Earth Science 7- Asia - Nolan, Andrew, Ben

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Russia

Location

Russia is located at 60 00 N, 100 00 E, and it is one of the few countries which can be defined as being in the continents of Europe and Asia. It is bordering the countries of Mongolia and Kazakhstan. [1]

Elevation Extremes

Russia’s elevation points are as follows: lowest point of elevation is the Caspian Sea at 28 m and the highest point is Gora El’brus at 5,633 m. [1]

Geography

Russia’s terrain is hilly and plain-like. Russia is also the largest country in the world, if measured by area. Also, the highest point of elevation, Mt. El’brus is the highest peak in Europe. [1]

Bodies of Water

Some of the bodies of water in Russia are the Caspian Sea, which is a sea, and many other major rivers. These include the Amur, the Lena, the Yenisey, and the Volga, which is the most famous river in Russia. [2]

Topographic Features

Some of Russia’s notable geographic features are the hills of Ural and the forests of Siberia. Also, Russia houses Europe’s largest peak: Mount El’brus, which is 5,633 m high. [1]

Bordering Oceans

The bodies of water that border Russia are the Sea of Okhotsk, the Black Sea, the North Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.[3]

Climate

Russia has many climate zones, but the zone described below is Moscow, Russia.

Russia's average monthly rainfall is as follows: January- 1.4 inches, February- 1.1 in, March- 1.3 in, April- 1.5 in, May- 2.0 in, June- 2.6 in, July- 3.2 in, August- 2.8 in, September- 2.3 in, October- 2.0 in, November- 1.7 in, December- 1.7 in. [4]

It's monthly temperature range is as follows: (Fahrenheit) January= 10.0- 20.8 degrees; February= 10.9- 23.4 degrees; March= 20.5- 33.6 degrees; April= 34.5- 50.4 degrees; May= 45.3- 64.6 degrees; June= 52.9- 71.4 degrees; July= 56.1- 73.8 degrees; August= 53.6- 70.7 degrees; September= 44.8- 59.9 degrees; October= 35.8- 46.4 degrees; November= 25.3- 33.3 degrees; December= 16.7- 25.7 degrees. [5]

Koppen Classification Code (for Irkutsk, Russia)= Dwc [6]


There are many things that affect Russia's climate. Some of these are latitude, location, terrain, elevation and proximity to water. First, the latitude that Russia is located at places it a good distance from the equator. This makes it much colder, due to the fact that the sun shines less on that area than an area closer to the equator. Also, the location of Russia, with the polar ice caps in such close proximity, causes the temperatures to drop significantly. Another factor that affects the climate drastically in Russia is the topography. There are many mountain ranges in Russia, such as the Abakan and Koryak ranges, [7]which causes cold air to flow down the mountain, creating cold weather near the bases of these ranges. The ocean currents do no affect this region since it is not an island or peninsula. Also, the prevailing winds in this region are prevailing northwesterlies, which do not have much of an impact on the climate, because despite the fact that they bring warm wind from the equator, that still does not have much effect on the climate there. Although there are many high and low pressure systems across Russia, these don't have much of an imprint on the weather there. The vegetation in Russia is extremely varied. There are areas of dense forest, which produce oxygen and absorb sunlight, and flat farmlands. There are also the arid tundra plants of areas like Siberia.

Geology

Mining

The mining industry is very important to the Russian economy. In 2010, Oil revenue was tagged at 14% of the GDP, and almost 10% of the nation's labor force was employed in mining of some kind.

The main things that are mined in Russia are gold, iron, aluminum and copper. Some of the rarer metals are palladium, cadmium, arsenic, boron, diamond, fluorspar and others. [8]

atlas10.jpg [9]

Minerals

The mineral resources of Russia are very abundant, and they consist of the following rocks:

Iron ore, copper, lead, nickel, phosphorites, and coal.[10]

russia-mineral-map.jpg

[11]

Rock Types

There is not much documentation of the rock types of Russia, but the main rocks there are limestone, clay and shale. These rocks are present because it is the natural rock formation of Russia. Also, the run off form streams and rivers condenses and becomes these rocks. Also, some of them were changed by the biogeochemical process. There are also deposits of igneous, or magmatic rocks along the southern regions of Russia, where volcanoes may have presided in ancient times. Also, there is a high concentration of metamorphic rocks around the mountainous regions of Russia. This is caused by the pressure and heat changing the rock as the mountains were formed. [12]

presentation05pre.jpg

[13]

Tectonic Plates

Volcanoes

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html
  2. http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-207540/Russia
  3. http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS241/Notes/Geography/Geography.html
  4. http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N55E037+2100+27612W
  5. http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N55E037+1204+0048283G2
  6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Köppen_climate_classification
  7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Mountain_ranges_of_Russia
  8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_industry_of_Russia
  9. [1].
  10. http://russia.rin.ru/guides_e/4319.html
  11. [2].
  12. http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/FOR/russia_cd/litho.htm
  13. [3].

