 
Shanxi, the
province on the mountain region loess
plateau, is situated in the western
part of North China .
The surroundings of the province
border are surrounded by mountains
and rivers, east and southeast is
rested on Taihang Mountain and border
on Hebei and Henan provinces, west
and southwest is separated by the
Yellow River, and it may gazes out
Shannxi and Henan each other. North
to the Great Wall links with Inner
Mongolia Autonomous
Region. The plane outline of the
whole province looks like parallelogram
that is oblique from northeast to
southwest.
South and north lie between
34 ° 34.8 ˊ－ 40 ° 43.4 ˊ north
latitude, the length is about 550
kilometers and the maximum distance
is 615 kilometers, east and west
lie between 110 ° 14.6 ˊ —114 ° 33.4
ˊ east longitude, the width is about
300 kilometers and the maximum distance
is 380 kilometers. The total area
of the whole province is 156,000
square kilometers that accounts for
1.63% of the total area of the nation,
and occupies 19 places of the whole
nation.
 
Shanxi province
is an up and down large plateau that is covered by loess.
With the exception of a few local base rock uncover outside,
most places of the whole province are covered by loess
(10-30 meters thick), which is the composition part of
loess plateau of our nation. The inside topography has
mountain region, plateau, yuan ground, valley and others,
but mainly rely on mountain region and hill .
The mountain region and hill area
of the whole province is 125,000 square kilometers, accounts
for 80.3% of originally the land area, among them, the
hill area is 69,600 square kilometers, accounts for 44.6%.
The area of basin plain is only 31,000 square kilometers,
accounts for 19.7%. The proportion of area of mountain
region, hill and plain on the whole are 4 ： 4 ： 2.
The type of landform is complicated and various, the
terrain high and low is wide gap, with the exception
of elevation height of several basin and valley in the
middle and south part are low, the majority of height
is above 1000 meters. The Wutai Mountain is
the highest point to the north, the elevation of main
peak Peitai ( Yedou Peak )
is 3058 meters, which is the highest peak in the region
of North China , and
have a praise of “ridge of North China”. Yuanqu county
is the lowest along the Yellow River, with only 245 meters
elevation and the difference of high and low is more
than 2,800 meters.
According to the type combination
difference of landform, the geography in Shanxi province
is divided into three parts.
· Eastern mountain area
The eastern mountain area includes
eastern and southeastern mountain region of province
border. There are Hengshan Mauntain, Wutai Mountain ,
Xizhou Mountain , Taihang Mountain , Taiyuo Mountain and
Zhongtiao Mountain and others from north to south, the
elevations are all above 1,500 meters.
· Western Plateau mountain area
Western Plateau Mountain includes the Yellow River narrow
valley to the east, fault depression basin peaks to west
mountain. There are main peaks such as Qifeng Mountain
, Hongtao Mountain , Guancen Mountain , Luya Mountain ,
Yunzhong Mountain , Heicha Mountain , Guandi Mountain ,
Qianfeng and Longmen Mountain and so on. The length is
about 400 kilometers from north to south with an elevation
of above 1,500 meters, Guancen Mountain to the south is
called luliang Mountain , the highest Mountain is Guandi
with an elevation of 2,831 meters.
· Basin area in the middle part
Basin area in the middle part
includes 5 fault depression basins in the middle part of
province border. Datong basin border on Qifeng Mountain and
Hongtao Mountain west to Kouquan fault, south to Yangfang,
it links with fault(160 kilometers long and 20 － 40 kilometers
in width), with an elevation of 1,000—1,100 meters. Sanggan
River and breaches of Hunhe River, Yellow Water River, Yuhe
River, Nanyang River flow
through them. Inside of basin is covered by loess with lakes
sediment, the area is 5,064 square kilometers that is the
biggest basin. Xinding basin south to Shiling guan includes
narrow valley land of upper reaches of Hutuo River .
Dingrang county zone in Xinzhuo city, alluvium distribute
extensively, terrain is flat with an elevation of 800—900
kilometers and the area is 2,157 square kilometers. Taiyuan
basin, north from Shiling Guan to the north of Taiyuan, south
to Hanhou Ling of Lingshi county, east and west separately
to Taigu fault and Jiao cheng fault links with mountain area.
It is more than 200 kilometers long and 10—50 kilometers
vary in width , the area is 5,016 square kilometers. Fenhe
River as well as tributary Xiaohe River, Weiyu River and
Longfeng River flow through the basin. The water resource
is more abundant, ground is flat with an elevation of 700
— 800 meters. Linfen basin, the north from Hanhou Ling of
Lingshi county, south to Xinjiang direct to valley land of
Yellow River, because it is blocked by Emei Ling, that turns
to the west, 200 kilometers long and 20—25 kilometers wide,
the area is about 5,000 square kilometers. Fenhe River flows
through among them, there are 1—3 class terraces along the
bank, the terrain in the center of basin is flat with an
elevation of 360—500 meters. Northwest basin to Longmen fault
links with Luliang Mountain ,
northeast to Huoshan fault links with Huoshan. There is spring
water revealing in mountain area, water gush amount in Huoquan
and Longzici Spring are much great, which favor irrigation.
