Geography
- China is the third largest country in the world with a total area of 9,596,961 km2, bordering 16 nations, more than any other country – Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Macao and North Korea.
- Chongqing is the world’s largest city with a population of over 30 million, followed by Shanghai with 26 million, while Beijing is third with 21½ million.
- China has over 100 cities of over 1 million people, compared to India and USA that have just over 50 urban areas (not individual cities) with over one million people each. Furthermore, China has 28 cities with a population of over 3 million and 10 cities with an urban area population of over 10 million.
- In 1949, just after the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China made the country have a single time zone in an effort to help unify the country. Rather than having the country split into 5 timezones it chose to use Bejing time (UTC+08:00).
- China is one of the countries with the greatest temperature differentials. Parts of China can see temperatures as low as -41C and other parts as high as 50C. There are a few cities fighting over the number one spot for the hottest city in China. Hangzhou, Hong Kong and Taiwan can all reach 40 degrees in summer – far too hot for a sunbathing! Harbin, also called ‘Ice City’, freezes for four months a year. The average low in January in Harbin is -25°C (-13°F). A tourist highlight is the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, the biggest ice festival in the world, which attracts 10 to 15 million visitors annually. Huge snow sculptures can exceed 600,000 square meters each.
- The Gobi desert, China’s biggest desert, is the 3rd largest desert in the world. It is found in the North of China bordering Mongolia. It has an impressive history. Many travellers, traders and even armies have passed through it despite its dangers. Genghis Khan launched many of his largest attacks on China by travelling from the Steppes in Mongolia and through the Gobi desert.
- China is a vast country with many mountains. Some are scenic and magnificent, while some are related to religion and culture. The Five Great Mountains (Wu Yue) are most famous in this respect, as the saying goes ‘once you have seen the Five Great Mountains there is no need see other ones – 五岳归来不看山’. Funny thing, however, that they have the same saying for Huangshan translated as the Yellow mountains. Named so not for its color but for the eighth-century Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) who, according to one legend, ascended to heaven from its dramatic peaks. The mountain is a ubiquitous symbol appearing on banknotes and in paintings hung in homes and businesses throughout the country.
- The Yangtze is the longest river within a single country and the third longest in the world: 6,300 km (3,915 miles), only being beaten by the Nile and the Amazon. Its source in the Himalaya’s is the highest of any world’s major rivers. The river also hosts the world’s biggest hydroelectric station and dam: the Three Gorges Dam, which produces a gigantic 22 gigawatts of power.
- The Three Gorges is one of the best sights along the Yangtze river. With luscious green covered Gorges set in a subtropical climate, it looks like it could belong in a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. As well as natural beauty the Three Gorges is home to the impressive Three Gorges Dam. The dam is the worlds largest power plant.
- The Yellow River, second longest river in China, fifth in the world at 5,464 km (3,395 miles), also known as the mother of China, or ‘Mother River’, is said to have been the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilisation. It travels through 9 provinces and ends in the Bo Sea. It is also the deadliest river in the world. It has killed millions with flooding, and holds the record for worst natural disaster in human history (the 1931 Flood killed over a million).