Qinling [1] ( Chinese trad. 秦嶺 , ex. 秦岭 , pinyin : Qin Ling ) is a mountain range in East Asia located in China . It is the eastern extension of the Kunlun ridge. It stretches from west to east for 1000 km from the southwest of Gansu province in Shaanxi and Henan . The highest point is Mount Taibayshan (height 3767 m). [2] In addition, the peak of the ridge is one of the sacred mountains of Taoism - Huashan .
| Qinling | |
|---|---|
 Western peak of the sacred mountain Huashan | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | |
| Highest point | |
| Absolute height | |
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| A country |
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| Regions | Gansu , Shaanxi , Henan |
On the ridge passes the watershed of the basins of the main rivers of China - the Yellow River and the Yangtze . The Weihe River flowing north from the ridge separates Qinling from the Loess Plateau , and the Han River valley from the south - from the Mitsanshan and Badashan ranges , behind which lies the Sichuan basin . The ridge consists mainly of limestone and metamorphic schists. The western part is cut through by deep gorges, the eastern one consists of four separate spurs. There is a molybdenum ore deposit. [3]
At the northern foot of the ridge are the cities of Xi'an and Xianyang .
Flora and fauna
The border between the dry loessial steppes from the north and subtropical forests from the south runs along the ridge. This border continues further east through the mountains of Dabeshan . Deciduous forests of the temperate zone grow on the steeper northern slopes of Qinling: oak, elm walnut, maple and ash grow at the foot, conifers dominate above. At the tops there are larch and birch ; rhododendron and dwarf bamboo (Sasa nipponica) form a dense undergrowth . On the more gentle southern slopes, subtropical mixed forests grow with the participation of bamboo , camellias , and magnolias . Endemic Abies chinensis is found . To protect some species ( magnificent fir , crimson , evkommiya ) several reserves were organized: Taibayshan , Fopin-Yueba and others. [4]
At altitudes of 1300-3000 m, the Qinlin panda , a subspecies of the panda , isolated in 2005, lives. Also in the Qinling Mountains there lives a golden snub-nosed monkey and takin . [five]
See also
- Zhongnanshan Tunnel
Notes
- ↑ Qinling // Dictionary of geographical names of foreign countries / resp. ed. A.M. Komkov . - 3rd ed., Pererab. and add. - M .: Nedra , 1986.- S. 420.
- ↑ Qin-Mountains . - article from Encyclopædia Britannica Online . Date of treatment January 8, 2010.
- ↑ Qinling is an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
- ↑ Dictionary of modern geographical names / Rus. geo about . Mosk. Centre; Under the total. ed. Acad. V.M. Kotlyakova . Institute of Geography RAS . - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria, 2006.
- ↑ Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests (English) (link not available) . Terrestrial Ecoregions. Date of treatment January 8, 2010. Archived on February 8, 2010.