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-207540/Russia http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS241/Notes/Geography/Geography.html

Japan

Bodies of Water

Japan has many bays, but the most prominent is Tokyo Bay. There are also many bodies of water in Japan such as the Shinano, Tokachi and Mogami Rivers, Lake Kasumiguara and Lake Biwa. [1]

Location

Japan is located at 36 00 N, 138 00 E, between the Pacific Ocean and the continent of Asia. [2]

Geography

Japan is a hilly and mountainous country, and it suffers from many volcanic eruptions. It recently was struck by a horrific earthquake. [2]


Elevation Extremes

The highest point in Japan is Fujiyama, which is at 3,776 meters above sea level. The lowest point is Hachiro-gata at -4 meters below sea level. [2]


Topographic Features

Japan is situated in an area that makes it extremely vulnerable to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Japan is an archipelago, which is a string of islands, and many of those islands are volcanic, including Iwo Jima. [3]

Bordering Oceans

Japan borders the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. [2]

Climate

The region described below is Tokyo, Japan.

The Koppen Classification System code for Japan is Cfa. [4]

The average temperature range in Tokyo, Japan is as follows (Fahrenheit) January= 33.8-48.0 degrees; February= 35.2-48.6 degrees; March= 40.1-54.1 degrees; April= 49.6-64.0 degrees; May= 57.7-71.4 degrees; June= 64.4-76.8 degrees; July= 72.1-83.7 degrees; August= 74.5-86.7 degrees; September= 68.4-79.5 degrees; October= 57.4-69.6 degrees; November= 47.5-61.0 degrees; December= 38.7-52.5 degrees. [5][6]

The average monthly rainfall in Tokyo, Japan is as follows (inches) January= 2.0 in; February= 2.8 in; March= 4.2 in; April= 5.1 in; May= 5.7 in; June= 6.9 in; July= 5.3 in; August= 5.8 in; September= 8.5 in; October= 7.6 in; November= 3.8 in; December= 2.1 in. [7]

There are many factors that factor into Japan's climate. Some of these are location, proximity to water, topography and elevation. First off, the location of Japan makes it extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, as seen in the 2010 Japan earthquake. Also, there have been two recent earthquakes in Japan, both occurring within the last year. Japan's location also contributes to it's warm and humid climate. [8] It is much closer to the equator than much of the rest of Asia, and therefore receives more sunlight, allowing the ground and air in Japan to be warmer. Moreover, the proximity to water most definitely has an impact on Japan's climate. It is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which is a relatively warm body of water. This allows the warm air over the ocean to blow inland to Japan and warm it. Also, the most significant factors of influence on Japan's climate are the major oceanic currents that flow past it. THe two most notable of these are the Kuroshio Current and the Oyashio Current. The Kuroshio Current brings warm water northward over the Pacific side of Japan, and warms areas all along the coast, including areas as far north as Tokyo. The Oyashio Current is a cold current which brings abundant amounts of plankton to fish living near and around Japan. This is why where the two currents meet, at 36 degrees North latitude, is such a rich and bountiful fishing ground. Another factor that contributes to Japan's climate is it's high and low pressure zones. In the summertime, there is a high pressure system over the continent of Asia. This causes wind to flow over the warm Sea of Japan and bring that warm moist air to the mainland. In the winter, the prevailing winds bring cool air from the Northwest, which is why Japan is cooler in the wintertime. [9] Japan's elevation is relatively low due to the fact that it is an island; most of it's landmass is around 1,00 ft. above sea level. This allows for warm air to come directly in from the sea and warm the country. [10] Japan is relatively hilly and mountainous, which allows for the frequent occurrence of valley and mountain local winds. And finally, the vegetation of Japan does not have a major effect on it's climate, but some of the very famous plants in Japan are the cherry trees, the Take, or bamboo, and the Matsu, which means pine. [11]

Geology

Mining

The mining of Japan is very simple. only three resources are mined: Coal, oil, and iron. These were very important resources during Japan's many wars.[12]

philippines_ind_1973.jpg [13]

Rock Types

There are many different types of rock in Japan. Along the southwest part of the country, there is a high concentration of igneous rocks, since that is where the majority of the island's volcanic activity is. Also, along the northwestern coast, there is a large amount of sedimentary rock deposits, since the sediments from rivers and oceans harden on the coastlines. Also, there are metamorphic deposits scattered through the region. Also, there is a tectonic plate boundary in this area. This keeps Japan in constant danger of an earthquake.[14]

Japan-Geology-Map-01-p4photo1e.jpg

[15]

Minerals

The mineral resources of Japan are very few, but they include gold, copper, and silver. Also, there is a large amount of uranium, platinum and sulfur.[12]

Japan-Mineral-Map-1971.jpg

[16]

Sources

http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/state/japan/japan.htm https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Jp/JpGEO1.htm

India

Geology

india-geographical.GIF


[17]


Rocks

Sedimentary

The most abundant source of sedimentary rocks are in northern India because it used to be part of the ocean and they were eroded and carried down from mountains to form other sedimentary rocks.

Igneous

In Mid-Western India there are igneous rocks, both intrusive and extrusive, that formed from prior volcanic activity.

