China's Geographic Location
Three map layers in direct comparison – elevation relief, climate zones, and coordinate grid – supplemented with the country's most important geographic extremities.
Last verified: 2026-07-31
Click a point on the map for details. Use the tabs above to switch the map layer.
Location and Extent
China spans roughly between 73° and 135° east longitude and 18° and 54° north latitude – from the Pamir Mountains in the west to the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers in the east, from subtropical Hainan Island in the south to the Siberian-influenced forests around Mohe in the north. At around 9.6 million km², China is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by area (depending on the calculation method for territorial waters) – and despite this roughly 5,000 km east-west extent, only one time zone applies nationwide: Beijing time (UTC+8).
Elevation Profile: the Three-Step Staircase
China's terrain can be described as a three-step staircase descending from southwest to northeast:
- Step 1 – Tibetan Plateau: averaging 4,000–5,000 m in elevation, the "Roof of the World," with Mount Everest as the highest point (8,849 m).
- Step 2 – basins and mid-elevation mountains: roughly 1,000–2,000 m, including the Sichuan Basin, the Tarim Basin, and Inner Mongolia.
- Step 3 – plains and coast: mostly below 500 m, home to most of China's population, including the plains along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers.
The lowest point, at -154 m, is the Turpan Depression in Xinjiang – one of the hottest places in China in summer. For the mountain ranges, lakes, and rivers that make up these three steps in detail, see the mountains, lakes, and rivers page.
Climate Zones
Because of its size and dramatic elevation differences, China has nearly every climate zone found in the temperate and subtropical latitudes: tropical monsoon climate in the far south (Hainan), humid subtropical climate in the south and along the middle east coast, temperate monsoon climate in the northeast and around Beijing, dry continental and steppe climate in the northwest, desert climate in parts of Xinjiang, and the cool highland climate of the Tibetan Plateau. This diversity explains why a trip to Harbin in winter (down to -30 °C) and a trip to Sanya in the same month (usually over 20 °C) could hardly be more different climatically – for month-by-month comfort ratings across 20 cities, see the best time to visit page.
China's Size Compared to Germany and Europe
At around 9.6 million km², China is about 27 times the size of Germany (357,000 km²) and spans five time-zone widths east to west – yet only a single time zone applies nationwide: Beijing time (UTC+8).
Why Does China Have Only One Time Zone?
For political and administrative reasons, Beijing time (UTC+8) has applied nationwide since 1949 – even in the far west, around 3,000 km away in Xinjiang, where the sun doesn't "properly" rise until around noon as a result.
Live clock, time difference to your own time zone, and an interactive map of the five natural sun times:What Time Is It in China? →
Geographic Extremities in Detail
Mount Everest (Qomolangma)
At 8,849 m, the highest point in China and on Earth, on the border with Nepal. Alpine climate, with snow and glaciers year-round.
Turpan Depression
At -154 m, the lowest point in China, in Xinjiang. An extreme desert climate with summer temperatures above 40 °C.
Tibetan Plateau
Averaging 4,000–5,000 m in elevation, the largest high plateau on Earth – the "Roof of the World." A cold highland climate.
Mohe
China's northernmost town, near the Russian border. A cold-temperate to subarctic climate, with winters down to −50 °C.
Sanya
The southernmost major coastal town, on Hainan Island. A tropical monsoon climate, warm year-round.
Kashgar
China's westernmost major city, thousands of kilometers from any sea. An extreme continental climate.
Fuyuan
China's easternmost point, at the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers. The sun rises here first in China.
Geodetic origin point (Jingyang)
China's official geodetic survey origin point, in Shaanxi province.
Sichuan Basin (Chengdu)
A low-lying, densely populated basin ringed by mountains. A humid climate that's often overcast.
Tianjin / Bohai coast
Representative of northern China's temperate monsoon climate zone along the Bohai coast.
Beijing
China's capital, home to around 22 million people, at 39.9° north latitude in northern China's temperate monsoon climate zone.
Shanghai
China's most populous city (around 25 million people), the country's leading port and financial hub at the mouth of the Yangtze.
Guangzhou
A metropolis of millions in the Pearl River Delta, with a subtropical climate, and for centuries China's most important gateway for foreign trade.
Our own selection of well-known geographic reference points in China (elevation extremes, climate-zone examples, geographic extremities). Positions are approximations based on real coordinates, computed using the same Albers projection as the map series.
FAQ
How big is China compared to Germany?
At around 9.6 million km², China is about 27 times the size of Germany (357,000 km²) and spans five time-zone widths, but uses only a single time zone nationwide (UTC+8).
Why does China have only one time zone?
For political and administrative reasons, Beijing time (UTC+8) has applied nationwide since 1949 – even in the far west (Xinjiang), around 3,000 km away, where the sun doesn't "properly" rise until around noon as a result.
What does the "three-step staircase" (三级阶梯) mean?
An image used in Chinese geography teaching: the terrain drops from west to east in three major steps – from the Tibetan Plateau (step 1, averaging 4,000+ m) through basins and mid-elevation mountains (step 2, 1,000–2,000 m) to the plains and coast in the east (step 3, below 500 m).