Chinese History and Statistics -- Page 6

Mongolian Border Upland

The second sub-region of the middle elevation step is the Mongolian border upland; it lies between the Gobi and Ordos deserts of Inner Mongolia and the North China plain to the southeast. The main features of this sub-region are the Da Hinggan range and the Loess Plateau, which occupies most of Sha'anxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Gansu provinces. The loess for which the plateau is named is a fertile windblown deposit that covers the plateau to depths of more than 30 m (100 ft).

Qin Ling Mountains

The third sub-region of the middle elevation step is the Qin Ling Mountains, a range that extends east west from the Kunlun Mountains. The Qin Ling are important as a divide between the Huang He; (Yellow River) and the Chang Jiang basins.

Red Basin

The fourth sub-region, located south of the Qin Ling Mountains, is known both as the Red Basin, on account of its underlying red sand-stones, and the Sichuan Basin, because of its location in Sichuan province. The basin is traversed by the Chang Jiang.