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Gansu Province
Geographical Location
Gansu Province, located in the northwest of Mainland China and on the upstream of the Yellow River, is the juncture of Loess Plateau, Inner Mongolian Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with grand and magnificent natural scenery. The old Silk Road traverses from east to the west and the artery of Yellow River flows from south to the north within the boundary, a variety of scenic spots and historical sites spread all over the province. Being located at 92.13-108.46 E and 32.31-42.57 N, Gansu Province is about 1,520 kilometers long from east to west, 1,655 kilometers in its widest place and only 25 kilometers in the narrowest place.
Pround of its long history and splendid culture, there are rich historical and Cultural remains as well as human landscapes in Gansu Province. Up to now there are 40 cultural sites of historical significance under national protection and 477 at provincial level. The cream scenic spots for tourists are Mogao Grottoes, the World Art Treasure House in Dunhuang; Maijishan Grottoes, the¡°Oriental Sculpture Gallery¡±in Tianshui etc.. The cities of Dunhuang, Jiayuguan and Tianshui are 3 top tourist cities of China.
Topography and Landforms
The landforms in Gansu Province are complicated and varied. High mountains and deep valleys aloft on its southeastern part with peaks rising one higher than another. Covered by loess, a loess topography has formed in its eastern part. Hexi Corridor, the western fringe of the province has smooth terrain, oasis, dessert and Gobi desert. With cold climate and modern glacier, the terrain is highly situated in the southwestern part of the province.
The highest peak of the province is Tuanjie Peak of Qilian Mountain with an altitude of 5,808 meters above sea level and its lowest point is the bottom of Bailongjiang River valley in the eastern part of Wenxian county with an altitude of only 550 meters above sea level. The terrain in the whole province is descending to three levels as a flight of stairs. Hilly areas and plateau consist of 70% of the total land area while desert and Gobi desert consist of 14.99%. According to its topographic feature and structural formation, Gansu Province can be divided into 8 landform areas of Longnan (Liupan mountain)hilly area, Longzhong loess plateau, Gannan plateau, Qilian mountainous area, Hexi corridor high land plain, Beishan mountainous area and Alashan plateau.
River Distrbution
There are 450 rivers in Gansu Province, among which 78 rivers have a yearly runoff of over 100 million cubic meters each.. The Black River, Shule River, Yellow River trunk stream, Tao River and Jialingjiang River are the greater ones. The river basin within the province can he divided into 3 valleys as Hexi and the northern part of Chaidamu inland river valley, the Yellow River valley and the Yangtze River valley with 9 water systems of Shule River system, Yellow River mainstream system, Tao River system, Huang River system, Wei River system, Jin River system and Jialingjiang River system.
Yellow river
Climatic Characteristics
Gansu Province has a dry climate with plenty of sunshine, strong radiation and the temperature varies greatly from day to night. The annual average temperature is between 0¡æ-14¡æ dropping from the southeast to the northwest. It is 4¡æ-9¡æ in Hexi Corridor, 0¡æ-6¡æ in Qilian mountainous area, 5¡æ-9¡æ and 7¡æ-10¡æ in Longzhong and Longdong respectively. Its annual rainfall is about 300millimeters and differs greatly in different parts. It is reduced from 760 millimeters in the southeast to 42 millimeters in the northwest. The seasonal rainfall is also uneven and concentrated mainly from June to September. Gansu Province has rich solar energy resources with an annual sunshine time of 1,700-3,300 hours, increasing from the southeast to the northwest. Hexi Corridor has a maximum annual sunshine time of 2,800-3,300 hours, Longnan has a minimum sunshine time of 1,800-2,300 hours, Longzhong, Longnan and Gannan has an annual sunshine time of 2,100-2,700 hours.
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