Geography

In all countries, geography has an important role in how a civilisation develops. China has unique geographical features which affected how people lived in the past, and the kind of country it is today. China was for most of its history an isolated country and was left alone to develop a special culture unlike any other. The reason for the isolation of China is its geography. China is surrounded by natural barriers.

• In the South-East there are rainforests. 

• In the South-West there are the Himalayan mountains. In the East there is the Pacific Ocean.

• To the West there is the Tibetan Plateau.

• To the North there is the Gobi Desert.

This made it difficult for Chinese people to travel out, and for outsiders to get in. There would be some trade with other countries but mostly Chinese Kingdoms would trade with each other. The Geography also affects how people live, especially the food they can eat. People near rivers have access to fresh water and can irrigate their land, so that is good for farming. People near the oceans can have access to seafood and lots of fish.

People in the south, where it is very rainy, can grow rice in flooded areas called paddy fields. People in the drier north can grow wheat, which is how noodles were invented and the idea taken by Italians to make spaghetti.