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This picture has been taken near the Tropic of Cancer — one of the five major circles of latitude that are often marked on maps of the Earth. While the Tropic of Cancer is 23° 26' 22" north of the equator, Yuanyang County where this shot came from is located from 22° 49’ to 23°19’ north latitude and 102°27’ to 103°31’ east longitude. Nhiệm, Steve and I arrived here one month before equinox when the day and the night are equal in length and when we could enjoy the mild coolness, the sun, the terraced fields and the cherry’s flowers show off their color.

According to Fu Yongshou, the landscape of Yuanyang County as a whole is slopping from the northwest to the southeast. The range of altitude is from 144 meters to 2939.6 meters above sea level. The first type of area is below 700 meters altitude, classified as “valley” or “lowland”, covered 5 percent of total land area of whole county. The second type of area is from 700 to 1400 meters altitude, classified as “lower-upland”, covered 53% of total land area. The third type of area is from 1400 to 1800 meters altitude, classified as “upland”, covered 31% of total land area. The fourth type of area is above 1800 meters altitude, classified as “higher-upland”, covered 11% of total land area.

Yuanyang County is located in the south of the Tropic of Cancer with six different climate types, which are north tropical, south sub-tropical, central sub-tropical, north sub-tropical, south temperate and central temperate. The most influential climate element is central sub-tropical monsoon. In general, the climate changes obviously with the altitude. So does the average temperature with the altitude. Normally, for every 100-meter-rise of elevation, the temperature gets 0.7° lower. The average 3 temperature of higher-upland is lower as 4°, and the average temperature of valley is higher as 26°. On the other hand, the rainfall gets higher in correspond to the increase of elevation. The year-round average rainfall of higher-upland is above 1700mm, but below 700mm in the valley. The hours of sunlight is more in the dry season (from March to May), and less in the raining season (from June to October).

The plantation of Yuanyang County is major to southern sub-tropical ever-green broadleaf forest. In Yuanyang, the subtropical grassland and seasonal rainforest locate in the area below 900 meters above sea level. The conifer-broadleaf mixed forest locates from 800 to 1400 meters altitude. Ever-green and deciduous broadleaf forests locate from 1400 to 1800 meters altitude. Ever-green broadleaf trees and bamboo mixed forest is distributed around 1800 meters altitude. There is the ever-green fogging forest located from 1800 to 2500 meters altitude. The shrub with moss is distributed above 2500 meters altitude.



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