Abstract:

China possesses the world’s most complex and distinctive topography, characterized by crisscrossing mountains and rivers, scattered lakes, swamps, and wetlands. Its landscape encompasses a complete range of natural elements: mountains, water bodies, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, deserts, and glaciers. Globally rare geomorphological spectacles include: the stepped terrain distribution, the towering Tibetan Plateau, the basin-and-range topography of the northwest, the vast deserts and the Gobi, the Loess Plateau of the north, the high mountain gorges of the Hengduan Mountains, and the diverse karst landscapes of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Sichuan. In this paper, we examine the distribution characteristics of China’s four topographic tiers and their relationship with the thickness of the Earth’s crust and lithosphere. Based on the coupling of geological genesis and physical geography, China’s mountain ranges are classified into six groups. The types, distribution, and characteristics of mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, and wetlands in China are analyzed. Furthermore, the paper discusses the geological background of the Chinese mainland and its role in shaping the natural geographical pattern, geomorphological landscapes, and ecosystems.

Key words: continental landforms, Chinese mainland, natural geographical pattern, landform landscape