History Alive Text Chapter 19 – Geography the （第十九章u2014u2014地理历史活着的文本）.pdfVIP

History Alive Text Chapter 19 – Geography the Early Settlement of China 19.1 – Introduction In this unit, you will explore the civilization of ancient China. This civilization flourished from about 1700 B.C.E. to 220 C.E. China is a large country in eastern Asia. It’s easy to use words like highest, largest, and longest when talking about China’s geography. The world’s highest mountains, the Himalayas, are in China. So is one of the world’s largest deserts, the Taklamakan Desert. China also boasts some of the longest rivers in the world. China’s climate is just as extreme as its physical features. The weather can vary from ice storms in the high mountains to the dreaded sandstorm of the Taklamakan Desert. During a sandstorm, the sky darkens until it feels like night. Hot, howling winds drive sand and gravel against you. The only way to survive is to wrap yourself in clothes or blankets and lie down until the storm passes. That could be hours or even days. As you can see, China is a land of contrasts. In this chapter, you will compare five geographic regions in China. You’ll learn about the climate, physical features and vegetation of each region. You’ll also discover how geography affected where the first Chinese settled, the way they lived and their ability to communicate with other civilizations. 19.2 – An Overview of China’s Geography Modern China is the third largest country in the world, after Russia and Canada. It covers about 3.7 million square miles. About 1.2 billion people live in China, more than in any other country. China was much smaller in ancient times. To understand Chinese history, it’s helpful to divide China into two main areas: Outer China and Inner China. Most of ancient Chinese history involves only Inner China. The two areas did not become one country until th