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A new and detailed map of the People's Republic of CHINA (ZHŌNGGUÓ) on the GeoFact of the Day Blog provides locations of cities/towns, terrain, and country borders. This map is available on the China post (↗). To tell me what you think about this map, comment down below or send an email! What country or other place should be the focal point of my next map?
The following items are major exports of CHINA: apples, antimony, automobiles, cheap consumer goods, chemicals, citrus fruit (clementines, lemons, limes, tangerines, and mandarin oranges), clothing and textiles, cotton, data processing equipment, electronics, fertilizer, footwear, grain, iron ore, lead, machinery, magnetite, meat, mercury, natural gas, oilseeds, petroleum, potatoes, processed food, rare earth elements, rice, steel, seafood, tchotchkes and trinkets, tea, telephones, toys, and zinc. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United States (top importer), Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, Vietnam, India, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, and Canada.
Good afternoon, evening, or night wherever you are! My China post (↗) — link opens in a new tab or window — is updated with much more information. Thanks for visiting GeoFact of the Day...today and always!
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for Taiwan (Republic of China) in East Asia lists 1 extinct-in-the-wild species (Rhododendron kanehirai flower), 22 critically endangered species, and 87 endangered species. Some of Taiwan's twenty-two critically endangered species include the Baer's Pochard duck, Chinese Crested Tern bird, Chinese Pangolin, Chinese Pufferfish, Green Crab, Oncorhynchus formosanus fish, Orchid Island Crab, Pinanga tashiroi palm tree, and Segawa's Cypripedium orchid flower, Small Persimmon tree, Spoonbill Sandpiper bird. Some endangered species: Anderson's Crocodile Newt, Chinese Merganser duck, Crested Ibis bird, Formosa's Lady Slipper flower, Formosan Cypress tree, Japanese Night Heron, Japanese Stork, Manchurian Crane, Sandfish, Taiwan Angelshark, Taiwan Incense Cedar tree, Taiwan Waist Crab, Threadfin Porgy fin, and Yellow-Margined Box Turtle.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for Macau (Macao) in Southeast Asia lists only 1 critically endangered species and 2 endangered species. With a grand size longer than an average human's height (2 meters or over 6.5 feet), the Chinese Bahaba fish is critically endangered in Macau. The Black-Faced Spoonbill bird, and Great Hammerhead Shark (Squat-Headed Hammerhead Shark) are endangered. Macau's nine vulnerable species include the Asian Imperial Eagle, Chinese Black-Headed Gull, Chinese Cobra, Chinese Egret, Golden Thread fish, Shortfin Mako Shark, and White-Tipped Shark.
Literacy Citation
* Wallach, V., and Olivier S. G. Pauwels. "Typhlops Lazelli, A New Species of
Chinese Blindsnake from Hong Kong (Serpentes: Typhlopidae)."
Breviora 512 (2004): 1-21. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
View Larger Map — View Bird's Eye
CHINA is globally known for its amazing, intriguing, and expensive buildings constructed in the 21st century. One amazing — and arguably adorable — copper-plated structure is located near Yangzhong, a county-level city of Jiangsu Province in eastern China. Featuring over 8,900 copper plates gleaming in sunlight, a giant puffer fish observation tower was constructed in 2013 with a price tag of over ¥72 million (Yuan/Renminbi) and USD $11 million. This expensive attraction faces north on the east side of Globefish Island, which is located south of the city — on the larger Yangzhong island — and surrounded on the north, west, and south sides by Yangzhong island.
Color-changing lights on the fish structure dazzle spectators hoping to be amazed at nighttime. The world's largest pufferfish stands about as tall as the Statue of Liberty, the American torch-bearing lady that stands 93 meters and 305 feet tall. Why was the gargantuan fish built, despite public outrage about its exorbitant cost? Yangzhong officials assert that this monument provides an interesting way to attract visitors, give the city a unique landmark to stand out from the surrounding natural landscape, and remind residents the importance of protecting aquatic species and the environment. Both images came from this On Demand News (ODN) video on YouTube.
Above is the map of MACAU, a special administrative region belonging to China. To find about more about Macau and its people, places, and land features, simply visit my Macau post from August 2015!
People and Places
Natives of Macau are mostly ethnic Chinese. Some residents are Macanese, meaning they have Portuguese ancestry. Residents originally from Portugal comprise a minority in Macau. Official languages are Chinese and Portuguese, and a local dialect called Macanese Portuguese is spoken. Macau's population density of about 21,000 residents per square mile or over 54,200 residents per square mile means it is the most densely-populated territory in the world, surpassing all countries' population densities. With an average life expectancy greater than 84 years in 2015, Macau has some of the world's most longest-living humans on average. Macau consistently ranks first or somewhere nearby in global life expectancy statistics.
