With an area of 3,705,820 square miles (9,598,032 square kilometers), China is roughly the same size as the United States. Because mountains or deserts cover much of western China, the majority of the population lives in the east, where rivers and plains allow for productive agriculture. China's other major geographic features differ vastly between regions, ranging from the Himalaya Mountains to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (“the roof of the world”) to subtropical islands. The Great Wall of China stretches 4,470 miles (7,200 kilometers). Some of the world's longest rivers are in China; the Yangtze River runs 3,900 miles (6,300 kilometers).

China's climate ranges from sub-arctic in the north to sub-tropical in the south. Monsoons in the southeast cause frequent summer floods that can kill thousands each year. Sandstorms in the north are increasingly common due to desertification.

China's diverse plant life includes more than 2,800 species of trees, such as metasequoia, bamboo, palm, oak, China fir, evergreen, and China cypress. Deforestation is an increasing problem, especially in the east, as industries and housing developments replace natural forests.