Mohe County
Encyclopedia
Mohe County is the northernmost county in China, located in the Northeast
's Heilongjiang
province. The county is named after the Mohe, a Tungusic people of ancient Manchuria
. A village, the northernmost settlement in China, at the latitude of 53° 29' N known as China's "Arctic Village" (北极村) lies in this county, on the Amur River, which forms the border with Russia
. Here, the astronomical phenomenon of aurora borealis attracts domestic and foreign tourists to this village.
and Zabaykalsky Krai, where the Amur River flows for 245 kilometres (152.2 mi). The county spans 150 kilometres (93 mi) from north to south and has a total area of 18233 sqkm, occupying 21.6% of the prefecture's (Da Hinggan Ling) area and 3.9% of the provincial (Heilongjiang) area. This creates a population density of only 4.64 persons/km2 (12.0 persons/sqmi).
Mohe, by virtue of its far northern location, is one of the few locations in China with a subarctic climate
(Köppen
Dwc), with long, severe winters, and short, warm summers. Winter begins in early to mid-October and lasts until late April, and temperatures then are normally the coldest in all of China. Average temperatures stay below freezing for a total of nearly seven months of the year, and the frost-free period is just short of 90 days. Monthly averages range from −29.8 °C in January to 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) in July, with an annual mean of −4.29 °C, so that the county is only a little south of the line of continuous permafrost
. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −52.3 °C.
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
's Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
province. The county is named after the Mohe, a Tungusic people of ancient Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. A village, the northernmost settlement in China, at the latitude of 53° 29' N known as China's "Arctic Village" (北极村) lies in this county, on the Amur River, which forms the border with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Here, the astronomical phenomenon of aurora borealis attracts domestic and foreign tourists to this village.
Geography and climate
Mohe is located in the far northwest of Heilongjiang, the northernmost province of China. It is located at latitude 52° 10'−53° 33' N and 121° 07'−124° 20' E. It forms a border with Russia's Amur OblastAmur Oblast
Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky...
and Zabaykalsky Krai, where the Amur River flows for 245 kilometres (152.2 mi). The county spans 150 kilometres (93 mi) from north to south and has a total area of 18233 sqkm, occupying 21.6% of the prefecture's (Da Hinggan Ling) area and 3.9% of the provincial (Heilongjiang) area. This creates a population density of only 4.64 persons/km2 (12.0 persons/sqmi).
Mohe, by virtue of its far northern location, is one of the few locations in China with a subarctic climate
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dwc), with long, severe winters, and short, warm summers. Winter begins in early to mid-October and lasts until late April, and temperatures then are normally the coldest in all of China. Average temperatures stay below freezing for a total of nearly seven months of the year, and the frost-free period is just short of 90 days. Monthly averages range from −29.8 °C in January to 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) in July, with an annual mean of −4.29 °C, so that the county is only a little south of the line of continuous permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −52.3 °C.