Qinling
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.
| Qinling | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest point | |||||||||
| Peak | Mount Taibai | ||||||||
| Elevation | 3,767 m (12,359 ft) | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°57′48″N 107°37′05″E | ||||||||
| Naming | |||||||||
| Language of name | |||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 秦嶺 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 秦岭 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Qin Peak(s) | ||||||||
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| Former name is Southern Mountains | |||||||||
| Chinese | 南山 | ||||||||
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| Geography | |||||||||
Qinling Qinling | |||||||||
| Country | China | ||||||||
| Region | Southern Shaanxi Province | ||||||||
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, however the physical barrier of the mountains mean that the land to the north has a semi-arid climate, with the lack of rich, fertile landscape that can not support a wealth of wildlife. The mountains also acted 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.
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. 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).