Chapter 19
oasis
a place where water can be found in a desert.It is the only place in the Taklimakan Desert and Gobi Desert where you can grow crops and raise animals. and in the ancient times mud shelters were sometimes buried near the oasis.
Tributary
a stream that feeds into a larger river. hundreds of tributaries in the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River).
Chang Jiang Basins
Chang Jiang Basins was also in Inner China in the southern regions. Their climate was warm and wet. The rest of the information in North China Plain.) The middle and lower Chang Jiang Basins are areas of low, wet coastal plains. the basins are located along the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) river.
Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert is a harsh place to live and difficult for travelers to cross. The climate varies from sizzling hot to freezing cold. they grow crops and raise animals. and in the ancient times mud shelters were sometimes buried near the oasis. Stretches over 500,000 square miles (one of the largest). covers part of china and modern day magnolia. very few sand dunes and most of the desert is stony. surface made of small pebbles and tiny bits of sand. vegetation is very limited and far apart.
Himalaya Mountains
In the southwest China is bounded by the Himalayas.They are on the southern edge of The Tibetan Plateau.
North Eastern Plain
It is the major region is the northeast. It is a land of low hills and plains, the summers are short and hot, and the winters are long and dry though the Liao has a milder weather and has more water. There are around 5 months with freezing weather. it is located east of present day Magnolia. Their natural vegetation is mostly prairie grass. the grass provided food for horses, she eps, and other animals. The major Rivers running through are the Liao and Sungari rivers. The Liao is a shallow river for small boats to travel in and the Sungari is much deeper for larger boats. Though in the winter both these rivers freeze and are used as road.
North China Plain
North China Plain was a flat region of grassland in the Inner China (in the northern region) area which made it more attractive. To the south of it are the low river plains of the middle and Chang Jiang basins. North China Plain in drier and often cooler than Chang Jiang Basins.Sometimes called "the land of Yellow" because yellow limestone silt all around and it came from the Gobi Desert. The silt fertilizes the land and makes it have good vegetation
Taklimakan Desert
Taklimakan Desert is a harsh place to live and difficult for travelers to cross. The climate varies from sizzling hot to freezing cold. they grow crops and raise animals. and in the ancient times mud shelters were sometimes buried near the oasis. Is about 105,000 square miles and is considered one of the most dangerous. it means "once you go in, you will not come out" The huge sand dunes shift and change as the wind blows the sand around. Sandstorms drive with stunning speed. Desert too dry to have much vegetation only able to grow trees, bushes, and weeds near oasis and rivers
Tibet-Qinghai Plateau (aka Tibetan Plateau)
The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau is the major geographical region in the area. Its the worlds largest plateau and is a bitterly cold place to live in because it is so high. Snowstorms are very common and only about 50 days without frost. The area is often called "Roof of the World". Its average elevation is more than 2 miles above sea level. it covers almost a quarter of the land in china.
silt
fine particles of rock. the North China Plain is full of it and it comes from the Gobi Desert. it fertilizes the sand which makes it have good vegetation.
Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)
the Chang Jiang is one of the major rivers. The basins fall along this river. it is longer then the Huang He and the name means "long river". It has hundreds of tributaries. people use the river to move goods between eastern and western areas of the region. Starts in the high western mountains then goes through three plains then to a rich delta. it helps make the surrounding lands fertile and it floods less then the Huang He so it is not as dangerous. the climate was warm and wet. The vegetation may have been thick rain forests. Space to farm was limited and not suitable for grazing animals though the basin was very good for growing rice.
Haung He (yellow river)
the Huang He is one of the major rivers. Run through the North China plain and is full of yellow limestone silt. One of the longest rivers int eh world and might be the muddiest. Starts in the high western mountains and goes down to the eastern plains. The silt helps fertilize the land which make the North China Plain such a good place to grow crops. Though it causes the most damages, in the last 3,000 years it has flooded around 1,500 times which causes a lot of damage and loss of life.