The Qin Mountains Located?The Qinling/Qin/ Nashan Mountains are a mountain range that stretches from east to west of China’s Shaanxi Province. The mountains are sometimes referred to as the Szechuan Alps”.
The Qin mountains not only demarcate the boundary between South and North China but also support a variety of plant and animal’s species some of which are native to the mountains. On the northern part of the range lies the Wei River valley; A densely populated ancient Chinese civilization center. The Han River valley occupies the southern edge. The mountains of the northern edge of the Tibetan plateau are located west of the Qui mountains while the lower Funiu and Dabie Shan are located in the western parts. The north edge of the mountain range is known to experiences hot weather than the other parts.The semi-arid climate limits the number and type of species that can thrive in the area and is therefore deserted by wildlife. Ancient Chinese kingdoms used the mountain as a defense barrier from invading nomads from the north. Mount Taibai is the highest mountain in the range, and in eastern China with an altitude of 12,359 ft.
Flora and Fauna.The Qin Mountains separate the plains of north-central China from the Sichuan Basin. They face north are therefore subjected to strong and cold winter winds. The annual precipitation is between 850-950 mm, but in some places, the precipitation drops to about 700mm.
The foot of the range is covered by deciduous forests which give way to conifer forests as the elevation increases. Unlike the lowlands to the north, the forest of Qui mountains is preserved as a natural resource by the government of China. The deciduous forests are characterized by maples, elm, walnut, ash, and Celtis spp. These trees are congeneric with those in European forests, but the taxonomic diversity is higher compared to Europe’s. The conifers forest occurs just above the deciduous forest. They are characterized by Pines, birch and several species of the oak. At altitudes of between 8,500 to 9,800ft these species give way to subalpine such as fir, larch, and birch.
About 3,000 species of plants have been documented on the mountains including native species such as the Ginkgo and the Armand pine.The mountains are home to the Qinling panda which is a species of the giant panda. The panda is a protected species classified and has been classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
About 250-280 pandas inhabit the forests. Other animal’s species include the golden takin, the Temminck’s tragopan, golden eagle, golden pheasant and the clouded leopard. The mountains are also home to the Chinese giant salamander which has also been declared nearly endangered although the local people hunt it for food and medicinal purposes.
