Loess Plateau

The landforms in Gansu are complicated and varied. The landscape in Gansu is very mountainous in the south and flat in the north and partially located on Loess Plateau. The highest peak of the province is Tuanjie Peak of Qilian Mountain in the northern part of Gansu with an altitude of 5,808 meters above sea level and its lowest point is the bottom of Bailongjiang river valley in the eastern part of Wenxian county with an altitude of only 550 meters above sea level.

Hexi Corridor, the western fringe of the province has smooth terrain, oasis, dessert and Gobi desert. With cold climate and modern glacier, the terrain is highly situated in the southwestern part of the province. The terrain in the whole province is descending to three levels as a flight of stairs. Hilly areas and plateau consist of 70 percent of the total land area while desert and Gobi desert consist of 14.99 percent.

According to its topographic feature and structural formation, Gansu can be divided into eight landform areas of Longnan (Liupan Mountain) hilly area, Longzhong loess plateau, Gannan plateau, Qilian mountainous area, Hexi Corridor high land plain, Beishan mountainous area and Alashan plateau.

Gansu has a dry climate with plenty of sunshine, strong radiation and the temperature varies greatly from day to night. It has a generally semi-arid to arid, continental climate, with warm summers and very cold winters. Most of the precipitation is concentrated in the summer months. The annual average temperature is 4 to 9°C in Hexi Corridor, 0 to 6°C in Qilian mountainous area, 5 to 9°C and 7 to 9°C in Longzhong and Longdong respectively. Its annual rainfall is about 300 millimeters and differs greatly in different parts.

gansu.gov.cn