The Qinling () 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 Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined and only serve to depict where there appears to be regional differences between the climate ...

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 Shan The Dabie Mountains () are a major mountain range located in central China. Running northwest-to-southeast, they form the main watershed between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. The range also marks the boundary between Hubei Province and its neighbo ...

which rise out of the coastal plain. Shudao

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 In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Mount Taibai at , which is about west of the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an. Three culturally significant peaks in the range are Mount Hua (), Mount Li (), and Mount Maiji ().

Environment, flora and fauna

Shaohua Mountain Scenic Spot in Shaanxi Province

The environment of the Qin Mountains is a deciduous forest ecoregion. The Qin Mountains form the

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

between the Yellow River basin, which was historically home to deciduous broadleaf forests, and the Yangtze River basin, which has milder winters and more rainfall, and was historically home to warm temperate evergreen broadleaf forests. Therefore the Qin Mountains is commonly used as the line separating

northern and southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined and only serve to depict where there appears to be regional differences between the climates ...

. The low-elevation forests of the foothills are dominated by temperate deciduous trees like oaks ('' Quercus acutissima'', '' Q. variabilis''), elm (''Ulmus'' spp.), common walnut (''Juglans regia''), maple (''Acer'' spp.),

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

(''Fraxinus'' spp.) and '' Celtis'' spp. Evergreen species of these low-elevation forests include broadleaf chinquapins (''Castanopsis sclerophylla''), ring-cupped oaks ('' Quercus glauca'') and conifers like '' Pinus massoniana''. At the middle elevations, conifers like '' Pinus armandii'' are mixed with broadleaf birch (''Betula'' spp.) oak ('' Quercus'' spp.) and hornbeam ('' Carpinus'' spp.). From elevation, these mid-elevation forests give way to a subalpine forests of fir ('' Abies fargesii, A. chensiensis''), '' Cunninghamia'', and birch (''Betula'' spp.), with rhododendron (''

Rhododendron fastigiatum ''Rhododendron fastigiatum'' is a dwarf lepidote rhododendron species with purple flowers native to Yunnan, China. Cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits ...

'') abundant in the understory. The region is home to a large number of rare plants, of which around 3,000 have so far been documented. Plant and tree species native to the region include Ginkgo, thought to be one of the oldest species of tree in the world, as well as Huashan or Armand pine (''Pinus armandii''), Huashan shen (''

Physochlaina infundibularis ''Physochlaina'' is a small genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, found principally in the north-western provinces of China (and regions adjoining these in the Himalaya and Central Asia) al ...

''), ''

Acer miaotaiense ''Acer miaotaiense'' (syn. ''Acer miyabei'' subsp. ''miaotaiense'' (P.C.Tsoong) E.Murray) is a species of maple endemic to China. It grows in mixed forests of southeastern Gansu, southwestern Henan, northwestern Hubei, southern Shaanxi, and Zhe ...

'' and Chinese fir. Timber harvesting reached a peak in the 18th century in the Qinling Mountains. Home to the Qinling pandas, a sub-species of the

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

, which are protected in the region with the help of the Changqing and Foping nature reserves, between 250 and 280 giant pandas live in the region, which is estimated to represent around a fifth of the entire wild giant panda population. The mountains are also home to the

golden takin The golden takin (''Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi'') is an endangeredgoat-antelope (takin), native to the Qin Mountains in China's southern Shaanxi province. Golden takins have unique adaptations that help them stay warm and dry during cold Himala ...

, golden pheasant,

golden snub-nosed monkey The golden snub-nosed monkey (''Rhinopithecus roxellana'') is an Old World monkey in the subfamily Colobinae. It is endemic to a small area in temperate, mountainous forests of central and Southwest China. They inhabit these mountainous forests ...

Temminck's tragopan The Temminck's tragopan (''Tragopan temminckii'') is a medium-sized, approximately 64 cm long, pheasant in the genus ''Tragopan''. The male is a stocky red-and-orange bird with white-spotted plumage, black bill and pink legs. The male's disp ...

, crested ibis, golden eagle,

blackthroat The blackthroat (''Calliope obscura''), also known as the black-throated robin or black-throated blue robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It breeds in north-central China but its wintering grounds are uncertain. It has been re ...

and

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...

. The Chinese giant salamander, at the largest amphibian in the world, is critically endangered as it is collected for food and for use in traditional Chinese medicine. An environmental education programme is being undertaken to encourage sustainable management of wild populations in the Qin Mountains and captive breeding programmes have been set up.

Weapons of mass destruction

According to the Nuclear Information Project, China "keeps most of its nuclear warheads at a central storage facility in the Qinling mountain range, though some are kept at smaller regional storage facilities."

References

External links

{{Authority control Landforms of Shaanxi Mountain ranges of China Regions of China

Environment, flora and fauna

Weapons of mass destruction

See also

References

External links