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1、Geography&theEarlySettlementofChinaIntroductionChinaisalargecountryineasternAsia.It’seasytousewordslikehighest,largest,andlongestwhentalkingaboutChina’sgeography.Theworld’shighestmountains,theHimalayas,areinChina.Soisoneoftheworld’slargestdeserts,theTaklamakanDesert
2、.Chinaalsoboastssomeofthelongestriversintheworld.China’sclimateisjustasextremeasitsphysicalfeatures.TheweathercanvaryfromicestormsinthehighmountainstothedreadedsandstormoftheTaklamakanDesert.Duringasandstorm,theskydarkensuntilitfeelslikenight.Hot,howlingwindsdrivesa
3、ndandhitagainstyou.Theonlywaytosurviveistowrapyourselfinclothesorblanketsandliedownuntilthestormpasses.Thatcouldbehoursorevendays.Asyoucansee,Chinaisalandofcontrasts.Inthisclass,wewillcomparefivegeographicregionsinChina.You’lllearnabouttheclimate,physicalfeaturesand
4、vegetationofeachregion.You’llalsodiscoverhowgeographyaffectedwherethefirstChinesesettled,thewaytheylivedandtheirabilitytocommunicatewithothercivilizations.AnOverviewofChina’sGeographyModernChinaisthethirdlargestcountryintheworld,afterRussiaandCanada.About1.3billionp
5、eopleliveinChina,morethaninanyothercountry.However,Chinawasmuchsmallerinancienttimes.TounderstandChinesehistory,it’shelpfultodivideChinaintotwomainareas:OuterChinaandInnerChina.MostofancientChinesehistoryinvolvesonlyInnerChina.Thetwoareasdidnotbecomeonecountryuntilt
6、he1600sButthegeographyofbothareasaffectedtheearlysettlementandhistoryofChina.TheGeographyofOuterChina:OuterChinaincludesthewesternandnorthernpartsofpresentdayChina.Itisanareaofgreatextremes.Inthesouthwest,ChinaisboundedbytheHimalayaMountains.Themajorgeographicalregi
7、oninthisareaistheTibet-QinghaiPlateau(TibetanPlateau).Itistheworld’slargestplateau.Thisregionisabitterlycoldplacetolive.Thereareonlyabout50daysayearwithoutfrost.Snowstormsarecommon,eveninJuly.Inthenorthwest,themajorregionistheNorthwesternDesert.Thisareaincludesthese
8、condlowestplaceinChina.CalledtheTurfanDepression,itis505feetbelowsealevel.Itcangrowsohotthatraindropsevaporatebeforereachingtheground.Inth
