Dabie Mountains

Dabie Mountains
Dabie Mountains
	Dabie Mountains in Jinzhai County, Anhui as seen from the Hewu Railway
Highest point
Elevation	1,777 m (5,830 ft)  1,774 meters (5,820 ft)
Coordinates	31°15′N 115°00′E
Geography
	Dabie Mountains Location in China
Location	China

The Dabie Mountains (traditional Chinese: 大別山; simplified Chinese: 大别山; pinyin: Dàbié Shān) are a major mountain range located in central China. Running northwest-to-southeast, they form the main watershed between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. The range also marks the boundary between Hubei Province and its neighbors of Henan (to the north) and Anhui (to the east).

The western part of Dabie Mountains has a low elevation of only 1,000–1,300 feet (300–400 meters), though there are a few peaks rising to 3,000 feet (900 meters). The eastern part is higher, averaging more than 3,300 feet (1,000 meters). The highest peak is Mount Tianzhu at 5,820 feet (1,774 meters), with several others topping 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) including the 1,729.13 meters (5,673.0 ft) high Tiantangzhai.

Landscape

The range is heavily forested (about 85% coverage) and yields valuable bamboo as well as oak, particularly cork oak, making it China's chief cork-producing area. The region is median income, and subsistence agriculture is the heart of its economy with rice and tea predominating.

The main transportation route across the higher range is from Macheng in Hubei to Huangchuan in Hunan, through the Huai River valley. The main rail and road crossings go north from Wuhan, through the lower elevations.

In 2009, the high-speed Hewu Passenger Railway opened, connecting Hefei (capital of Anhui) with Wuhan (capital of Hubei) along a short direct route. It uses a number of tunnels when crossing the Dabie range.

Geology

Geologically, the Dabie Mountains are characterized by the occurrence of eclogite-facies ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks. Geographically, the range is a complex, stressed structure, making it and the surrounding area subject to earthquakes. In late 2005, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake centered in the northwest corner of Jiangxi province, just south of Jiujiang on the Yangtze killed at least 15 people, injured hundreds, and left several thousand people homeless. It caused tremors in Qichun County in Hubei province and beyond, even reaching as far as the provincial capital of Wuhan.

International Forest Park

This scenic park centered on Tiantangzhai is a key tourist attraction in the highest part of the Dabie mountain range. Total area of the park is 300 square kilometers. Located in Hubei province's Luotian County and close to the border with Anhui Province, the park is about 68 kilometers from Luotian town, 140 kilometers from Macheng, 150 kilometers from Huangshi, and 210 kilometers from the Hubei provincial capital, Wuhan.

References

Dabeishan International Forest Park website (with many photographs), in Chinese.
Huanggang Government website page on Dabie Mountains (in Chinese)

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Mountain ranges of China
Geography of China
Northwest China	Altai Mountains Dzungarian Alatau Tian Shan Borohoro Mountains Tarbagatai Mountains Kunlun Mountains Altyn-Tagh Qilian Mountains Helan Mountains Liupan Mountains
Qinghai-Tibet and Southwest China	Himalayas Transhimalaya Pamir Mountains Karakoram Argu Tagh Yengisogat Kunlun Mountains Hoh Xil Bayan Har Mountains Amne Machin Tanggula Mountains Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains Hengduan Mountains Gaoligong Mountains Yunling Mountains Ailao Mountains Qionglai Mountains Daxue Mountains Min Mountains
Northeast China	Greater Khingan Lesser Khingan Changbai Mountains Wanda Mountains Qian Mountains
North and East China	Yin Mountains Lang Mountains Lüliang Mountains Taihang Mountains Zhongtiao Mountains Mount Tai Tianmu Mountain Yandang Mountains Wuyi Mountains
Central China	Qinling Daba Mountains Dabie Mountains Wudang Mountains Jingshan Mountains Luoxiao Mountains Jiuling Mountains Mufu Mountains Wugong Mountains Huangshan Wuling Mountains Xuefeng Mountains
South China	Cang Mountain Daliang Mountains Dalou Mountains Nanling Mountains Jiuyi Mountains Yuecheng Mountains Longmen Mountains Western Mountains
Landforms of China

Henan topics
Zhengzhou (capital)
General	History Politics Economy
Geography	Cities North China Plain Taihang Mountains Loess Plateau Dabie Mountains Yellow River Nanyang Basin Huai River
Education	Henan University Henan Normal University Henan University of Technology Henan Agricultural University
Culture	Zhongyuan culture Zhongyuan Mandarin Henan opera
Cuisine	Xinyang brewed vegetables Water Banquet Hui mian Hulatang
Visitor attractions	Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory Mount Song Shaolin Temple Longmen Grottoes Songyue Pagoda Youguo Temple White Horse Temple
Category Commons

Hubei topics
Wuhan (capital)
General	History Politics Economy
Geography	Cities Wudang Mountains Jingshan Mountains Daba Mountains Shennongjia Wu Mountains Dabie Mountains Mufu Mountains Yangtze River Han River Three Gorges
Education	Wuhan University Ω Huazhong University of Science and Technology Ω Wuhan University of Technology Ω China University of Geosciences Ω Central China Agricultural University Ω Central China Normal University Ω Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Ω South-Central University for Nationalities
Culture	Chu Culture Han opera Nine-headed Bird
Cuisine	Wuhan duck Soup dumpling Re gan mian
Visitor attractions	Jingzhou Xianling Tomb (in Zhongxiang) Three Gorges Yellow Crane Tower Hubei Provincial Museum Underground Project 131
Category Commons