Geography Revision- China Case Study

UNFINISHED

Location of China

• The third largest country in the world, China is dissected by the tropic of cancer and spans almost to the Arctic Circle. It is bordered an array of countries: Mongolia, India , Russia, Nepal, Kazakhstan and Vietnam to name a few. Sitting on the South China Sea- part of the Pacific Ocean, China has key real estate in Asian diplomacy, and it emerges as a global superpower with increased assertiveness its geography will play a key role in its future.

Change in last 40 years

• 1981 almost 90% of China lived in extreme poverty

• Agriculture based economy

• CHANGED- GDP grew 24 times in 40 years

Nature of Chinese internal migration

• Largest internal migration of people in history

• Left hometowns moved to cities on the east coast- Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou

China population

1.4 billion people

Share of population that is urbanized

65%

Where population is located

East coast

Who is migrating in China?

• 160 million rural-urban migrants in China

• 12% of the total population

Push factors in Chinese migration

• Fewer labourers needed as China industrialised- no jobs

• Agricultural production became less profitable

• China’s central planners encouraged local leaders to encourage migration

Pull factors in Chinese migration

• Economic reasons- Urban jobs 5x the income of a person in rural China

• Social factors- Desire for modern lifestyle, boredom with village life, freedom from parents

China Floating Population Definition