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Documents for "East Asian Physical Geography":
  • Alatau or Ala-Tau [Turkic,=mottled mountains], several ranges of the Tian Shan system in central Asia. The Alatau ranges are the Dzungarian, the Kungei, the Täläss, the Terskei, and the Trans-Ili; all except the Täläss Alatau rise to more than 16,000 ft (4,880 m). Generally...
  • Altai or Altay , geologically complex mountain system of central Asia; largely in the Altai Republic, Russia, and in Kazakhstan, but extending into W Mongolia (where it is called the Mongolian, or Gobi, Altai),...
  • Altay see Altai , mountain system, Asia.
  • Amur Chin. Heilongjiang, river, c.1,800 mi (2,900 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Shilka and Argun rivers, NE Asia, at the Russian-Chinese border; the Amur-Shilka-Onon system is c.2,700 mi (4,350 km) long. The...
  • Argun Mandarin Ergun, river, 950 mi (1,529 km) long, rising in the Da Hinggan Mts., Heilongjiang prov., NE China, as the Hailar River and flowing W to the Russian border, then NE along the Russian-China frontier, where...
  • Bei river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, formed by the union of two headstreams in the Nanling Mts., N Guangdong prov., S China. It flows S into the Xi River, E of Guangzhou, to form the Pearl River delta...
  • Chang or Yangtze , Mandarin Chang Jiang, longest river of China and of Asia, c.3,880 mi (6,245 km) long, rising in the Tibetan highlands, SW Qinghai prov., W China, and flowing generally E through central China into the East China Sea at...
  • Changbai or Changpai , mountain range, largely in NE China and partly in North Korea; Baitou Shan (9,003 ft/2,744 m) is the highest peak. The Changbai range is economically important for timber and coal deposits. The...
  • Chomo Lhari peak, 23,997 ft (7,314 m) high, on the Bhutan-China border, in the Himalayas. It is sacred to the Tibetans.
  • Dongsha Island formerly Pratas Island , in the South China Sea, administered by Hainan prov., SE China. The island has guano deposits. It was occupied by the Japanese in 1907-9 and again in 1939-45.
  • Dongting or Tungting , shallow lake, Hunan prov., SE China; one of China's largest lakes. It is fed by the Yuan, Zi, Xiang, and many smaller rivers; a canal connects it with the Chang River. Depending on the season, the...
  • Emei ŭ´mā´ or Omei , peak, c.10,000 ft (3,050 m) high, SW Sichuan prov., central China. With many Buddhist images and temples and monasteries, it is one of China's sacred peaks.
  • Fen river, 375 mi (604 km) long, rising in the Wutai Mts. and flowing southwest, through a narrow valley, to the Huang He, Shanxi prov., N central China; navigable for small junks only in its lower...
  • Fuchun or Qiantang , river, 285 mi (459 km) long, Zhejiang prov., SE China. An important commercial artery, it flows NE to the East China Sea at Hangzhou. The tide rushing into the river from the bay causes a bore...
  • Gan or Kan , river, c.550 mi (885 km) long, flowing north through the plain of central Jiangxi prov., SE China, past Nanchang to Poyang lake. Despite many rapids, it is navigable for junks below Ganzhou and...
  • Gansu or Kansu , province (1994 est. pop. 23,520,000), 141,000 sq mi (365,284 sq km), NW China. The capital is Lanzhou. Gansu is bordered by the Republic of Mongolia on the north. Its mountains include part of the Nanshan range and an extension of the Kunlun. The loess soil is fertile, but rainfall is inadequate...
  • Gobi Mandarin Yintai shamo, great stony desert of N central Asia, c.500,000 sq mi (1,295,000 sq km), extending c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) from east to west across SE Mongolia and N China from the Da Hinggan (Great Khingan) Mts. to...
  • Gongga or Minya Konka , peak, 24,900 ft (7,590 m) high, SW Sichuan prov., central China, in the Daxue Mts.; one of the highest points in China. It was climbed (1932) by an American expedition.