Metamorphic

In India The Metamorphic rocks are found in the extreme north in India and most abundantly the east / south-east. In the North the Himalayan Mountains were formed creating heat and pressure that turns igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock into metamorphic rock.

Minerals

India leads in mica production, it also has diamond, alexandrite, magnetite, bauxite, and garnet.


[18]

Mining

In India the most famous ore is gold. There is lots of gold ore, iron ore, lead ore, and zinc ore.

[19]

Climate

Averages

Dehli Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 55 61 72 83 91 90 87 85 84 77 66 57
Avg. Max Temperature 68 74 85 97 103 100 94 92 93 90 82 72
Avg. Max Temperature 68 74 85 97 103 100 94 92 93 90 82 72
Avg. Min Temperature 45 50 59 69 78 81 81 79 76 66 54 46
Avg. Rain Days 1 2 2 2 3 5 8 8 3 1 0 0
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Springar Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 34 40 48 57 65 72 76 74 68 56 45 37
Avg. Max Temperature 43 49 59 69 77 84 86 85 82 72 60 48
Avg. Min Temperature 27 32 39 45 52 59 66 64 55 43 34 29
Avg. Rain Days 1 4 5 6 5 5 4 4 2 3 1 2
Avg. Snow Days 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bombay Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 75 77 81 83 85 84 82 82 82 83 81 77
Avg. Max Temperature 87 88 91 91 92 90 86 87 88 92 93 90
Avg. Min Temperature 62 64 69 75 79 79 77 77 76 74 69 64
Avg. Rain Days 0 0 0 0 2 13 18 18 11 4 0 0
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Bangalore Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 70 74 79 80 79 75 73 73 74 73 71 69
Avg. Max Temperature 82 87 91 92 91 85 82 82 83 82 81 79
Avg. Min Temperature 61 64 67 70 70 68 68 67 67 67 64 61
Avg. Rain Days 0 1 0 4 6 7 11 11 9 9 4 2
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Hyderbad Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 72 77 84 88 90 84 79 78 78 77 75 71
Avg. Max Temperature 84 90 97 100 102 94 88 86 87 87 85 83
Avg. Min Temperature 60 65 70 75 78 75 72 71 71 69 64 58
Avg. Rain Days 1 0 1 3 5 11 15 15 9 7 2 0
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Imphal Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 57 62 69 74 76 77 77 77 76 72 66 59
Avg. Max Temperature 72 75 80 85 85 85 84 84 84 83 79 73
Avg. Min Temperature 41 46 54 63 67 71 72 71 70 63 55 44
Avg. Rain Days 1 2 2 2 5 7 9 8 8 4 1 0
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[20]

Koppen Scale

India has about nine different regions according to the Koppen Climate Scale. The different Regions are the Warm Semi-Arid (BWh), the Tropical Savanna (AW), the Temperate Contenental (Dfb), the Warm Desert (BWh), the Humid Subtropical (CWa) the Highland Subtropical (CWb)and the Warm Mediterranean (CSa).

NorthIndiaClimateKoppen.png

[21]

Latitude

Map_prevailing_winds_on_earth.png

Because India is at about 10 to about 35 degrees north, It is usually warm because it is at the equator. The ground and the nearby ocean warms up to cause hot humid temperatures in the lower parts of India.


image002.jpg\

[22]

Vegitation

vegeta2.jpg In northern India by the Himalayas, the vegetation is Alpine, in the mainland of India ther is the Tropical Dry Decidous and Tropical Decidous Moist, in the north west of India there is the Tropical Thorn, and in the South West there is the Moist tropical Evergreen/Semi-Evergreen and Wet temperate, and near the Alpine there is also the Dry Temperate with Grasslands


india-map-vegetationtypes.jpg [23]

High and Low Pressure Zones

In the summer India gets Monsoons. There is a high pressure system around this area and because of it, India gets lots of rain in the summertime. The warm moist air comes from the Indian Ocean. In the winter the weather is cold and dry because India is now a high pressure system. [24]

. Topographic+Map+of+India.gif

Elevation

India has a variety of elevation deserts, Mountains,rolling plains that all affect the climate. In the Mountains winds blow off it and are cold winds moderate the temperature. deserts can affect the climate because hot air is rising and heating up india. [25]

Proximity to water

Because India Is next to the India Equatorial Countercurrent the southern part of India is warm. The warm current brings in moisture for the summer monsoons.

oceancurrents.gif

[26]

Prevailing winds

The winds In india come from the North Equatorials. This is a warm current that has warm moisture that give monsoons and typhoons energy.

Bodies of Water

Large bodies that border India are the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengals, and the Indian Ocean.

Latitude and Longitude

""The Coordinates are 20N, 77E."".

Elevation Range

""The lowest point is the Indian Ocean at 0 m
The highest point is Kanchenjunga at 8,598 m""

Topographical features

In the north of India the largest mountain range in the world exists, the Himalayan Mountain Range. In the south of India there are deserts. In the west there are rolling plains.


