CHINA FACTS & FIGURES 2005--china.org.cn

Location and Territory | Geographical Features | Natural Resources | Climate

Main Mountain Ranges

Rivers, Lakes and Water Resources

Natural Conditions	Land Characteristics


Numerous lofty mountains form many mountain systems, which serve as the framework of China's topography. Well-known mountain ranges include the Himalayas, the Kunlun Mountains, the Tianshan Mountains, the Qinling Mountains, the Greater Hinggan Mountains, the Taihang Mountains, the Qilian Mountains and the Hengduan Mountains.

Himalayan Mountain Range


	Extending more than 2,400 km in a crescent-shape along the Chinese-Indian and Chinese-Nepalese borders, it has an average elevation of 6,000 meters. It is the world's highest and largest mountain range, and its main peak, Qomolongma, is 8,844.43 meters above sea level, the highest in the world.

Kunlun Mountain Range


	Extending over 2,500 km from the Pamirs Plateau in the west to the northwest of Sichuan Province in the east, it has an average elevation of 5,000 to 7,000 meters. Its highest peak, Kongur, is 7,719 meters above sea level.

Tianshan Mountain Range


	Traversing the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, it has an average elevation of 3,000 to 5,000 meters, with its highest peak, Tomur, being 7,455.3 meters above sea level.

Tanggula Mountain Range


	Situated in central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it has an average elevation of 6,000 meters. The Yangtze River rises from its highest peak, Geladandong, which is 6,621 meters above sea level.

Qinling Mountain Range


	Stretching from east Gansu Province in the west to the west of Henan Province in the east, it has an average elevation of 2,000 to 3,000 meters. Its main peak, Mount Taibai, is 3,767 meters above sea level. It is an important geographic line of demarcation between north and south China.

Greater Hinggan Mountain Range


	Extending 1,000 km from Mohe of Heilongjiang Province in the north to the upper reaches of Laoha River at the juncture of Inner Mongolia and Liaoning Province in the south, it has an average elevation of 1,500 meters. Its main peak, Huanggangliang, is 2,029 meters above sea level.

Taihang Mountain Range


	Extending over 400 km along the eastern fringe of the Loess Plateau from north to south, it has an average elevation of 1,500 to 2,000 meters. Its main peak,Mount Xiaowutai, is 2,882 meters above sea level.

Qilian Mountain Range


	Stretching along the northeastern fringe of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it has an average elevation of over 4,000 meters. Its main peak, Mount Qilian, is 5,547 meters above sea level.

Hengduan Mountain Range


	Situated at the juncture of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan in the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it has an average elevation of 2,000 to 6,000 meters. Its highest peak, Mount Gongga, is 7,556 meters above sea level.

Taiwan Mountain Range


	Running through the eastern part of Taiwan Island, it has an average elevation of 3,000 to 3,500 meters. Its main peak, Mount Yushan, is 3,952 meters above sea level.