South, Southeast, and
East Asia
Physical Geography
Mostly taken from mrdgeography.com with slight changes!
Mountains
 Himalayas (largest
mountain range in the
world)
 Western and Eastern
Ghats (located in
India)
 Mount Fuji (located in
Japan)
Himalayas
Ghats
Mount Fuji
Sacred to Shintos
Influence of Mountains
 Population – fewer
people live in the
mountains
 Movement – mountains
make it more difficult
for people to travel
 Climate – mountains
affect the monsoon in
India and they are also
very cold
Most rivers begin in Tibet
Loess
 Loess is wind blown
dust
Influence of Water
Rivers, Seas, and Ocean Currents
 Agriculture – people live
near rivers to grow food
 Trade – people in Asia
trade using the seas and
oceans
 Transportation – people
use rivers and oceans for
transportation because it
is faster and cheaper
Ganges
River in India
considered sacred by
Hindus
The river is heavily
polluted
Climate
 Asia has varied climate
regions ranging from
tropical wet to humid
continental
 Gobi Desert – located in
western China
 Plateau of Tibet – high in
elevation and very cold
Gobi Desert
Natural Hazards
 Monsoon – Seasonal
wind that brings rain to
India and Southeast Asia
 Typhoons – tropical
storms (same as
hurricane)
 Volcanic eruptions
 Earthquakes – Frequent
in Japan and areas on
Ring of Fire
Monsoon
Earthquakes
Asia
Economic Geography
Agriculture in Asia
Many countries in Asia have arable land
that is good for farming.
 Tropical crops are grown in countries with
tropical climate zones.
 Rice is the most important food crop in the
region.

Crops

A few tropical crops are:
A. Tea
B. Sugar Cane
C. Coffee
D. Rubber
E. Cocao
World Tea Production
World Coffee Production
Methods of Farming
In mountainous areas of Asia people
practice agricultural terracing.
 In areas with tropical forests people use
slash and burn farming.
 Many tropical cash crops are grown on
large plantations.
 In most areas people still practice
subsistence farming.

Tea Plantation
Rice Terraces
The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution was a period of time
from the 1940s to the 1960s when new
strains of rice and other crops were
introduced to developing parts of the world.
These new crops produced more food per
square hectare and allowed food production
to keep pace with population growth.
The Green Revolution



IR8 is a variety of rice that was genetically
engineered by the International Rice Research
Institute and introduced to India.
Regular Rice Yield = 1/2 ton per hectare
IR8 Rice Yield = 5 tons per hectare with no
fertilizer and 10 tons with fertilizer.
Developed or Developing?
Most countries in Asia are developing.
 China is developing but it is industrialized.
 India is developing but it has many factories
and some cities have high tech sectors such
as computer programming and the
manufacturing of electronic components.

Developed

The following countries are developed:
A. Japan
B. Taiwan
C. Singapore
D. South Korea
Developed
Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea are
considered newly industrialized countries
because they built most of their factories in
the last fifty years and the economy of these
countries no longer relies on agriculture.
 Japan is highly industrialized but it has been
industrialized since the late 19th century.

Japan




Japan has one of the largest fishing fleets in the
world.
Japan has automobile factories but in general the
economy is moving towards the service sector.
Japan is the economic leader in the region.
Japan is heavily dependent on imported raw
resources. It must import about 50% of its food
and most of its fuel.
China



China is communist and had a centrally planned or
command economy, however, in the last thirty
years China has transitioned towards a free market
economy.
China, along with many countries in Asia, now
participates in the global market.
Due to rapid industrialization China now faces
several environmental problems such as soil
erosion, air pollution, and the loss of arable land.
Economic Systems

A.
B.
C.
There are three types of economic
systems:
Free Market Economy
Mixed Economy
Command Economy (Centrally Planned)
The only country in Asia with a strict command economy
is North Korea. Laos, Vietnam, and China are all
transitioning towards free market economies.
Economic Unions

The largest economic union in this region
is ASEAN, The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations. The members of ASEAN
are:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Brunei
Indonesia
Vietnam
Philippines
Malaysia
F. Cambodia
G. Laos
H. Thailand
I. Singapore
J. Myanmar
ASEAN
ASEAN
Population
Parts of Asia are very densely populated and
parts of it are sparsely populated.
 Densely populated areas include Eastern
China, India, Japan, and most of Southeast
Asia.
 Sparsely populated areas are Western China,
Mongolia, and areas in the Himalaya
Mountains.

Population
China is the most populated country in the
world and India is the second most
populated country.
 China has instituted a one child policy in
order to limit population growth. India has
no policy, so it will be tied with China by
2028 and then continue to pass it.

Population Pyramids
Population Pyramids
Cities
Asia has some of the largest cities in the
world.
 In Asia there is an extreme contrast between
urban areas and rural areas. People in rural
areas are still living a traditional lifestyle
and practicing subsistence farming.
 Many people are moving to cities to look
for jobs.

Russia and Central Asia
Physical Geography
The Land

Russia is a large country that is
located in Europe and Asia. Russia is
so long that it spans 11 time zones.