India Lies between China, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan.


map.jpg



[27]

Philippines

Climate

Geology

Rocks

phcolor.gif

[28]


Sedimentary

The sedimentary rocks can be found near the coastlines and the rivers flowing to the oceans. Also sediments can flow from the mountain peaks to the oceans.

Metamorphic

The metamorphic rocks are near the mountainous regions because the formation of mountains exerts heat and pressure can change igneous and sedimentary rocks into metamorphic rocks.

Igneous

There are many volcanoes and there is magma cooling in the dormant volcanoes. In the Philippines there are many volcanoes such as the Pinatubo, Mayon and Taal in Luzon, the Canalon in the Negros, and the Ragang in Mindanao. There is probably a large magma pocket in the Earth "supplying the volcanoes."


map_philippines_volcanoes.gif


[29]

Minerals

Some minerals in the Philippines are lignite, quartz, pyrite, feldspar, perlite, and bentonite.


[30]

Mining

The Philippines are rich with gold, chromite ore, copper ore, iron ore, and nickle ore.


[31]


philippines_ind_1973.jpg


[32]


PhilippinesLoc2008.jpg

Koppen Scale

The Philippines has manly two regions, the Tropical wet(Af) and Tropical monsoonal (am)


koppen.gif

[33]

Averages in Manila

Manila Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 80 81 83 86 85 84 82 83 82 83 82 80
Avg. Max Temperature 85 87 89 92 91 90 87 88 87 88 87 85
Avg. Min Temperature 75 76 77 80 80 79 78 78 78 78 77 75
Avg. Rain Days 3 2 2 2 5 8 13 13 17 6 6 5
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Averages in Puerto Princesa AFB

Puerto Princesa AFB Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 80 80 81 83 82 81 81 80 81 81 81 80
Avg. Max Temperature 87 87 88 90 90 89 88 88 88 88 88 86
Avg. Min Temperature 74 74 75 76 76 75 75 75 75 75 75 74
Avg. Rain Days 3 2 3 4 6 8 10 9 8 9 8 5
Avg. Snow Days 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Averages in Legapazi

Legapazi Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. Temperature 78 78 80 82 83 83 81 82 81 81 80 79
Avg. Max Temperature 83 84 86 88 90 89 88 88 88 88 86 84
Avg. Min Temperature 73 73 75 76 77 77 76 76 76 75 75 74

[34]

Latitude

250px-The_Philippines_and_ASEAN_(orthographic_projection).svg.png The Philippines is between 7 degrees and 15 degrees. It is very close to the equator so the winds are the Easterly trade winds. This affects the climate by moderating the temperature.

Elevation and Vegitation

The elevation varies slightly it ranges from over 500 meters above sea level and below one hundred meters above sea level and ther is lots of rainforests that grow in those areas.

phmp211.png

[35]

Topography to high and low pressure zones

It is a low pressure zone because the air is sinking at that latitude.

Proximety to Currents

The currents bring warm water into the Philippines. This water can cause severe rain and typhoons such as tropical storm Banyan which killed 9 people. jmf8.png


[36]

Bodies of Water

The Philippines consists of grouped islands in the Indian Ocean. [[15]]

Elevation Range

The lowest point is the Philippine Sea 0 m The highest point is Mount Apo 2,954 m

Latitude and Longitude

13 00 N, 122 00 E

Topographical features

It is an archipelago and it is on a fault line

=China

The Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo (People’s Republic of China), is located in Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam. At 35’00” N, 105’00” E, China contains 3,705,407.36 sq mi (9,596,961 sq km) in total; 3,694,959.43 sq mi (9,569,901 sq km) of land and 10,447.92 (27,060 sq km) of water. Slightly smaller than the US, China has the largest population of any country in the world, boasting over 1.3 billion citizens. The total population is 1,336,718,015, largest compared to other countries in the world. The country’s most populous cities are Shanghai at 16.575 million, Beijing at 12.214 million, Chongqing at 9.401 million, Shenzhen at 9.005 million, and Guangzhou at 8.884 million. [37]

Geography

China is the world’s fourth largest country in total land and water, after Russia, Canada, and the US. It borders Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam for a total of 13,742.87 mi (22,117 km). Its coastline is 9,009.88 mi (14,500 km) km long and claims 13.81 mi (12 nmi) of territorial sea, 13.81 mi (12 nmi) of shared sea, and 230.16 mi (200 nmi) of exclusive economic zone. Mt. Everest, on the border with Nepal, is the world’s tallest peak. [38]

Several large bodies of water surround China. They are the South China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, and the Pacific Ocean.[39] China is next to the Kuroshio Ocean Current, the North Equatorial Current, South Equatorial Ocean Current, and the Taiwan Warm Current. [40] They bring in warm/cold, moist air into the region and supply the water needed for many typed of plants and animals. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are the third- and sixth- longest in the world and are home to a variety of species of plant and animal life.

