Geography of ningxia

          








　　Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on the upper reaches of the Yellow River in western China, lies at 35’14，-39’23 N and 104’17，～107’39 E. It neighbors Shaanxi province to the east, connected to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the northwest, and Gansu province to the south. Since ancient times, Ningxia has been a popular place for people of different nationalities to gain access to the central plains of China, the Central Asia and the vast desert to its north.
　　The distance of Ningxia form the northernmost to southernmost point is 456 kilometers, while varying from a minimum of only 50 Kilometers to a maximum of 250 Kilometers from east to west. It covers an area of 66.4 thousand square kilometers, and is one of the smallest provinces of China.
　　The Yellow River runs through 12 cities and counties of Ningxia and its length inside this region comes to 397 Kilometers. The natural drop of the river here reaches 197 meters and the average yearly passing discharge is 32.5 billion cubic meters, of which 4 billion is distributed to Ningxia by the central government. Irrigation using Yellow River water in this region has a history of over 2000 years.
　　Ningxia is 1,090-2,000 meters above sea level and the south is higher than the north. From north to south, it passes through the Helan Mountain ranges, Ningxia Plain, Ordos plateau, loess plateau, and Liupan Mountain area.
　　With the highest peak of 3,556 meters, the Helan Mountain range stretches unbroken for more than 200 kilometers and was called by ancient people as the “guard in the north and throat of the deserts”. Stopping and weakening the cold current coming from the northwest and the sand currents of the Tengger Desert, the Helan Mountain range is the watershed of the outflowing river region and the inflowing region, the dividing line of the monsoon climatic region and non-monsoon region, and the natural barrier of the Ningxia Plain.
　　As part of the plain of the Yellow River, Ningxia Plain, where the river runs widely and smoothly, covers an area of 17,000 square kilometers. The terrain of both banks is relatively flat and is good for irrigation and farming. There is a completed network of canals and ditches on the plain to guarantee sufficient water supply and avoid the twin threats of flood and drought, bringing about consecutive bumper harvests.
　　Situated in the south of Ningxia, Liupan Mountain is the source and watershed of the Pingshui, Jing and hulu tributaries of the Yellow River, and is also a natural forest. With humid air and luxuriant vegetation, the mountainous area has a reputation as a “wet island” of the loess plateau.