Focus Question: 

How has the topography and climate of eastern Asia, including mountain ranges and deserts, influenced the growth of Chinese civilization?

China

Rivers helped with the growth of China. The rivers and their floods help grow crops for the people of China. With increased cultivation, the population of China increased. The rivers also allowed for easier travel and trade. 

• Click here to read more about the importance of rivers.

The Gobi Desert and Himalayas helped to separate China from the rest of the world. Both the desert and mountains were difficult to cross, so the geographic features actually helped prevent attacks from neighboring civilizations. Because of this, China has a long history of isolation. 

Click here to read more about this and for a worksheet on China's geography. 

• Click here for an overview of China's history and geography.

Click here to view a map of the Topography of Eastern Asia

World Atlas of Panoramic Aerial Images of Eastern Asia.

East Asia Climate and Vegetation Slide Show

East Asia in Geographic Perspective Resources 

Today's Weather in East Asia

Click here for various lesson ideas and resources on China.

Pictures Showing the Various Geographic Regions of China

Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station

Website on Ancient China for Kids-Stories, Games, and Geography

A link to maps of many different countries of the world

Map of the Yellow River

Blank Map of China

Blank Map of China with the Two Rivers

Himalayan Mountain Range Annotated 

Chinese Geography: Readings and Maps

Overview of China Today using the 5 Themes of Geography

China from the World Factbook

China Overview from the World Bank

China Country Profile from BBC News

China Introduction from Michigan State University

• China or Not: Interactive Quiz

• The China Game

Place (Human or physical characteristics that distinguish one place from another)

China from National Geographic for Kids

China: Daily Life from Boston.com


Click here for a "Day in the Life: China" from Time

See How the One-Child Policy Changed China, National Geographic (November 13, 2015)

Location (How a place is related or connected to other places)

Great Hall of the People, Beijing

Movement (How goods, services, people and ideas are exchanged from place to place)

China's Top 10 Exports

Goods Manufactured in China Not Good for the Environment, Study Finds from University of California Irvine (September 28, 2015)

Region (The unifying human and physical characteristics found in a place)

Chinese Culture: Customs & Traditions of China from LiveScience

Human Environmental Interaction (Ways humans interact positively or negatively with their environment)

Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River

China's Three Gorges Dam, by the Numbers

Three Gorges Dam Project from Mt. Holyoke College