Bordering on the Taihangshan Mountains in the west, the coast in the east, the Yanshan Mountains in the north and the Huaihe River in the south, the plain covers 300,000 square km, with an average elevation of lower than 100 meters. Formed of alluvial deposits from the Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe rivers, it is also known as the Yellow River-Huaihe-Haihe Plain. It has a smooth terrain and vast fertile land.

Stretching eastward from Wushan Mountain to the coast, the plain was formed of alluvial deposits from the Yangtze River and its tributaries. With an average elevation of lower than 50 meters and part of it lying below 5 meters above sea level, it is generally lower than the North China Plain. Crisscrossed by many rivers and dotted with lakes, it is known as "a swampy region."

Situated in the central-south of Guangdong Province, the plain covers 11,000 square km, with an average elevation of around 50 meters. It has crisscrossing rivers and is dotted with isolated hills.

Lying along the banks of the Yellow River in the Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions, the plain covers 24,800 square km, with an average elevation of around 1,000 meters. Rich in irrigation facilities, it is known as "the northern frontier resembling the south of the Yangtze."