LESSON 2.0 CHINA'S GEOGRAPHY

STUDENTS SHOULD READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE:

BC vs BCE:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxIkQvEHk4XzeWFfWVBKSF9mQnM/edit

STUDENTS SHOULD COPY THE FOLLOWING IN THEIR NOTES:

BC vs BCE

BC = Before Christ

BCE = Before Common Era Denotes the time before the birth of Jesus Christ and counts backwards.

AD = Anno Domini (the year of the Lord)

CE = Common Era-Denotes the time after the birth of Jesus and counting chronologically.

600 500 400 300 200 100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

___________________________________________

BC   Birth of                         AD

 or                                  Jesus                               or

BCE                           Christ                           CE

MAP OF ASIA

THE STEPPES OF CHINA

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

HOW CAN GEOGRAPHY ENCOURAGE CIVILIZATION?

GEOGRAPHY

Ë Chinese civilization began in the Huang He (Yellow River) valley with the Shang Dynasty in about 1650 BCE.

Ë The Geography of some areas of China is excellent for natural protection from enemies.

Ë The Geography that provided the best protections was the following:

1.  High mountain ranges in the west and southwest

2.   The Tibetan Plateau in the west (largest and highest plateau in the world)

3.   Deserts in the west and northwest

4.   Ocean to the east

5.   Jungles in the southeast

Ë China has one weak point to the north. The land consists of steppes which are vast, treeless plains.  Invaders found it easy to access China through these steppes.

MAJOR RIVERS

Ë The 2 major rivers in China are:

1.   Huang He in the north (Yellow River)

2.   Yangtze in the south

Ë The Huang He River is 5464 km. long compared to the Fraser River which is 1370 km.

Ë Huang He River floods regularly and spreads rich silt over the North China Plain, making the soil fertile and good for farming.

Ë The Yangtze River is 6300 km. long and is an important trade and transportation route for China.

CLIMATE

Ë The climate of China is very different from the north to the south.

Ë The far north region of China is subarctic with cold winters and dry summers.

Ë The south region of China has a subtropical climate with mild temperatures and lots of rain.

STUDENT ACTIVITY

• Students will require an Atlas and pencil crayons/markers and asharp pencil for the mapping project that follows.
• HAND OUT MAP – “GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF CHINA”
• The labelling requirements are on the back.
• Students can use the atlas or text to find answers
• Remember to write on maps appropriately. For example: Political names written straight and Physical names follow the landform.
• Colour when labelling is complete.
• HAND-IN

STUDENT HANDOUTS:

1. GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF CHINA MAP:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxIkQvEHk4XzQzF2RHFCZVJERVU/edit

REFERENCES:

Cranny, Michael. (2012). Pathways - Civilizations Through Time. Pearson. Toronto.