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Yunnan shares a western border with Myanmar,
and a southern border with Laos and Vietnam, and covers an
area of 394,000 square kilometers, similar in size to the
US State of California. The province is a continuation of
the Tibetan plateau, with the Himalayas dominating the north,
and equatorial tropics warming the southern areas. The Ai-lao
Mountains further divide the province into a limestone plateau
to the east, and a mountainous, area with several peaks above
5,000 metres, to the west. The highest point is the 6,740
metre Kagebo Peak on the Yunnan-Tibet border. Roughly 30%
of the province is forested, and is home to a large variety
of flora and fauna.
Forty freshwater lakes, the highest number in Southwest China,
are located in geological faults of the eastern plateau. Among
them, the larger include the Dianchi, Erhai, Fuxian, Yangzonghai
and Lugu.
Climate
Yunnan's varied and diverse climate means that, while Kunming
enjoys pleasant spring-like weather for most of the year,
the elevated eastern plateau experiences warm summers and
mild winters, and the climate can change substantially during
a journey of just a few kilometres. To the west, the valley
floors and lower slopes of this mountainous area enjoy warm
humid weather, while a temperate zone stands between 2,000
to 3,000 metres, and ice and snow envelop the high summits.
Monsoons off the Pacific and Indian oceans provide adequate
rainfall, with May through October the wettest months.
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