How many major plateaus does China have?

China has four major plateaus, namely the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Inner Mongolia Plateau, Loess Plateau, and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:

Snowy frozen soil, the roof of the world’s continents. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the largest plateau in China and the highest in the world. It is known as the "Roof of the World" and the "Third Pole". It starts from the southern edge of the Himalayas in the south, to the Kunlun Mountains, the Altun Mountains and the northern edge of the Qilian Mountains in the north, and to the west is the Pamir Plateau. and the Karakoram Mountains. The northeastern part is connected to the western section of the Qinling Mountains and the Loess Plateau, with a total area of ​​about 2.5 million square kilometers. The interior is the Northern Tibet Plateau (Qiangtang Plateau), the Southern Tibet Valley, the Qaidam Basin, and the Qilian Mountains. It covers 6 parts of Tibet, Qinghai Plateau, and Sichuan-Tibet Alpine Canyon Area, covering all of China's Tibet, Qinghai except for the Hehuang Valley, and parts of Xinjiang, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan, and includes most of Bhutan, Nepal, India, Part of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, most areas have an altitude of 3000-5000 meters, with an average altitude of more than 4000 meters. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is not only within our country, but also covers many neighboring countries. Large areas in Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan in China belong to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The geological history of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with definite evidence can be traced back to the Ordovician period 400-500 million years ago. Since then, various parts of the Qinghai-Tibet region have experienced different situations of crustal ups and downs, either being submerged by sea water or becoming land. By 280 million years ago (the Early Permian period of geological time), the Tibetan Plateau was a vast ocean with rough waves. This sea area traverses the southern part of the Eurasian continent and communicates with the sea areas of North Africa, southern Europe, West Asia and Southeast Asia. It is called the "Tethys Sea" or "Ancient Mediterranean Sea". At that time, the climate in the Tethys Sea area was warm and it became a marine animal. , areas where plants flourish. Its north and south sides are the original ancient continents (also called Pangea) that have been split. The south is called Gondwana, including South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica and South Asia; the northern continent is called Eurasia. , also known as Laurasia and North America.

Loess Plateau:

Thousands of ravines and ravines, the cradle of farming civilization. The Loess Plateau is located in the north of central China, extending to the Great Wall, the Helan Mountains and the Yinshan Mountains in the north, to the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains in the south, from the Riyueshen and Wushaoling Mountains in the west to the Taihang Mountains in the east. It is mainly composed of the Shanxi Plateau (including internal basins), Shaanxi-Gansu It consists of Shanxi Plateau, Longzhong Plateau, Ordos Plateau and Guanzhong Basin, Hetao Plain, Hehuang Valley, etc., including all of Shanxi, central and northern Shaanxi, central and eastern Gansu, southern Ningxia, eastern Qinghai, the area south of the Yinshan Mountains in Inner Mongolia, and western Henan Province. Covering an area of ​​about 640,000 square kilometers, it is located on the second step of China's ladder, with an altitude of 800-3,000 meters. The Guanzhong Basin, Hetao Plain, and Hehuang Valley are all internal components of the Loess Plateau, and there are also Loess Plateaus in Qinghai and Henan. The Loess Plateau has an arid climate, concentrated precipitation, and sparse vegetation. Generally, the flat cultivated land is less than 1/10, and most of the cultivated land is distributed on slopes ranging from 10° to 35°. The land is small and scattered, which is not conducive to water conservancy and mechanization, and soil erosion is serious. The Yellow River releases about 1.6 billion tons of sediment through Shaanxi County every year, 90% of which comes from the Loess Plateau. About 30 million tons of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients are lost with the sediment. This is also the reason why sediment accumulates in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and forms an above-ground river. one. Comprehensive management of the Loess Plateau is a key project in China's natural transformation project. The management policy is to focus on soil and water conservation, combine soil improvement with water control, combine slope control with gully control, combine engineering measures with biological measures, and implement comprehensive agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. Development, this kind of governance measure has achieved significant results. The Loess Plateau is rich in minerals, with large reserves of coal, petroleum, and bauxite. It is an important energy and chemical industry base in China.