The dividing line between Europe and
Asia is the Ural Mountains.
The Land
The Land
The five countries in Central Asia are:
A. Kazakhstan
B. Uzbekistan
C. Turkmenistan
D. Tajikistan
E. Kyrgyzstan
The Land
The Land

The part of Russia located in Asia is
called Siberia. This area is isolated,
sparsely populated, and extremely cold
in the winter time.
The Land

The Northern European Plain extends
into Western Russia. This area has a
type of fertile soil called chernozem.
Chernozem means black earth and the
soil is dark in color.
The Land
Comparison of arable land
The United States
173,450
India
160,519
China
142,615
Russia
122,559
* unit in thousands of hectares
Arable land is land that can be used for farming.
The Land
The Land

The Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern
Siberia is located on the Ring of Fire.
This area has a high concentration of
volcanoes, however, due to the low
population density it doesn’t present a
serious problem to people at the
moment.
The Ring of Fire
The Mountains

The Urals are the longest mountain
range in Russia.

The Caucasus Mountains run from the
Black Sea to the Caspian Sea and they
generally divide Russia from Georgia
and Azerbaijan.
Bodies of Water



Russia has many long rivers such as
the Volga, Ob, and Amur.
The Amur River forms part of the
border between Russia and China.
Some rivers flow northward to the
Arctic Ocean.
Bodies of Water

Lake Baikal is located in Siberia and it is
the deepest fresh water lake in the world.

The Caspian Sea is divided between
Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan,
and Azerbaijan. It is the world’s largest
body of enclosed water. Large reserves of
oil have been found on the bottom of the
lake.
Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
Bodies of Water

The Aral Sea is located in Central
Asia between Kazakhstan and
Uzbekistan. Since the 1960s it has
been shrinking due to over irrigation.
It is now 20% of its original size. The
Soviets used the diverted water to
irrigate cotton fields.
Bodies of Water
Bodies of Water
The shrinking of the Aral Sea has
caused:
A. The collapse of the local fishing
industry
B. Increase in pollution due to fertilizer
run off, pesticides, and industrial
waste
C. Increase in respiratory illnesses in
the region
Bodies of Water
Climate and Vegetation

Russia is in the middle and high
latitudes but it is not warmed by
ocean currents and wind currents like
Europe so it is much colder. Western
Russia has a humid continental
climate zone but most of Siberia has
a subarctic climate zone. The
northern part of Russia is tundra.
Climate and Vegetation
Climate and Vegetation



Tundra has short grasses, lichens,
mosses, small shrubs, and flowers in
the summer time but underneath the
tundra there is permafrost
(permanently frozen subsoil).
The subarctic region of Siberia has a
large coniferous forest called Taiga.
Central Asia is covered in temperate
grassland called steppe.
Taiga
Tundra
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org
Steppe
Russia and Central Asia
Economic Geography
Natural Resources

Russia and Central Asia have many
different types of natural resources,
both renewable and nonrenewable.
Renewable Resources
A.
B.
C.
Russia has timber in Siberia. Most of
Siberia is covered in Taiga.
Russia has a lot of arable land, but
most of it is in Western Russia.
Russia has fish in the Black Sea,
Caspian Sea, and Pacific Ocean.
Agriculture

Cotton is grown in Central Asia around
the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea has been
shrinking because of over irrigation of
the rivers that flow into it.
Nonrenewable Resources


Russia has fossil fuels such as oil, coal,
and natural gas. There is oil on the
bottom of the Caspian Sea. The natural
gas in Russia is in Siberia on the Arctic
coast.
Russia consumes less oil than it
extracts so it is able to export crude oil
on the world market.
Nonrenewable Resources

Russia has many minerals such as
aluminum, copper, lead, iron, zinc, gold,
and silver.
Energy Resources

Russia has abundant sources of natural
gas, coal, and oil. Russia also produces
energy with nuclear power and
hydroelectric power.
Chernobyl

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant located in the Ukraine exploded.
The explosion released massive
amounts of radiation and the entire city
of over 300,000 people had to be
evacuated.
Oil Pipelines

The Russian economy has been expanding
because of increased investment in the oil
industry. After the fall of communism many
foreign companies invested in the Russian
oil industry.
Capital Resources
A.
B.
Western Russia has a well developed
infrastructure to include a system of
railroads, roads, and canals.
Siberia has a poor infrastructure. The
Trans-Siberian railroad runs through
Siberia but there are not many roads
or railroads.
Trans-Siberian Railroad
A.
Novosibirsk became an important city
after the Trans-Siberian Railroad was
completed.
Economic System

From 1917 to 1990 Russia was communist
and it had a command economy. In a
command economy the government
controls all means of production. People
cannot own land or businesses.
Economic System


Before 1917, Russia was ruled by a
Tsar. He was an emperor and had
absolute power.
After 1917, Russia was ruled by the
Soviets. The Soviet Union refers to
Russia, the countries of Central Asia,
and some countries in Eastern Europe.
Warsaw Pact Countries
Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was a group of
countries led by the Soviet Union that
were communist. In order to combat
the Warsaw Pact the United States
created NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization).
Economic Challenges

The transition from a command to free
market economy has been difficult but
recently the economy of Russia has
shown steady growth and standards of
living are increasing.
Economic Challenges

A.
B.
C.
There is widespread pollution in Russia.
A few examples are:
Oil spills from poorly maintained
pipelines.
Radioactive waste from nuclear power
plants and nuclear submarines.
Air pollution from factories with poor air
quality standards.
Economic Challenges

The resources in Siberia are difficult to
develop due to climate, limited
transportation links, and vastness of the
country.