ABSTRACT
China’s economic geography places particularly high demands on transport. Most of China’s natural resources are located either in the west and centre of the country (for example, metal ores and cement) or in the north and north-east (notably coal), whereas the overwhelming majority of industry and population are located along, or relatively near to, the coast. There is thus a need for long-distance transport of bulk goods. In addition, there are regional specializations in industry, with heavy industry notably concentrated in the north-east (for example, power-plant boilermaking, and the heavy electrical industry), and textiles in East China. Furthermore, agricultural variations across the climatic zones from north to south, and from the coastal irrigated areas to the arid interior, emphasize the need for the transport of produce.