Climate

The Climate of China is extremely diverse, because of the fact that it is quite tropical in southern China from the river-valley areas near the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and others, but subarctic in the north from the Himalayas. The lowest point in China is Turpan Pendi at 505.25 ft (154 m) below sea level, and Mt. Everest claims its highest point at 29,035.43 ft (8,850 m) above sea level and counting. [41]The temperature varies from around 86°F (30°C) to about -11.2°F (-24°C), from the Himalayas to the Wuhan, Chongqing, and Nanjing Rivers, along with the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.[42]

In relation to the Koppen Classification System, China is Af, Am, and Aw near the Himalayas. Near the more equatorial areas, China is Cwa, Cwb, Cwc, Cfa, Cfb, and Cfc. Much of China is BWk and BSk. The Eastern coasts of China are near the Northeasterly Trade Winds, which bring about many typhoons.

Thick bamboo forests originally covered much of China and created rainforest-like climates, but recent foresting for use of chopsticks and other assortments have negatively affected China’s forests and climates, as well as the population of native plants and animals such as the panda. [43]

Natural Disasters

China is prone to frequent typhoons (about 5 per year along the southern and eastern coasts), damaging floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, land subsidence, and volcanism, though most haven’t been active for more than a century. They include Changbaisha, Hainan Dao, and Kunlun. Changbaisha, a.k.a. Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P’aektu-san, is home to Heaven Lake, a caldera left behind by a major eruption in 969 AD, ± 20 years that filled up with rainwater. Among the stranger findings are sinkholes. Often referred to as “tiankeng” or skyholes, sinkholes have appeared throughout the world, most recently in China. [44] In one instance, sinking land has created an enormous hole in front of an elementary school and swallowed an entire playground in Ningxiang county in China's Hunan province, the Associated Press reports.

““The sinkhole started to yield in mid-January, at first forming a hole twenty meters in diameter. Intense springtime rainfall has since accelerated the hole's expansion, which has, in turn, caused damage to buildings in that area.””

Natural Resources

China contains an abundance of natural resources, including coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, and has the world’s largest hydropower potential. [45]

China’s exports of raw products/material include electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textiles, iron and steel, and optical and medical equipment. [46]

It imports electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels, optical and medical equipment, metal ores, plastics, and organic chemicals. [47]

China is a world leader in gross value of agricultural output − rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed, pork, and fish. [48]

Also, it is the world leader in gross value of industrial output – mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum and other metals, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemicals, fertilizers, consumer products such as footwear, toys and electronics, food processing, transportation equipment including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft, telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, and satellites. [49]

14.86% of the land in China is farmable, 1.27% of it is used for permanent farming, and 83.87% of the land is used to build and expand suburban communities, cities, and such. 247,649.79 sq mi (641,410 sq km) of land in China is irrigated, and 2,829.6 cu km of water is renewable. [50]

Biodiversity

In China, the regional area of the mountains in the southwest, by far, contains the most types of species, in both plants and animals. China has a wealth of biodiversity, with the largest amount of bird species and gymnosperm variation in the world, but it faces a grave situation: in just the southwest mountains, 15-20% of higher plant varieties are endangered, pressuring the existence of the 40.00 species of organisms related with them. But China has good news: since 1500 CE, no recorded species have ever gone extinct in that area. The Mountains of Southwest China, with 5,418.56 sq. mi (14,034 sq km) of protected land and 1,649.81 sq. mi (4,273 sq km) of higher leveled protection of land, has taken part in an ongoing effort, like all countries, to preserve biodiversity, stop climate change, and keep the environment clean. [51]

The number of endangered plant species is frightening, with about 3,500 species endangered. In late 2010, China revealed an aggressive plan to protect biodiversity. The plan was to divide 23% of the country into 35 priority conservation areas and to set a target of controlling biodiversity loss by 2020. Although helpful, this is too late, considering that already, the panda, the snow leopard, and the red panda are critically endangered. [52]

Environment

China’s air quality is affected by its industrialization. Pollution caused smog and acid rain to form and the environment was negatively affected. Air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces the acid rain. China also suffers from the occasional water shortage, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; and an estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; and trade in endangered species. [53]

Global Environmental Treatises

China is a party of the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, and Ozone Layer Protection, and attempts to preserve Wetlands, and Endangered Species. It acts to prevent Marine Dumping, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, and Whaling. [54]

Energy

Electricity

  • Production
    • 3.446 trillion kWh (2nd country in world)
  • Consumption
    • 3.438 trillion kWh (2nd country in world)
  • Exports
    • 17.39 billion kWh
  • Imports
    • 11.38 billion kWh

Oil

  • Production
    • 4.273 million bbl/day (4th country in the world)
  • Consumption
    • 9.189 million bbl/day (3rd country in the world) [55]
  • Exports
    • 480,600 bbl/day (30th country in the world)
  • Imports
    • 4.753 million bbl/day (3rd country in the world)
  • Proved Reserves
    • 20.35 billion bbl\day (14th country in the world) [56]

Natural Gas

  • Production
    • 94.41 billion cu m (8th country in the world)
  • Consumption
    • 106.7 billion cu m (5th country in the world)
  • Exports
    • 4.02 billion cu m (29th country in the world)
  • Imports
    • 16.33 billion cu m (17rd country in the world)
  • Proved Reserves
    • 3.03 trillion cu m (13th country in the world) [57]