Yuncheng basin, north to Emei Ling links with Linfen basin,
west to valley land of the Yellow River, east and south part
border on Zhongtiao Mountain, the area of basin is about
3,000 square kilometers. Sushui River flows
through them. The ground is flat with an elevation of 350—500
meters. There is lake group —salt pond, nitric pool and Wuxing
Lake at the foot of south part in the basin with an elevation
of 322 kilometers, which is the lowest place of landform
inside of basin. The accumulated water in ground could don
′ t flow to outside, that is only inland water system in
Shanxi.
 Shanxi
belongs to the continental monsoon climate. The weather type
of the whole province separately belong to two weather subtropic
zones, which are middle warm zone and warm zone. According
to dry wet degree classification, most area are half arid
weather, only inferior high mountain area and Jindong Nan
area are half warm moisture weather. The basic characteristic
of the weather of the whole province is: winter is relatively
long , cold and dry; the hot rainwater is centralized
in summer; the weather is changeable in spring, there
are more sand blown by the wind; autumn is short time,
the temperature difference is relatively great. The regional
difference in temperature is wide gap, the wind direction
of the ground is disorderly and the wind speed is much
little. Annual precipitation decreases progressively
from mountain to the northwest, the hilly area is much
more than basin. There is little cloudiness, the sun
is sufficient, only hot resources are more abundant,
there are more disastrous weather.
The steady total accumulated temperature above
0 ℃ of the whole province
is 2500 ℃— 5100 ℃ ,
which is equal to and greater than 2000 ℃— 4600 ℃ accumulated
temperature of 10 ℃ ,
frost-free period is generally between 80 days—205 days.
The accumulated temperature and frost—free period from
south to north decrease progressively from level land
to high mountain. The difference of the frost—free period
of all parts is: above 200 days in Jinnan; 160—175 days
in Jinzhong; Xindin basin land, most regions of Jindong
Nan and the Yellow River along the bank of west is 140—150
days; In the area of Jinxi pei is 100—120 days; In the
mountain area of middle part of north is generally under
100 days
The annual precipitation of most areas of Shanxi lie
between 400mm—650mm, the annual average precipitation
is 534mm.each region precipitation distribution is not
uniform, the total trend is decreasing progressively
from southeast to northwest; It increases progressively
from basin to the high mountain. Jinnan is between 500mm—550mm;Jinzhong
is between 450mm—500mm; Jinpei is about 400mm. The annual
precipitation in Jindong mountain area and Luliang Mountain
is 600mm—700mm.
The seasonal variation of precipitation of Shanxi is
remarkably affected by monsoon, the precipitation difference
in every season is wide gap within the year. In the precipitation
of the whole year, spring and autumn each accounts for
15%—20%, summer accounts for 50%—60%, winter accounts
for 2%—3%. At the same time, the annual variable rate
of precipitation is also relative more great, the annual
precipitation relative variable rate in all parts is
between 18%—33%. The precipitation is relative steady
in the southeast; the relative variable rate is great
in northwest. With more and short two years precipitation
amount differ by more than two times, the maximum relative
variable rate can be up to 50%. The guaranteeing rate
of precipitation is low, which is unfavorable factor
in Shanxi climate.
 The
total population in the whole province was 31,722.000
at the end of 1998, among them town people was 10,433,200,
rural population was 21,288,600. Each number of people
on average of the family was 3.76.
 The
main supply of the water resource in
Shanxi is the natural precipitation.
The Yellow River which flows
through the province border is also
a main source. Annual average precipitation
is 524mm, which is 16.6% less than
many years average precipitation
(628mm) of the whole country, and
it is also 4.2% less than many years
average precipitation (547mm) of
North China . Shanxi is
one of short of the water provinces
seriously in the whole country. The
through flow of rivers and creeks
(namely surface water) is 10,870.000.000
cubic meters, supply amount of ground
water is 6,550.000,000 cubic meters,
supply water through flow
of the river is 4,250,000,000 cubic
meters. Person average water resource
amount is equivalent to 20% of the
nation person average water resource,
it is 3.8% of the person average
occupancy amount in the whole world;
The average water resource amount
of agricultural land (per mu) is
162 cubic meters (according to the
national per mu water resource amount.
The
total area of land of Shanxi is
156,300 square kilometers, it amount
to 235.130.000 mu. The person average
land area is lower than the nation
person average level (35.6%), it
belongs to land resource less provinces.
According to the classification of
land utilizing situation, the situation
on the whole is: 73,470,000 mu of
cultivated land, 2,260,000 mu of
garden plot, 53,540,000 mu of forest
land, 30,770,000 mu of ground of
herb. The residential area and industrial
and mining used 11,570.000 mu of
land, the traffic used 2,100.000
mu of ground, 5,560,000 mu of water
region and 75,670,000 mu land have
not been utilized.
The
lands utilized the state in 1997:
cultivated area were 65,960,000 mu
, 108,150,000 mu forest land were
used and actual forage grass were
30,870,000 mu. |
Tel：0351-4066394