Best climate for civilization (Cfa vs Cwa) The battle of the humid subtropics (hot, warm)
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Both have the hot and wet summers that encourage plant growth and the winters that are not cold but cool enough to suppress mosquito/insect/pest activity. But would it be a blessing or a burden for there to be a decent amount of rain in the winter or none in the winter?
Based on world history, very long lasting civilizations thrived in both climates. Two of the main superpowers of the ancient world were China and India. Combined, these two regions probably housed half to maybe even 2/3 of the world population in ancient times.
Most of China is humid subtropical and the Northeast region of india (which has historically been (and still is to this day), the most populous part of India BY FAR) is humid subtropical.
The part that won't leave my mind however, is that which one is better. It may seem that the Subtropical Monsoon is better since a good chunk of the earliest chinese and indian civilizations were centered around their respective Cwa regions, and not the Cfa regions in Southern China. Many of their ancient capitals are in Cwa regions as well. Also, the most populous region of china is the Northeast Cwa/Dwa regions, not Southern China.
The problem is that to me, Cfa is pretty much perfect. No threat of drought, hot wet summers which means lots of food can be grown, no threat of a shortage of water or food if the monsoon is weak in that year, or late.
Te be fair, it might be the hilariously low sunshine hours of Southern China that makes the relatively sunnier North more enticing. or the constant threat of typhoons in the south. Maybe someone here can give me some more insight on this.
The northern region of China directly south of Beijing is the most populous when looking at a population density map, but when you count each province as I did here, southern China has slightly more people. Guangdong, the Sichuan Basin, and the Yangtze River Delta easily add a lot of people to southern China's population. Even though the Chinese civilization started around the Yellow River, it has expanded to control Southern China for over 2000 years.
In general, I would say Cwa is more beneficial because the summer gets more rain than North American Cfa climates while the lack of winter rain might suppress diseases somewhat. Cwa climates in China allows the most reliable rains of the year to be aligned with the growing season. And even the Cfa regions in southern China have a clear summer peak in precipitation.
Northern China mostly grows wheat while southern China mostly grows rice. Rice has a much higher calorie output per acre of land than wheat. Also, southern China can grow double-crop rice, which is cultivating two crops in the same land in the same season.
As with India, the northern part could be more heavily populated due to the suppression of tropical diseases in Cwa climates compared to Am/Aw climates, again showing the benefits of Cwa climates.
I just realized this, most of subtropical china and Japan is classified as Cfa, I always thought of them as having a dry season in winter, I guess the winters are not dry enough.
The northern region of China directly south of Beijing is the most populous when looking at a population density map, but when you count each province as I did here, southern China has slightly more people. Guangdong, the Sichuan Basin, and the Yangtze River Delta easily add a lot of people to southern China's population. Even though the Chinese civilization started around the Yellow River, it has expanded to control Southern China for over 2000 years.
In general, I would say Cwa is more beneficial because the summer gets more rain than North American Cfa climates while the lack of winter rain might suppress diseases somewhat. Cwa climates in China allows the most reliable rains of the year to be aligned with the growing season. And even the Cfa regions in southern China have a clear summer peak in precipitation.
Northern China mostly grows wheat while southern China mostly grows rice. Rice has a much higher calorie output per acre of land than wheat. Also, southern China can grow double-crop rice, which is cultivating two crops in the same land in the same season.
As with India, the northern part could be more heavily populated due to the suppression of tropical diseases in Cwa climates compared to Am/Aw climates, again showing the benefits of Cwa climates.
I think a more relevant factor in north-south population differences is geography. Northern China and Northern India are mostly flat, low-lying plains intersected by big rivers. The southern parts of both countries are divided into several smaller regions by mountain ranges and high plateaus.
I doubt the dryness of Northern Indian winters (which actually aren't that dry in areas that have western disturbances) makes its climate less disease-prone, considering how much hotter the rest of the year is in South Asia than in subtropical East Asia. Generally, higher temperatures = higher (potential) pathogen load.
I think a more relevant factor in north-south population differences is geography. Northern China and Northern India are mostly flat, low-lying plains intersected by big rivers. The southern parts of both countries are divided into several smaller regions by mountain ranges and high plateaus.
I doubt the dryness of Northern Indian winters (which actually aren't that dry in areas that have western disturbances) makes its climate less disease-prone, considering how much hotter the rest of the year is in South Asia than in subtropical East Asia. Generally, higher temperatures = higher (potential) pathogen load.
So if the North China plain was in the Southeast Corner of China instead of Northeast it wouldve been even better for agriculture since there wouldve been a lower chance of drought and the growth season wouldve been longer due to warmer temps.
So if the North China plain was in the Southeast Corner of China instead of Northeast it wouldve been even better for agriculture since there wouldve been a lower chance of drought and the growth season wouldve been longer due to warmer temps.
(continued..) obviously gonna leave out the typhoon threat for idealization purposes.
It just seems that the best farm land in both China and India just so happen to be in the cwa zones out of just coincidence. The cwa is friendly enough to sustain a massive population in pre modern/ancient times but if the best farm land was in the cfa then it would have been almost perfect
-Less threat of major drought and wildfires
-Longer growing season due to more precip
-Fertile, flat land
-Warm most of the year
-Very Mild to even warm winters with plentiful rain throughout
The population would absolutely skyrocket in this region
Im talking about a whole section of china. The North China Plain has hundreds of millions and its population density clearly stands out in the map of China at large.
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