<P> The North China Plain (Chinese: 華北 平原; pinyin: Huáběi Píngyuán) is based on the deposits of the Yellow River and is the largest alluvial plain of China . The plain is bordered to the north by the Yanshan Mountains, to the west by the Taihang Mountains, to the south by the Dabie and Tianmu Mountains, and to the east by the Yellow Sea . The Yellow River flows through the middle of the plain into Bohai Sea . </P> <P> Below the Sanmenxia Dam is the multipurpose Xiaolangdi Dam, located in the river's last valley before the North China Plain, a great delta created from silt dropped at the Yellow River's mouth over the millennia . The North China Plain extends over much of Henan, Hebei, and Shandong provinces . and merges with the Yangtze delta in northern Jiangsu and Anhui provinces . The Yellow River meanders over the fertile, densely populated plain emptying into the Bohai Sea . The plain is one of China's most important agricultural regions, producing corn, sorghum, winter wheat, vegetables, and cotton . Its nickname is "Land of the yellow earth ." </P> <P> The southern part of the plain is traditionally referred to as the Central Plain (pinyin: Zhōngyuán), which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization . </P>

Of all the geographic regions in china which was best suited for settlement