Inner Mongolia Plateau:

A world of vast, nomadic grasslands. The Inner Mongolia Plateau is part of the Mongolian Plateau, extending to the Yinshan Mountains and the northern foothills of Yanshan Mountain in the south, to the west of the Daxingan Mountains in the east, to the national border in the north, and to the junction of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang in the west. It mainly covers the area north of the Great Wall in Inner Mongolia and the Bashang Plateau in Hebei Province. , and the northern edge of Gansu Province, covering an area of ​​about 340,000 square kilometers, with an altitude of 1,000-1,200 meters. It is generally higher in the south and lower in the north. The north forms an east-west lowland, with the lowest altitude of about 600 meters. The Bashang Plateau in Hebei Province is also part of the Inner Mongolia Plateau. The Inner Mongolia Plateau is located to the north of the Yinshan Mountains and to the west of the Greater Khingan Mountains, reaching the national border in the north and near 106° east longitude in the west. It lies between 40°20′~50°50′ north latitude and 106°~121°40′ east longitude, covering an area of ​​approximately 340,000 square kilometers. The administrative division includes the western part of the Hulunbuir League, most of the Xilingol League, the Ulanqab League and the northern part of the Bayannur League. The Inner Mongolia Plateau in a broad sense also includes the Ordos Plateau south of the Yinshan Mountains and the Alxa Plateau west of the Helan Mountains. The Inner Mongolia Plateau is also called the Northern Plateau. Including the entire Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu Province and the vast area in the north of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, starting from the Greater Khingan Mountains and Sukshelu Mountain in the east, Mazong Mountain in the west, Qilian in the south, Shandake Sandy Land, Ujimqin Sandy Land, Hulunbuir Sandy land, Horqin sandy land, etc. The larger deserts include Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert, Ulan Buh Desert and Kubuqi Desert. The Inner Mongolia Plateau has weak summer monsoons and strong winter monsoons, a dry climate, severe cold winters, and abundant sunshine. The annual average temperature is 3~6℃, the average temperature in January is -28~-14℃, and the lowest temperature can reach -50℃. The average temperature in July is 16~24℃, and hot weather rarely occurs. During the growth period of pasture, the active accumulated temperature above 10℃ is 2000~3000℃.

The annual total solar radiation is 500~670 kilojoules/cm2, and the annual sunshine is 2600~3200 hours. It is one of the areas with more sunshine hours in the country. The annual precipitation is more in the east and less in the west, ranging from 150 to 400 mm. 70% of the annual rainfall is concentrated from June to August, and the inter-annual variability of precipitation is large. The Inner Mongolia Plateau is one of the windiest areas in China. The annual average wind speed is 4 to 6 meters/second, increasing from east to west. The number of windy days above level 8 is 50 to 90. Winter and spring account for about 60% of the annual windy days. The wind speed Obvious sand emission can occur at 6~7 meters/second. In the western part of the plateau, there are 10 to 25 sandstorm days per year. Heavy and strong winds are detrimental to animal husbandry production, but they provide important power resources on the plateau. The Yellow River flows through this section of the central Inner Mongolia Plateau. In some places, the river valleys tighten and become canyons; in other places, the river valleys are wide and the sediment accumulates to form fertile alluvial plains. This is the famous Hetao Plain (the Hetao has been "blocked by Jiangnan" since ancient times). "This is the result of the working people building channels here to divert water from the Yellow River to irrigate farmland).

Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau:

