GEOGRAPHY
General Information
The People's Republic of China is a state located in Central and Eastern Asia, washed by the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Korea Bay on the east. Taiwan Island, which is part of the People's Republic of China, is separated from the mainland by the Taiwan Strait.
The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao are distinguished, having separate administration. The total area of the country is approximately 9,6 million sq. km.
The length of the country's coastline is 14,5 thousand km. The relief is diverse, with high mountains, plateaus, depressions, deserts, and extensive plains. Three geographical regions are distinguished: the Tibetan Plateau in the southwest; to the north of it, a belt of mountains and high plains; in the northeast, east, and south of the country – low-lying accumulative plains.
The country possesses extensive reserves of minerals and is a producer of antimony, graphite, tungsten, and zinc. Deposits of bauxite, coal, oil, diamonds, gold, iron ore, lead, magnetite, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, natural gas, phosphates, tin, uranium, and vanadium are mined in the regions. China ranks first in the world in reserves of tin and tungsten.
State Borders
The total length of China's land borders is 22 117 km.
The country borders 14 countries:
- Russia (40 km in the northwest and 3605 km in the northeast);
- Mongolia (4677 km);
- North Korea (1416 km);
- Vietnam (1281 km);
- Laos (423 km);
- Myanmar (2185 km);
- India (3903 km);
- Bhutan (470 km);
- Nepal (1236 km);
- Pakistan (523 km);
- Afghanistan (76 km);
- Tajikistan (414 km);
- Kyrgyzstan (858 km);
- Kazakhstan (1533 km).
Climate
The climate is diverse – subtropical in the southeast, sharply continental in the northwest. On the southern coast, the weather is determined by monsoons. Seasonal air movements and accompanying winds contain a large amount of moisture in the summer but are dry in winter. Differences in latitude, longitude, and altitude across China's territory determine the diversity of temperature and meteorological regimes.
The temperature difference between regions in the winter months is significant; in summer, the difference decreases. In the northern part of the country, the temperature in January can drop to -30°C, average temperatures are about 0°C. The average July temperature in this area is +20°C. In the southern parts of the country, the average temperature ranges from +10°C in January to +28°C in July.