky plateaus, and cold climate formed a natural barrier. • In the northwest, the large deserts were another barrier. • Later in Chinese history, the same geographic features that kept China isolated also made it difficult to govern as one unified state.