A world of broken terrain and karst canyons. The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the plateau with the lowest latitude in my country, starts from Hengduan Mountain and Ailao Mountain in the west, Wuling Mountain and Xuefeng Mountain in the east, Yuecheng Mountain in the southeast, Dalou Mountain on the south bank of the Yangtze River in the north, and the mountains on the border of Guangxi and Yunnan in the south. Covering an area of ​​approximately 500,000 square kilometers, it covers the eastern part of Yunnan Province, the entire province of Guizhou, the northwest of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the junction areas of Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan and other provinces. It is roughly divided into two parts, the Yunnan Plateau and the Guizhou Plateau, with Wumeng Mountain as the boundary, with an altitude of 400-3500 meters. Parts of Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, Hubei, and Guangxi are also covered by the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. There are more than 1,200 dams in Yunnan, accounting for one-third of the province's arable land. The depressed ones have become basins, and some have accumulated water to form lakes. For example, on the plateau with Kunming as the center, there are many large and small lakes such as Dianchi Lake, which is called the "Diannan Depression Lake Area". Due to the leakage of lake water and the sedimentation of sand and mud in the surrounding mountains, most lakeshore plains have developed around the lake basin. The soil here is fertile and the soil layer is deep, making it the main agricultural area on the plateau. The Guizhou Plateau is located in a rainy monsoon area with sufficient rainfall, so there is a saying that "the sky will never be sunny for three days". Due to the heavy rainfall, the rivers on the plateau have large amounts of water. Many rivers cut the ground for a long time, forming many deep and steep canyons. The landforms of the Guizhou Plateau can be roughly divided into three levels: mountains, basins and canyons. The highest level on the plateau is the mountain plateau, which is most obvious in western Guizhou. The plateau surface has been cut by rivers for a long time and takes on the shape of a mountain plateau. Under this plateau, there are some basins (Bazi), the largest of which is the Guiyang Basin, which is the main farming area on the plateau. Canyons are formed by rivers cutting down for a long time. For example, the Wujiang River Valley is 300-500 meters deep. Here, "it takes a day to walk to the mountains." The Huangguoshu Waterfall at the source of the Dabang River in Beipanjiang River is about 20 meters wide. It plunges from a cliff more than 50 meters high into the Rhinoceros Pool with splashing water and majestic momentum. It is the largest waterfall in China. ?

Introduction to the plateau:

The plateau refers to a relatively complete large-area uplifted area with an altitude above 500 meters, a vast area, open terrain, and obvious steep slopes as boundaries.

The plateau is known as the "stage of the earth". It was formed during the long-term and continuous large-scale crustal uplift movement. Some plateaus have broad and flat surfaces with little undulations; others have undulating mountains with great terrain changes. The highest plateau in the world is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, and the largest plateau is the Antarctic Ice and Snow Plateau. The most essential feature of the plateau is that the terrain has a relatively low altitude difference but a relatively high altitude. Plateaus are widely distributed, and together with the basins they surround, they account for approximately 45% of the earth's land area. The formation of highlands is closely related to the formation of the earth.

Basin introduction:

Basins are basin-shaped terrains. The main characteristics are high around them (mountains or other mountainous uplift zones) and low in the middle (plains and hills). There are complete basins and Incomplete basin. It is one of the five basic land terrains in the world and is widely distributed around the world. Oil and gas are in basins, and geology in the energy era attaches great importance to basin research. In 1901, oil from the Caspian Sea Basin accounted for 50% of global crude oil production at that time, and later oil from the Persian Gulf Basin came to dominate. China's Daqing Oilfield is in the Songliao Basin. Agricultural planting attaches great importance to the functions of the North China Plain and the Northeast Plain, while industrial mining attaches great importance to the research of the Songliao Basin and the Bohai-North China Basin. The middle part of the basin is low, usually the plain in the central area plus surrounding hills and mountains. For example, the Songnen Plain, the largest plate in the Northeast Plain, is in the Songliao Basin. There are two plains in the middle of the South American Great Basin. The Qaidam Basin is in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The top ten continental basins in the world are the Siberian Basin (nearly 7 million square kilometers), and the top ocean basin is the Persian Gulf Basin. Among the ten major basins in China, the most well-known are the four major basins in China, including the Tarim Basin (more than 400,000 people), the Ordos Basin (370,000 people), the Bohai-North China Basin (more than 300,000 people), and the Sichuan Basin (260,000 people). (more), Songliao Basin (about 260,000).

Introduction to the plain:

A plain is a large area with flat or less undulating ground, mainly distributed on both sides of rivers and areas bordering the ocean. There are two major types of plains: independent plains, which are one of the five basic landforms in the world, such as the plains of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Subordinate plains are constituent units of a larger terrain. Plateaus can include basins (the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau includes the Qaidam Basin), and basins often include plains and hills of different sizes, such as the Guanzhong Plain and the Chengdu Plain (in Sichuan Basin) and several plains in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River are all in the basin.