Geology

To put it briefly, China's mineral resources show certain superiority as well as inferiority. The mineral resources in China are abundant in total volume but relatively scanty when compared to the world’s volume of resources. Mineral resources are complete in variety but different varieties of minerals differ in abundance. [58]

img200607311023290.jpg

Rock Types

img200607311042500.gif

Igneous Rocks

Volcanic activity has occurred in both Eastern and Western China, the most recent being the Kunlun Volcanic Group in Western China. The Ashi Shan (Vulkan) pyroclastic cone volcano was observed erupting by a road-building crew on May 27, 1951. Other volcanoes erupted earlier, such as Changbaishan, a shield volcano in Eastern China, which erupted in 1903. [59] [59]

Granite

Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Orthoclase and plagioclase feldspars, quartz, hornblende, muscovite micas, biotite micas, and marginal amounts of minerals such as magnetite, garnet, zircon and apatite make up the mineral composition of granite. [60] According to the statistics of 1997, there are more than 3,200 granite-mining enterprises in China. As departments concerned in China made no statistic analysis, the official data about the yearly production of granite quarry-stone are lacking. It is estimated that the production of granite quarry-stone of China in 1997 was about 4.10 million m3. The East China region is the most important producer, with about 60% of the total granite production of China. In the East China region, Fujian is the most important producing base of granite, with more than 5,000 quarrying localities and more than 2,500 plank processing enterprises. There are more than 1,400 stone enterprises in Shandong and the granite occurrences are mainly concentrated in Rongcheng, Linyi, Laizhou, etc. They produce 45 varieties of granite. [58]

1303329273_VOLGA_BLUE_540x540_fluid.jpg

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic rocks are most abundant in the Western portion of China, where the Himalayas are, as shown in the picture below. The formation and creation of the mountain range created extreme heat and pressure sufficient for metamorphism to occur. Smaller regions of metamorphism are scattered throughout China, such as the northern and central regions.

M_chrysogaster_map.gif


Talc

Talc is a metamorphic mineral resulting from the metamorphism of magnesian minerals such as serpentine, pyroxene, amphibole, olivine, in the presence of carbon dioxide and water. 1. [60] The talc deposits in China are exploited by both open-pit mining and underground mining. The open-pit mining is used in east ore bodies in the Haicheng talc mine, Liaoning, and the Longsheng talc quarry in Guangxi. The occurrences exploited with underground mining are numerous, such as the west ore body in the Haicheng talc mine, Qixia talc deposit, Haiyang talc deposit, Benxi talc deposit, Yixian talc deposit, Shuiquan talc deposit of Haicheng, Kuandian talc deposit and Yingkou talc deposit. The talc production of China in 1997 was 4.0689 million tons, accounting for 48% of the world total talc production that year. [58]

talc_044.jpg

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. [60] Marble quarries are widespread in China and its quarrying technology is simple relative to other building stones. Therefore, there are several enterprise forms for marble quarrying, e.g. state-owned, collective-owned, private, solely foreign-funded, Chinese-foreign joint and cooperative enterprises. As Chinese departments concerned made no statistic analysis, no official data about the annual production of marble quarry stone are available. It is estimated that the production of marble quarry stone of China in China was about 1.24 million m3. In China more than 400 varieties of marble have been found. In the East China region, the Shandong Peninsula has become China's most important marble producing base, with 37 marble quarries. They produce more than 30 varieties, of which the famous ones are "snow flower white", "Laiyang green" and "crystal white". The annual production capacity of marble quarry stone has reached 100,000 m3. [58]

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Sedimentary Rocks

Danxia Landforms consist of red sedimentary rock and steep cliffs. They are located across six Chinese provinces, including Guangdong and Jiangxi. [61] Limestone occurs in the Yangshuo province, where as many as 70,000 Karst towers are scattered throughout the region in only 70 square miles. [62] Almost all of the caves discovered in China are in the southeastern regions in the Chongqing Municipality, the Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang Provinces, etc. [60]

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral. [60] In China, most of the limestone deposits are mined in open pits and underground mining is operated only in some small mines in Fujian Province. The open-cut mining is mostly carried out on hillsides. There are currently 1840 and more limestone mines in China, over 100 of which are State-owned enterprises. The average annual production capacity is about 2 billion tons. [58]

Karst-Mountains-in-Yangshuo.jpg

Minerals / Mining Resources

img200607311018090.jpg

img200607311023290.jpg

Gold<b\>

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol “Au” and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. [60] In 1996 the gold output of China was 120.6 tons and the figure was 166.3 tons in the following year. This indicates that China ranks among the world's leading countries in terms of gold production. By the end of 1995 there had been altogether 1,234 gold enterprises in China, of which there are 1,211 mines, 7 smelters and 16 other enterprises. Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi and Heilongjiang each have an annual gold output higher than 5 tons and Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Xinjiang and Jilin each have an annual output of more than 100,000 liang (a liang is an obsolete unit of weight in China; 1 liang=1/32 kg.). Some large and medium collectively operated mines in Shandong Province have relatively high production, such as the Changshang, Jincheng, Hexi and Lingna mines. [58] The headwaters of the Yangtze River in the Tibetan border region yield some gold. [63]

