Qinling

Qinling
Highest point
PeakMount Taibai
Elevation3,767 m (12,359 ft)
Coordinates33°57′48″N 107°37′05″E / 33.96333°N 107.61806°E / 33.96333; 107.61806
Naming
Language of name
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Literal meaningQin Peak(s)
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQínlǐng
Wade–GilesChʻin2 Ling3
Former name is Southern Mountains
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinNánshān
Wade–GilesNan-shan
Geography
Qinling is located in Northern China
Qinling
Qinling
Qinling is located in China
Qinling
Qinling
Country China
RegionSouthern Shaanxi Province

The Qinling (Chinese: 秦岭) or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan ("Southern Mountains"), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow River systems, providing a natural boundary between North and South China and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on earth.

To the north is the densely populated Wei River valley, an ancient center of Chinese civilization. To the south is the Han River valley. To the west is the line of mountains along the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. To the east are the lower Funiu and Dabie Mountains, which rise out of the coastal plain.

The northern side of the range is prone to hot weather, the rain shadow cast by the physical barrier of the mountains dictating that the land to the north has a semi-arid climate, and is consequently somewhat impoverished in regard to fertility and species diversity.[1] Furthermore, the mountains have also acted in the past as a natural defense against nomadic invasions from the north, as only four passes cross the mountains. In the late 1990s a railway tunnel and a spiral were completed, thereby easing travel across the range.[2]

The highest mountain in the range is Mount Taibai at 3,767 meters (12,359 ft), which is about 100 kilometers (62 mi) west of the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an.[3] Three culturally significant peaks in the range are Mount Hua (2,155 meters or 7,070 feet), Mount Li (1,302 meters or 4,272 feet), and Mount Maiji (1,742 meters or 5,715 feet).

Detailed view of various mountain ranges and passes between Shaanxi and Sichuan
  1. ^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Qinling Mountains deciduous forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  2. ^ Wallis, Shani (October 1, 1999). "Qinling Breakthroughs". World Tunnelling. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2007-12-17 – via Highbeam Research.
  3. ^ "Qinling Mountains". Bookrags.com. Retrieved 17 December 2007.