broadleaf, evergreen broadleaf, tropical and mangrove forests. The grasslands and deserts include the steppes of northern China, high mountains of Qinghai and Tibet, grasslands of northeast and deserts of northwest. China

China, a country that occupies a vast territory with a diverse climate, varied topography and great variety of flora and fauna, is situated in the southeastern Asia. Its land extends from longitude 73 0 E to 135 0 E, a stretch of over 3,200 miles. From north to south, it spans from latitude 53 0 N to 4 0 N, covering a distance of 3,400 miles. The varied climate crosses frigid, temperate, subtropical, and tropical zones from north to south. Within a total area of 9.6 million km 2 , about one third of it is mountainous, with plateaus and high mountains dominating the west, while lower lands and plains lace the eastern region. As a result of this tilting topography, principle rivers flow from west to east, including the renowned Yangtze (Chang Jiang) and Yellow (Huang He) rivers, both emptying into the Pacific Ocean.