1064.jpg

Diamond:

Diamond is an allotrope of carbon. Diamond has remarkable optical characteristics. Because of its extremely rigid lattice, very few types of impurities, such as boron and nitrogen, can contaminate it. Combined with wide transparency, this results in the clear, colorless appearance of most natural diamonds. [60]

Industrial Diamond

In 1997, China's annual natural diamond production was 120,400 carats, compared to the 57.70 million carats that were produced in the world. According to the incomplete statistics, in 1996 there were eight diamond mines, of which three were state-owned primary diamond mines. They were located in: Shandong, Mengyin, Shandong, Liaoning and the other five were township mines, mainly placer diamond deposits mined by local people in Hunan and Shandong. [58]

Synthetic Diamond:

As the production of natural diamonds is very limited and falls far short of the demand of the national economy, synthetic diamonds replaces more than 90% of industrial diamonds. At present there are more than 600 synthetic diamond plants in China, which produce over 400 million carats of single diamond crystals each year. The production of China's synthetic diamonds can satisfy the demands for the manufacture of diamond tools. In terms of quantity China has been the largest producer of synthetic diamonds. [58]

Rough-Uncut-Diamonds.jpg

<b>Graphite<b\>

Graphite occurs in metamorphic rock as a result of the reduction of sedimentary carbon compounds during metamorphism. It also occurs in igneous rocks and in meteorites. Graphite may be considered the highest grade of coal, just above anthracite and alternatively called meta-anthracite, although it is not normally used as fuel because it is difficult to ignite. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), China’s production of natural graphite in 2008 was 800 thousand tons. [60] At present the mining and processing of both crystalline graphite and cryptocrystalline graphite are under way in China. All crystalline graphite is mined by the open-pit mining method in Liumao, Nanshu, Pingdu, Xinghe and Shanchaya. Cryptocrystalline graphite is mostly exploited by the underground mining method in the Lutang and Panshi graphite mines. China's graphite output was 1.621 million tons in 1998, of which that of crystalline graphite was about 0.28 million tons. [58]

image003.jpg

<b>Iron<b\>

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol “Fe” and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. [60] China is the top producer of iron in the world. China, Brazil, Australia, Russia and India together produce 70% of the world’s iron ore. China produced about 900 million metric tons of crude iron ore in 2010. Although China formerly was regarded as deficient in iron ores, huge quantities of varying grades of ores have been discovered that are widely distributed and often located close to coal supplies. Regional centers of ore mining, smelting, and fabrication are located at Anshan in Liaoning province; near Beijing; in southern Anhui, west of Shanghai; in central China, east of Wuhan; in southern Inner Mongolia, north of Baotou; in central western Gansu; and on Hainan Island, off the southern coast. Large iron ore deposits also occur near Chongqing. Iron ore in small local volumes is widely located in Guizhou and Yunnan in the southwest. China now ranks among the world’s major producers of iron ore. [63]


<b>Coal<b\>

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. [60] The largest Asian coal producer is China. [63] At the end of 1997 there were 1,994 coal-mining enterprises, each with an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons and more in China. Their total production capacity was 741 million tons per year and total coal output was 755 million tons. Besides, about 58,000 small coalmines of town and township owned, collective and self-employed mines produce 570 million tons of coal per year. China's total coal output is 1.325 billion tons with the total industrial output value of RMB 83.539 billion Yuan in terms of fixed price of 1990 and RMB 157.735 billion Yuan at the current price. [58]

ET120308_coal.jpg

<b>Mica<b\>

Mica is a mineral that is widely distributed and occurs in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Flake mica comes from several sources: the metamorphic rock called schist as a byproduct of processing feldspar and kaolin resources, from placer deposits, and from pegmatites. [60] In China, mica deposits are excavated by open-pit mining or underground mining. For the time being, there are more than 100 productive mines and mica products manufacturing enterprises in China. But they are small in scale. There are more than ten key mines such as the Danba mica mine in Sichuan, and mica mines in Xinjiang. The annual production capacity of mica in China is 130,000 tons. [58]

quartz-762199-1.jpg

China - References

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  7. http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N35E139+2100+47662W
  8. http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/japan/japan_climate.htm
  9. http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/41732/
  10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Japan
  11. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2122.html
  12. 12.0 12.1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_Japan#Other_mineral_deposits
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  37. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html CIA World Factbook
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  39. Google Earth
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  58. 58.00 58.01 58.02 58.03 58.04 58.05 58.06 58.07 58.08 58.09 58.10 http://www.chinamining.org/Facts/2006-09-19/1158645491d1229.html
  59. 59.0 59.1 http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/region.cfm?rnum=1004
  60. 60.00 60.01 60.02 60.03 60.04 60.05 60.06 60.07 60.08 60.09 60.10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite
  61. http://english.cntv.cn/program/newshour/20100802/102446.shtml
  62. http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/above/the_limestone_of_yangshuo_china
  63. 63.0 63.1 63.2 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/38479/Asia/48210/Mineral-resources

