Physical Geography of
East Asia
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Major Geographic Characteristics
of East Asia
• World’s MOST POPULOUS REALM
• One of the world’s earliest culture
hearths
• Population concentrations in the
East, situated in river basins and
special economic zones
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Sub-regions of East Asia
• CHINA PROPER- Eastern half; the core of
China
• XIZANG (TIBET)- Tall mountains and high
plateaus; sparsely populated
• XINJIANG- Vast desert basin and mountain
rims; gateway to the Islam world
• MONGOLIA- Mostly desert
• The JAKOTA TRIANGLE
– Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
• LONGITUDINAL EXTENT (East to
West) Comparable to the U.S.
• LATITUDINAL RANGE (North to
South): Comparable to Northern
Quebec to Central Caribbean
• Bordered by oceans, high mountains,
steppe country, and desert
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World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Karst Landscape
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World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Eastern China
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World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Northern China: The Great Wall
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World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Tibet
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
CLIMATE
• CLIMATE TYPES INCLUDE: B (Dry); C
(Humid temperate); D (Humid cold); and
H (Unclassified Highlands)
• Includes the largest area of highland
climate in the world
• Desert conditions prevail in the Northern
and Western interior
• Coastal, peninsular, and insular East
Asia have more moderate climates than
the interior regions
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Step terraces are designed to allow water to flow by gravity through all the
fields, generally reentering a stream at a lower level.
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Rice Fields
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
XIZANG (TIBET)
• A harsh physical environment
• Sparsely populated
• Came under Chinese control during the Manchu
Dynasty in 1720
• Gained separate status in the late 19th Century
• China’s Communist regime took control in the
1950s
• Cornerstone of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and
monasteries
• Now an autonomous region
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
The Potala
Palace in
Lhasa, Tibet, is
the ceremonial
home of the
14th Dalai
Lama, now in
exile in India.
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Highland Pasture in Tibet – nomadic herders
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
XINJIANG
• Comprises one-sixth of China’s total land
area
• A region of high mountains and basins
• Chinese only account for 40% of the
population
• Half of the population is Islamic
• Has extensive reserves of oil and natural
gas
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
MONGOLIA
• Steppe and desert physical environment
• Sparsely populated with an estimated 2.5
million inhabitants
• Part of the Chinese empire from late1600s
until 1911
• Functions as a buffer state between Russia
and China
• Economy is focused on herding and animal
products
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
THE JAKOTA TRIANGLE
• CHARACTERISTICS
– Small, confined land area (Japan and Taiwan
are islands and the Koreas are on a Peninsula)
– Hazardous region- earthquakes, tsunamis and
typhoons
– Great cities and high-tech industry
– Enormous consumption of raw materials, but
few raw materials produced locally
– Global links and rapid development
©2012, TESCCC
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01
Known Hazards for this Region
•
•
•
•
•
•
©2012, TESCCC
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Volcanic Activity (Japan)
Typhoons
Floods
Drought
World Geography, Unit 11, Lesson 01