  • Grand Canal Chinese Da Yunhe [large transit river], longest in the world, extending c.1,000 mi (1,600 km) from Beijing to Hangzhou, E China, and forming an important north-south waterway on the North China Plain. The canal was...
  • Han 1 River of S China, 210 mi (338 km) long, rising in W Fujian prov. and flowing S through Guangdong prov. to the South China Sea at Shantou; navigable for about 100 mi (160 km) upstream. The densely...
  • Hinggan Ling, Da or Great Khingan , mountain range, Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, NE China, extending c.750 mi (1,210 km) from the Amur River south to the Liao River; the highest point is 5,657 ft (1,724 m). The range forms the...
  • Hongze or Hungtse , lake, 65 mi (105 km) long, E China, on the border of Anhui and Jiangsu provs. It receives the Huai River and is connected with the Grand Canal. The Sanhe dam, with the largest hydraulic works...
  • Huai or Hwai , river, c.680 mi (1,090 km) long, rising in the Tongbai Mts., Henan prov., E China, and flowing E across Anhui prov., through Hongze Lake, to the East China Sea. The Huai marks the boundary between...
  • Huang He   Hwang Ho , or Yellow River, great river of N China, c.3,000 mi (4,830 km) long, rising in the Kunlun Mts., NW Qinghai prov., and flowing generally east into the "great northern bend" ...
  • Huangpu   Whangpoo, or Hwangpoo , river, 60 mi (97 km) long, rising in the lake district of Shanghai Municipality, E China, and flowing NE past Shanghai into the Chang estuary at Wusong. It is a major navigational route. Its...
  • Ile river, Kazakhstan: see Ili.
  • Ili or Ile , river of China and Kazakhstan, 590 mi (950 km) long, rising in the Tian Shan, NW Xinjiang, and flowing W across the China-Kazakhstan border, through the sandy Sary Ishikotrau Desert and into Lake...
  • Jialing or Kialing , river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in S Gansu prov., central China, and flowing S through Shaanxi and Sichuan provs. to join the Chang River at Chongqing; it receives the Fu and Qu rivers. One...
  • Kailas peak, c.22,280 ft (6,790 m) high, SW Tibet region of China, highest point of the Kailas Range, in the Himalayas. It is near the sources of the Sutlej, Indus, and Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra)...
  • Kan river, China: see Gan.
  • Kerulen or Herelen , river, 785 mi (1,263 km) long, E Republic of Mongolia, rising in the Kentei Mts., NE of Ulaanbaatar, and flowing S, then E to Kulun Lake, Heilongjiang prov., NE China. A road from Ulaanbaatar to...
  • Khangai massive mountain range, W central Republic of Mongolia, extending from east to west for c.500 mi (800 km); rises to c.13,000 ft (3,960 m). Many rivers, notably the Orkhon and the Selenga, rise on...
  • Kumgang, Mount mountain, SE North Korea, rising to 5,374 ft (1,638 m). There are scenic ravines and caverns and many ancient Buddhist temples, as well as a modern resort at the foot of the mountain.
  • Kunlun great mountain system of central Asia, between the Himalayas and the Tian Shan, extending c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) E from the Pamir Mts., along the Tibet-Xinjiang border in W China and into Qinghai...
  • Liancourt Rocks Jap. Takeshima, Korean Tok Do, island group, 58 acres (23 hectares), in the SW Sea of Japan, roughly midway between the Japanese island of Honshu and the Korean peninsula. Consisting of two small rocky islands and nearby reefs,...
  • Liao principal river of NE China, c.900 mi (1,450 km) long, rising in Inner Mongolia and flowing east then south through the fertile Liao alluvial plain to the Gulf of Liaodong. The eastern branch, its...
  • Matsu or Ma-tsu , Taiwanese island, in the East China Sea, off Fujian prov., China, E of Fuzhou, and c.100 mi (160 km) from Taiwan. Along with Quemoy , it remained a Chinese Nationalist outpost after the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949. The People's Republic of China began bombarding the island again in 1958, but the deployment of the...
  • Min . 1 Chief river of Fujian prov., SE China, c.350 mi (560 km) long, rising in Wuyi shan and flowing SE to the South China Sea near Fuzhou; it receives several tributaries near Nanping. Fuzhou, a...
