Chapter 19: Geography and the Early Settlement of China
Essential Question: How did geography affect life in ancient China?
In this chapter, you explore the climate, physical features, and vegetation in five geographic regions in China. You learn how geography affected settlement, ways of life, and communication in ancient China.
Outer China
This area includes three regions in the western and northern parts of modern China: the Tibet-Qinghai, or Tibetan, Plateau; the Northwestern Deserts (the Taklimakan and the Gobi); and the Northeastern Plain. This area's features—high mountains, a cold and rocky plateau, and large deserts—isolated Inner China. Inner China This area includes two regions in the southeastern part of modern China: the North China Plain and the Chang Jiang Basins. The plain has the best conditions for farming. Early Settlement and Isolation Archaeologists have found remains of what may be the first inhabitants of China. These hunter-gatherers lived in caves more than 500,000 years ago. Later, farmers established the first permanent settlements on the North China Plain, near the Huang He, or Yellow River. Harsh geography and vast distances isolated these early inhabitants. Different Regions and Ways of Life Because of a lack of farmland, most settlers in Outer China were nomads and herders. In Inner China, people farmed and raised animals in permanent settlements. Farmers in the Chang Jiang Basins grew rice. |
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