Communities in Macau include Coloane, Cotai, Macau, Santo António, São Lázaro, São Lourenço, and Taipa. Serving residents and visitors with aerial transportation, Macau International Airport is located on a “runway peninsula” in the South China Sea. The International Air Transport Association airport code for Macau is MFM. Macau boasts strong finance and gambling industries, featuring multiple finance firms and popular casinos. Several sport venues include the East Asian Games Dome and Macau Stadium. Beaches such as Cheoc Van Beach on the south shore provide a tranquil setting for fun activities. The currency used by Macau's people is the Macanese Pataca, and its ISO 4217 currency code is MOP.
Land Features
Land reclamation projects in historic and modern times increased Macau's area. Macau is not stopping anytime soon, as the GeoFact of the Day Blog map above shows areas proposed for future land reclamation. A recent, ambitious project connected the islands of Coloane and Taipa to a reclaimed area, where the city of Cotai now sits on. The Cotai land reclamation area is heavily developed. Connected to the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea is situated south and east of Macau. Macau is found southwest of the Pearl River Delta. The Porto Exterior bay separates the Macau Peninsula in the north to the amalgamation of islands in the south.
According to Carrie Arnold of National Geographic, two decades occurred before ecologic researcher Weidong Li once again spotted the elusive Ili pika (Ochotona iliensis) species in northwestern CHINA. Specifically, the undoubtedly adorable and small mammal was discovered in the summer of 2014 by Li and her volunteering team in the Tien Shan mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu. Also simply known as Xinjiang, this autonomous province is comprised of dozens of ethnic groups like the Uighurs and Han people. The Ili pika is about 8 inches or 20 centimeters in length and is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Check out the National Geographic story for a delightful image of the beautiful and downright cute Ili pika species!
As of March 16th, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for CHINA in eastern Asia lists seven extinct species and two extinct-in-the-wild species since the beginning of IUCN recordkeeping, 156 critically endangered species, and 341 endangered species. The seven extinct species unfortunately featured on the Red List are the Adiantum lianxianense fern, two ray-finned fish species (Anabarilius macrolepis and Cyprinus yilongensis), Littoraria flammea sea snail, Ormosia howii tree, Otophora unilocularis
flowering plant, and the Yunnan Lake Newt. The two extinct fish species - Anabarilius macrolepis and Cyprinus yilongensis - both once lived in Yilong Lake, which is located in Yunnan Province of southern China. Some critically endangered species in China include the Baiji dolphin, Chinese Alligator, Chinese Giant Salamander, Chinese Pangolin, Chinese Sturgeon, Giant Pangasius catfish, Indochinese Box Turtle, Mongolian Saiga, Siberian Sturgeon, White-shouldered Ibis, Yunnan Box Turtle, and Zhou's Box Turtle.
China post (link opens in new tab/window)
Just like the Liaodong Peninsula I posted about previously, you will find Shandong Peninsula (山東半島) in northeast CHINA and is partly surrounded by Bo Hai and Korea Bay. This peninsula is part of Shandong Province. With several million residents, Qingdao lies at the southern part of Shandong Peninsula and is the largest city in the area. Other large cities on and near the peninsula include Laiyang, Longkou, Pingdu, Rongcheng, Weifang, Weihai, Wendeng, and Yantai. In the southern part of Bo Hai lies the Laizhou Bay, located north of the peninsula; the famous and important Yellow River (Huang) flows west of Shandong. Several peaks on Shandong include Kunyu Shan (923 meters) and Ai Shan (818 meters).
Situated in northeast CHINA, Liaodong Peninsula (遼東半島) juts southward into two water bodies: Bo Hai (formerly called the Gulf of Chihli) to the west and the Korea Bay to the east. Korea Bay, located west of North Korea, is a northern extension of the Yellow Sea. Being the southern extent of Liaoning Province, Liaodong Peninsula is also the southern extent of Qian Mountains; standing over 1,130 meters, the peninsula's highest peak is Buyun Shan. Dalian is the largest city, and other cities include Gai Xian, Jiangjunshi, Langjiadian, Xinjin, Zhuanghe, and Wafangdian. Bays including Dalian Bay, Jinzhou Bay, and Pulandian Bay and islands such as the Changshan Archipelago (which includes Guanglu, Shicheng, and Zhangzi islands), Changxing, and Xizhong surround Liaodong Peninsula.
