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Why is the northern part of Shaanxi drier than southern Shaanxi?
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Shaanxi
The dramatic karst formations and quiet rivers of Shaanxi province offer a serene contrast to the ancient cityscape of Xi'an.
The Qin Mountains serve as a major environmental divide that separates Shaanxi into two distinct climatic regions.12
The southern region, shielded by these mountains, experiences a subtropical, hot, and moist climate with higher annual precipitation. In contrast, the northern part of the provinceāspecifically the Loess Plateauāis characterized by a progressively drier and colder climate. As one moves north and west, annual precipitation drops significantly, reaching as low as 10 inches (250 mm) in the extreme north. In these northern areas, most rainfall occurs in late summer and autumn, coinciding with periods of maximum evaporation loss, which necessitates specialized agricultural techniques to conserve soil moisture.1