The natural resources of China are quite rich and diverse - a country that occupies the third place in terms of size of territory after Russia and Canada. Their economic use depends on many factors, including geographic location and climatic conditions.
Geography Features
Most of China, with a total area of 9.6 million square meters. km, occupy mountains and hills. In the west of the country is the world's largest Tibetan plateau, almost 4.5 km high. It is surrounded by the famous mountain systems - the Himalayas, Kunlun, Karakorum, Tien Shan. The natural conditions and resources of China are determined by a rather vast and elongated territory.
The plains that are more adapted for economic activity make up approximately 30% of the total area of China. About twenty-five percent of the territory is located at an altitude of 500 m above sea level, 17% - from 500 to 1 thousand m and 25.1% - more than 1000 m. The population is concentrated mainly in the coastal region and some internal provinces of the country. In high mountain regions, its density is much lower. China's geographical position and natural resources are closely interconnected. The country’s location within three climatic zones (temperate, subtropical and tropical) determines the peculiar distribution of water, land, forest and other resources.
China's water reserves
First of all, the peculiarities of the geographical position were reflected in the water reserves. They are rather unevenly distributed throughout the territory, and along with spaces characterized by an excess of moisture, there are also those where water is in great shortage. More than 70% of all water resources are concentrated in the southern part of the country. An extensive river network is located here, the basis of which are the Yangtze, Yellow River, and Xijiang. During the summer monsoon, coinciding in time with the melting of snows and glaciers, there is a significant increase in water levels in most rivers.
Numerous lakes are also very important natural resources of China, which are natural reservoirs of fresh water. The largest of them are in the western part of the country (Lobnor, Ebi-Noor, Kununor) and in the Yangtze River basin (Dongting, Taihu, Poyanhu).
Large volumes of runoff water discharge, most of which do not undergo preliminary treatment, lead to a high degree of pollution of rivers and lakes. Today, China especially needs consistent large-scale wastewater treatment activities.
Minerals
It is impossible to describe these natural resources of China briefly, as they are so diverse. This country is considered one of the richest in total mineral reserves, which are represented by almost the entire periodic table. Geological exploration confirmed the presence of more than 160 items. China is a world leader in the production of non-ferrous metals: tin, zinc, lead, molybdenum, antimony and mercury. The tungsten deposit, located in the South China Massif, is the largest on the planet. Rare-earth metal reserves account for 80% of the global total. Deposits of iron ore, manganese, titanium, and vanadium have been discovered.
The richest non-metallic mineral resources are found in China. The leading positions are occupied by: magnesite, graphite, talc, gypsum, asbestos, kaolin, fluorite, silica, alunite and bentonite. High quality are distinguished by marble and granite, which are also many found in the country.
Energetic resources
In terms of coal reserves, China is one of the first places in the world. According to exploration data, they amount to 1.0071 trillion tons. But in the extraction of oil and natural gas, this country is significantly inferior to the leading oil powers. The main reserves of this fuel are located in the northern and northeastern parts of China, on the shelves of the Yellow and South China Seas. Explored reserves of oil shale. These natural resources of China and their use are under special state control and are of strategic importance.
Land and soil resources
The geographical features of the country also affected the land resources of China - its eastern part is occupied by arable land, steppes are located in the north and west, and forests are located on the north-eastern and south-western outskirts.
Soils are diverse. In the northern part of the country podzolic, replaced by brown, forest prevail. Lateritic soils in the south. The elevated territories are represented by mountainous soil. The most valuable are alluvial soils, which are located on the Great Plain of China.
Arable land
The rapid development of industrial construction has led to a reduction in arable land, which is why these natural resources of China make up less than 10% of all world land intended for arable land.
Moreover, more than half of these lands are located in areas suffering from lack of water, salinization and soil erosion. Obtaining repeated harvests within one year partially rescues the situation. Nevertheless, the intensity of crop production has its limits. The lack of arable land can slow down China's economic growth.
Forest land
Forests occupy about 17% of the total territory of the country. The largest of them are located in the Greater and Lesser Khingan, as well as in the north-east of the country. These forests provide almost a third of all available forest resources in the country. The main types of trees growing here are fir, spruce, Yunnan pine. In addition to them, there are also such valuable ones as, for example, grapefruit tree, camphor, red, pterocarpus Santalinus.
A fairly large area (more than 30%) is made up of artificial forests. Landing areas cover an area of more than 6370 hectares. Much attention is paid in China to forest shelter belts designed to combat wind and soil erosion. The largest project designed to improve the environment is the creation of a forest protection system that runs through northern China through deserted deserts. There are several landscaping and plant protection programs that help conserve and increase these natural resources in China.
Vegetable world
The special geographical position of the country influenced the diversity of the plant world. More than 30 thousand different types of plants grow in China. Among them, such unique as Fujian cypress, metasequoia glipostrobes, Chinese argyrophyllus, eocommia, davidia and many others. More than a thousand species of plants growing in this country have high economic value. Natural zones are represented by broad-leaved forests in the east of the country and steppe vegetation turning into semi-desert in the west.
