10 Geographic Facts About Sichuan Province, China

10 Geographic Facts About Sichuan Province, China Sichuan is the second largest of Chinas 23 provinces based on its land area of 187,260 square miles (485,000 sq km). It is located in southwestern China adjacent to the countrys largest province, Qinghai. Sichuans capital city is Chengdu and as of 2007, the province had a population of 87,250,000 people. Sichuan is an important province to China because of its abundant agricultural resources which include such Chinese staples as rice and wheat. Sichuan is also rich in mineral resources and is one of Chinas main industrial centers. The following is a list of ten things to know about Sichuan Province: 1) Human settlement of Sichuan Province is believed to date back to the 15th century B.C.E. In the 9th century B.C.E., Shu (what is present-day Chengdu) and Ba (todays Chongqing City) grew to become the largest kingdoms in the region. 2) Shu and Ba were subsequently destroyed by the Qin Dynasty and by the 3rd century B.C.E., the area was developed with sophisticated irrigation systems and dams which ended seasonal flooding of the region. As a result, Sichuan became the agricultural center of China at the time. 3) Because of Sichuans location as a basin surrounded by mountains and the presence of the Yangtze River, the area also became an important military center throughout much of Chinas history. In addition, several different dynasties ruled the area; among them are the Jin Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty. 4) An important note about Sichuan Province is that its borders have remained mostly unchanged for the last 500 years. The largest changes occurred in 1955 when Xikang became a part of Sichuan and in 1997 when the city of Chongqing broke away to form a part of the Chongqing Municipality. 5) Today Sichuan is divided into eighteen prefecture-level cities and three independent prefectures. A prefecture-level city is one that is below a province but ranks higher than a county for administrative structure. An independent prefecture is an area that has a majority of ethnic minorities or is historically important for ethnic minorities. 6) Sichuan Province is within the Sichuan basin and is surrounded by the Himalayas to the west, the Qinling Range to the east and the mountainous parts of Yunnan Province to the south. The area is also active geologically and the Longmen Shan Fault runs through part of the province. 7) In May 2008, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred in Sichuan Province. Its epicenter was in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The earthquake killed over 70,000 people and numerous schools, hospitals and factories collapsed. Following the earthquake in June 2008, severe flooding from a lake formed by a landslide during the earthquake occurred in low-lying areas that had already been significantly damaged. In April 2010, the region was again impacted by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck neighboring Qinghai Province. 8) Sichuan Province has a varied climate with a subtropical monsoon in its eastern portions and Chengdu. This region experiences warm to hot summers and short, cool winters. It is also typically very cloudy in the winters. The western part of Sichuan Province has a climate affected by the mountains and high altitude. It is very cold in the winter and mild in the summer. The southern part of the province is subtropical. 9) Most of Sichuan Provinces population is Han Chinese. However, there is a significant population of minorities such as Tibetans, Yi, Qiang, and Naxi in the province as well. Sichuan was Chinas most populous province until 1997 when Chongqing was separated from it. 10) Sichuan Province is famous for its biodiversity and the area is home to the famous Giant Panda Sanctuaries which consist of seven different nature reserves and nine scenic parks. These sanctuaries are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are home to more than 30% of the worlds endangered giant pandas. The sites are also home to other endangered species such as the red panda, the snow leopard, and the clouded leopard. ReferencesNew York Times. (2009, May 6). Earthquake in China - Sichuan Province - News - The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/science/topics/earthquakes/sichuan_province_china/index.html Wikipedia. (2010, April 18). Sichuan - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan Wikipedia. (2009, December 23). Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_Giant_Panda_Sanctuaries

Learn How Marital Status Can Affect Your Financial Aid

Learn How Marital Status Can Affect Your Financial Aid The significance of your marital status in the financial aid process has a lot to do with whether or not you can claim dependent or independent status on the FAFSA. If you are married, regardless of age, you will have independent status when the government calculates your ability to afford college. Below youll see situations in which marriage can have a positive or a negative effect on your financial aid: Situations in which Marriage Improves Your Financial Aid Eligibility Marriage will usually have a positive impact on your financial aid eligibility if you are under 24 years of age and your spouse does not have high income. This is because you can then claim independent status, and your parents income and assets will not be considered in your financial aid calculations. Your spouses income, however, will be considered.If you are 24 years of age or older, you will have independent status whether married or not. Here again, your marital status will be a benefit assuming your spouses income is relatively low. Situations in Which Marriage Lessens Your Financial Aid Eligibility Marriage will often have a negative impact on your financial aid reward if you are 24 or over and your spouse has significant income. The reasons for this are two-fold: if you are 24 or over, you are considered to have independent status for financial aid. Thus, only your own income and assets are used to calculate your financial aid eligibility. If, however, you are married, your spouses income will be part of the calculations.If you are under 24 and from a family with modest income, your spouses income will determine whether or not marrying helps or hurts you. In general, the higher your spouses income, the less aid you will receive.If your parents dont have high income and they are supporting several other dependents, it is quite possible that your financial aid eligibility will actually decrease when you get married. This is especially true if you have brothers or sisters who are also in college. In a situation such as this, your parents qualify for significant financial aid, and that could actually decrease if you have independent status. This can be true even if your spouse doesnt have high income.   More Issues to Consider Related to Marital Status If you submit your FAFSA when you are single but then you marry, you can submit an update to the form so that your ability to pay for college is accurately reflected by the government calculations.You can submit a change to your FAFSA should you or your spouse lose your income or have a reduction in income during the academic year.You need to report your financial information and your spouses information on the FAFSA even if you file taxes separately.  Keep in mind that you and your spouses assets, not just your income, are used to calculate your aid eligibility. Thus, even if you and your spouse have low income, you might find that your expected contribution is high if you or your spouse has significant savings, real estate holdings, investments, or other assets.