China encompasses a great diversity of landscapes and a corresponding variety of natural resources. Generally speaking, China has higher elevations in the west, where some of the worlds loftiest mountain ranges are located, including the Tian Mountains, the Kunlun Mountains, and the Himalaya. Devastating earthquakes tend to occur in a broad arc extending from the western edge of the Sichuan Basin north-east towards Bo Hai, the gulf on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea.
China has numerous mountain ranges enclosing a series of plateaus and basins and furnish a notable wealth of water and mineral resources. A broad range of climatic types, from sub arctic to tropical, and including large areas of alpine and desert habitats, supports a magnificent array of plant and animal life.
Mountains occupy about 43 per cent of China land surfaces; mountainous plateaus account for another 26 per cent; and basins, predominantly hilly and located mainly in arid regions, cover approximately 19 per cent of the area. Only 12 per cent of the total area may be classed as flatlands.