Rivers around the world are important modes of transportation in both developed and developing countries, and the Mekong River in Southeast Asia is no exception! Providing a vital route for shipping goods like rice, cotton, vegetables, peanuts, timber, and minerals to the South China Sea and beyond, the Mekong originates in southern Qinghai Province in southern CHINA (where it is called the Lancang River), and then flows south and serves as part of the border for LAOS, MYANMAR (Burma), and THAILAND. Next, it flows through southern Laos and CAMBODIA before turning southeast through southern VIETNAM, then reaches the Mouths of the Mekong, Mekong Delta, and the South China Sea.
Cities Along the Mekong River
The largest city along the Mekong in southern China is Jinghong, which is in Yunnan Province. Laos' four largest cities - Louangphrabang, Vientiane (Laos' capital), Savannakhet, and Paxhé - are also located beside the Mekong. Further south, the Mekong flows past Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Finally, Vietnamese cities such as Cao Lanh, Sa Dec, Vinh Long, My Tho, Ben Tre, and Tra Vinh are located beside the river and the distributaries in the Mekong Delta.
Lantau Island (大屿山) has the largest area of all islands in HONG KONG, one of China's autonomous regions. It is separated from Hong Kong Island and Pok Liu Chau (Lamma Island) to the east by the West Lamma Channel. Hong Kong Island is covered in the north by Victoria, Hong Kong's capital. Returning back to discussing about Lantau, it is southwest of mainland Hong Kong. The neat thing about Lantau is its wonderful combination of close proximity to major cities and countryside tranquility. It is somewhat isolated from the urban sprawl nearby, yet connected to surrounding islands by ferry routes and convenient boat transportation. Lantau Peak towers 934 meters above the island's center. There are multiple small surrounding islands, including Cheung Chau, Soko, and Tsing Yi. The Lantau Channel to the south separates Lantau from additional islands, such as Dazhizhu Dau.
Urumqi, also spelled Ürümqi, is the capital and largest city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the westernmost administrative region in CHINA. The population of the city is larger than 2 million, and the location is in the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur. The Bogda mountain range is east while the Eren Habirga mountain range is west. Surrounding cities include Changji, Fukang, Hutubi, and Minquan.
In Southeast Asia, the Leizhou Peninsula drops down from the mainland of Southern CHINA. It is surrounded by Gulf of Tonkin to the west and South China Sea to the east. Hainan, a large circular island, is south of the Hainan Strait that borders the southern coastline of the Leizhou Peninsula. Multiple small islands, including Donghai, Naozhou, and Xinliao, stand east of the peninsula. The largest city on the peninsula is Zhanjiang; other communities include Hai'an, Haikang, Kelu, Qujie, Wailuo, and Xuwen.
With a rather high population density of about 1650 people per square mile (almost 640 people per sq. km) and more than 22 million people, TAIWAN (link to Taiwan post) has a lot of cities as you might expect. Located in northern Taiwan, the capital Taipei (T'aipei) is the largest city, with a population greater than 2 million. The second largest city, situated on the South China Sea coast in southwest Taiwan, is Kaohsiung. Cities with populations larger than 100,000 that are located in western Taiwan on the coast (east of the Taiwan Strait) and inland include Changhua, Chiai, Fengyüan, Hsinchu, T'aichung, and T'ainan. The city of Keelung is east of Taipei, while Hualien is on the eastern coast and south of Taroko National Park.
Quick GeoFact: The Gulf of Tonkin is situated to the east of northern VIETNAM and west of CHINA's Hainan island. Hai Phong, a city with a population greater than 1 million, sits on Gulf of Tonkin's northwest coast.
Lake Assal and the Assal Depression, located west of the Gulf of Tadjoura in central DJIBOUTI (a small country in the Horn of Africa), is the lowest point on the African continent, boasting an elevation of -512 feet! The lowest point on land in the world (excluding deep oceanic trenches) is ISRAEL's Dead Sea, which is more than a whopping 1,300 feet below sea level; it is so salty that swimmers can easily float with minimal effort! The Dead Sea's depth pales in comparison to the Marianas Trench, the deepest trench in the world at almost -36,000 feet and almost -11,000 meters! Therefore, the Marianas Trench's depth is larger than Mt. Everest's height. Other depressions and negative-elevation points in the world include CHINA's Turfan Depression, EGYPT's Qattara Depression, and KAZAKHSTAN's Karagiye Depression.
>>> To discover more about Djibouti, visit my Djibouti post! Also, click on the 'Countries' tab above to find links to my posts of other African countries.
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