Mining

<b>Gold<b\>

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol “Au” and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. [1] In 1996 the gold output of China was 120.6 tons and the figure was 166.3 tons in the following year. This indicates that China ranks among the world's leading countries in terms of gold production. By the end of 1995 there had been altogether 1,234 gold enterprises in China, of which there are 1,211 mines, 7 smelters and 16 other enterprises. Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi and Heilongjiang each have an annual gold output higher than 5 tons and Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Xinjiang and Jilin each have an annual output of more than 100,000 liang (a liang is an obsolete unit of weight in China; 1 liang=1/32 kg.). Some large and medium collectively operated mines in Shandong Province have relatively high production, such as the Changshang, Jincheng, Hexi and Lingna mines. [2] The headwaters of the Yangtze River in the Tibetan border region yield some gold. [3]

Gold

<b>Diamond<b\>

Diamond is an allotrope of carbon. Diamond has remarkable optical characteristics. Because of its extremely rigid lattice, very few types of impurities, such as boron and nitrogen, can contaminate it. Combined with wide transparency, this results in the clear, colorless appearance of most natural diamonds. [1]

Industrial Diamond:

In 1997, China's annual natural diamond production was 120,400 carats, compared to the 57.70 million carats that were produced in the world. According to the incomplete statistics, in 1996 there were eight diamond mines, of which three were state-owned primary diamond mines. They were located in: Shandong, Mengyin, Shandong, Liaoning and the other five were township mines, mainly placer diamond deposits mined by local people in Hunan and Shandong. [2]

Synthetic Diamond:

As the production of natural diamonds is very limited and falls far short of the demand of the national economy, synthetic diamonds replaces more than 90% of industrial diamonds. At present there are more than 600 synthetic diamond plants in China, which produce over 400 million carats of single diamond crystals each year. The production of China's synthetic diamonds can satisfy the demands for the manufacture of diamond tools. In terms of quantity China has been the largest producer of synthetic diamonds. [2]

Diamond

<b>Graphite<b\>

Graphite occurs in metamorphic rock as a result of the reduction of sedimentary carbon compounds during metamorphism. It also occurs in igneous rocks and in meteorites. Graphite may be considered the highest grade of coal, just above anthracite and alternatively called meta-anthracite, although it is not normally used as fuel because it is difficult to ignite. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), China’s production of natural graphite in 2008 was 800 thousand tons. [1] At present the mining and processing of both crystalline graphite and cryptocrystalline graphite are under way in China. All crystalline graphite is mined by the open-pit mining method in Liumao, Nanshu, Pingdu, Xinghe and Shanchaya. Cryptocrystalline graphite is mostly exploited by the underground mining method in the Lutang and Panshi graphite mines. China's graphite output was 1.621 million tons in 1998, of which that of crystalline graphite was about 0.28 million tons. [2]

Graphite

<b>Iron<b\>

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol “Fe” and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. [1] China is the top producer of iron in the world. China, Brazil, Australia, Russia and India together produce 70% of the world’s iron ore. China produced about 900 million metric tons of crude iron ore in 2010. Although China formerly was regarded as deficient in iron ores, huge quantities of varying grades of ores have been discovered that are widely distributed and often located close to coal supplies. Regional centers of ore mining, smelting, and fabrication are located at Anshan in Liaoning province; near Beijing; in southern Anhui, west of Shanghai; in central China, east of Wuhan; in southern Inner Mongolia, north of Baotou; in central western Gansu; and on Hainan Island, off the southern coast. Large iron ore deposits also occur near Chongqing. Iron ore in small local volumes is widely located in Guizhou and Yunnan in the southwest. China now ranks among the world’s major producers of iron ore. [3]

Iron Ore

<b>Coal<b\>

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. [1] The largest Asian coal producer is China. [3] At the end of 1997 there were 1,994 coal-mining enterprises, each with an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons and more in China. Their total production capacity was 741 million tons per year and total coal output was 755 million tons. Besides, about 58,000 small coalmines of town and township owned, collective and self-employed mines produce 570 million tons of coal per year. China's total coal output is 1.325 billion tons with the total industrial output value of RMB 83.539 billion Yuan in terms of fixed price of 1990 and RMB 157.735 billion Yuan at the current price. [2]

Coal

<b>Mica<b\>

Mica is a mineral that is widely distributed and occurs in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Flake mica comes from several sources: the metamorphic rock called schist as a byproduct of processing feldspar and kaolin resources, from placer deposits, and from pegmatites. [1] In China, mica deposits are excavated by open-pit mining or underground mining. For the time being, there are more than 100 productive mines and mica products manufacturing enterprises in China. But they are small in scale. There are more than ten key mines such as the Danba mica mine in Sichuan, and mica mines in Xinjiang. The annual production capacity of mica in China is 130,000 tons. [2]

Mica

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 http://www.chinamining.org/Facts/2006-10-10/1160462950d1486.html
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/38479/Asia/48210/Mineral-resources

References