This is about one-fifth of the world's population. Geographic Landmarks Top of Page China is a very diverse land including deserts, mountains and fertile river basins. Much of western China is mountains with the Himalaya, Tian and Pamir ranges. Western China also has a large desert. Central China consists of mountainous regions.
Rivers also play a major role in China, both for transportation and for irrigation.
Much of the northern wheat fields and southern rice fields are irrigated from rivers. The Great Wall of China was built over 2,500 years ago to protect against invaders from the north. Troops would patrol the wall to defend China against attack. Once over 6,000 miles long, the wall is now about 3,750 miles long. Major Industries Top of Page For many years, China has been on a program of economic development.