  • Mongolia mŏn-gō´lēe, mŏng- , Asian region (c.906,000 sq mi/2,346,540 sq km), bordered roughly by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, on the west; the Manchurian provinces of China on the east; Siberia on the north; and...
  • Nam Co or Nam Tso , salt lake, 950 sq mi (2,461 sq km), central Tibet, SW China. The largest lake in Tibet, it lies at an altitude of 15,180 ft (4,627 m).
  • Nanling mountain range of Guangdong and Hunan prov. and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, S China; rises to c.6,900 ft (2,100 m). The Nanling form the geographical boundary between central and S China...
  • Nen or Nonni , river, 740 mi (1,191 km) long, rising in the Yilehuli (Ilkuri) Mts., N Heilongjiang prov., NE China, and flowing south along the east side of the Da Hinggan (Great Khingan) range to the Songhua...
  • Ordos Mandarin Erdesi, sandy desert plateau region, c.35,000 sq mi (90,650 sq km), Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, N China; almost encircled by the great northern bend of the Huang He. The Great Wall of China separates the Ordos from the fertile loess land to the south and east. The desert receives less than 10 in. (25 cm) of rain annually, mainly in the form of thunderstorms. The region has many salt...
  • Orkhon river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in the Khangai Mts., N central Republic of Mongolia, and flowing east, then north, past the site of ancient Karakorum, and then northeast to join the Selenga...
  • Paracel Islands Chin. Xisha, group of low coral islands and reefs in the South China Sea, c.175 mi (280 km) SE of Hainan island. They are rich in guano and are underlain by oil deposits. Prior to World War II the islands were...
  • Pearl Chin. Zhujiang, river, 110 mi (177 km) long, S Guangdong prov., S China. Formed at Guangzhou by the confluence of the Xi and Bei rivers, it flows E then S past Guangzhou and Huangpu island to form a large estuary...
  • Pei river, China: see Bei.
  • Poyang or P'o-yang , shallow lake, c.1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km), N Jiangxi prov., SE China; one of China's largest lakes. It serves as a natural overflow reservoir for the Chang River, with which it is connected by...
  • Qaidam or Tsaidam , arid basin, c.350 mi (560 km) long and c.100 mi (160 km) wide, between two branches of the Kunlun range, central Qinghai prov., W China. A salt marsh occupies most of the area. Oil fields and...
  • Qinghai Hu or Koko Nor , salt lake, c.1,625 sq mi (4,210 sq km), in the Tibetan highlands, NE Qinghai prov., China; one of the largest lakes in China. At an altitude of 10,515 ft (3,205 m), it is shallow and brackish and...
  • Qinling or Tsinling , mountain range, outlier of the Kunlun Mts., between the Wei and Han rivers, Shaanxi prov., central China; Taibai shan (13,494 ft/4,113 m) is the highest peak. The range is wooded, and coal is...
  • Red River Chinese Yuan Chiang, Vietnamese Song Hong, chief river of N Vietnam, 730 mi (1,175 km) long, rising in Yunnan prov., S China, and flowing southeast, in deep, narrow gorges, through N Vietnam to form a great delta before entering the Gulf of...
  • Selenga river, 616 mi (992 km) long, rising in the Khangai Mts., NW Republic of Mongolia, and flowing east, then north, across the Mongolian-Russian border to Lake Baykal; the Orkhon River is its main...
  • Senkaku Islands small, uninhabited island group, 8 sq mi (20.7 sq km), Okinawa prefecture, extreme SW Japan, in the East China Sea. Located 90 mi (45 km) NNW of Ishigaki in the Ryukyu Islands, the group comprises...
  • Si river, China: see Xi.
  • Songhua or Sungari , river of NE China, c.1,150 mi (1,850 km) long, rising in the Changbai Mts., Jilin prov., and flowing generally north, through Heilongjiang prov., to the Amur River on the China-Russia border. It...
  • Supung dam on the Yalu River, on the border between North Korea and Liaoning prov., NE China. One of the largest dams in Asia (525 ft/160 m high and 2,800 ft/853 m long), it was built by the Japanese...
  • Tai peak: see Taishan , China.
  • Tai lake, c.1,300 sq mi (3,370 sq km), on the border between Jiangsu prov. and Zhejiang prov., E China; second largest freshwater lake in China. Dotted with islands, it is one of China's most scenic...
  • Taipei 101 in the Hsinyi dist., Taipei, Taiwan; also known as the Taipei Financial Center. With 101 stories and reaching 1,671 ft (509 m) high, Taipei 101 became the world's tallest building when it was...
  • Taishan or Tai , peak, 5,069 ft (1,545 m) high, W Shandong prov., E China. Located in the homeland of Confucius, it is China's most sacred mountain. In ancient times it was believed that Taishan controlled the...
  • Taklimakan or Takla Makan , vast sandy desert, c.125,000 sq mi (323,750 sq km), central Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, NW China, between the Kunlun Mts. on the south and the Tian Shan Mts. and Tarim River on the north;...
  • Tanggula Shan or Tangla , mountain range, southeast extension of the Karakorum range, in the central Tibetan plateau, on the Tibet-Qinghai border, W China; rises to about 20,000 ft (6,100 m). It is the watershed for the...
  • Tarim Mandarin Dayan, chief river of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, NW China, c.1,300 mi (2,090 km) long, formed by the union of the Aksu and the Yarkant rivers at the western end of the Taklimakan desert, and...
  • Thanlwin or Salween , Chin. Nu Jiang, Tibetan Chiama Ngu Chu, river of SE Asia, c.1,750 mi (2,820 km) long, rising in E Tibet region of China, and flowing SE through Yunnan prov. in deep, narrow gorges parallel to the Mekong, Chang, and Ayeyarwady rivers,...
  • Tian Shan or Tien Shan [Chin.,=celestial mountains], mountain system of central Asia, extending c.1,500 mi (2,410 km) from the Pamir Mts., Tajikistan, NE through the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, NW China, to the China-Mongolia border; Pobeda Peak (24,406 ft/7,439 m), on the Kyrgyzstan-China line, is the highest point. The E...
  • Tiananmen Square large public square in Beijing , China, on the southern edge of the Inner or Tatar City. The square, named for its Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen), contains the monument to the heroes of the revolution, the Great Hall of the...
  • Tok Do   Tokdo, or Tokto: see Liancourt Rocks.
  • Trans-Alai mountain range, central Asia, a part of the Pamir-Alai mountain system. The Trans-Alai extends 155 mi (249 km) W from China to form the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It rises to 23,382...
  • Tsangbo river, Tibet Autonomous Region, China: see Brahmaputra.
  • Wei river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in SE Gansu prov. and flowing E through Gansu and Shaanxi provs. to the Huang He. Its wide, alluvial valley was the site of some of the earliest centers of...
  • Wutai Shan mountain range, extending c.150 mi (240 km) across NE Shanxi and NW Hebei prov., NE China. The mountains, rising to c.10,035 ft (3,058 m), are sacred to the Mongols and contain lamaseries...
  • Xi or Xi Jiang , great river of S China, c.1,250 mi (2,010 km) long, rising in E Yunnan prov. and flowing generally E through Guangxi and Guangdong provs. to the South China Sea near Guangzhou; the Kui, Bei, and...
  • Xiang or Siang , river, 715 mi (1,151 km) long, rising in NE Guangxi prov. and flowing N through Hunan prov. to Dongting Lake, SE China. The river is navigable to large vessels for most of its course; Changsha is...
  • Yalong or Ya-lung , river, c.800 mi (1,290 km) long, rising in the Kunlun Mts., S Qinghai prov., W China, and flowing S across W Sichuan prov. to the Chang River near the Yunnan border. It flows through deep gorges...
  • Yalu Korean Amnok, river, c.500 mi (800 km) long, rising in the Changbai Mts. in Jilin prov., NE China, and flowing SW to the Bay of Korea at Dandong; forms part of the China-North Korea border. In places it is...