Asia’s Geography
Geography Basics
• Relative Location?
• North of Indian Ocean
• East of Europe
• South of Arctic Sea
• West of Pacific Ocean
• Largest continent (44,579,000 sq km)
• Biggest population (~3,879,000,000, est. 2007)
• Main Languages?
• East Asia: Chinese Mandarin
• South Asia: Hindi
• West Asia: Arabic
• Southeast Asia: Indonesian (and Malay)
Geography Basics
• Located in Eastern Hemisphere
• Total of 44 Countries
• Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),
Cambodia, China, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan,
Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan,
Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri
Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
• Mountains = Human-Environment Interaction
• Influences population patterns, movement of
people and goods, and climate!
Geography Basics
• Most important mountains = Himalayas
• Separate India from China
• Block monsoons from entering Western
China
• Tallest mountain in world = Mt. Everest
• Many religions in Asia
• Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism,
Shintoism, Islam, Christianity
Economic Systems of Asia
• Three types of money systems:
1. Free Market
• Lots of freedom to buy and sell
• ex. Japan
2. Mixed Economy
• Government controls certain things with
some freedom to buy and sell
• ex. China, Laos, Vietnam
3. Command Economy
• Government controls all things
• ex. North Korea
Country Focus of Notes
1. China
2. Japan
3. North Korea
China
China Facts
• Relative Location
– Eastern Asia
– Borders on South/East China Sea
– Between North Korea and Vietnam
• Absolute Location
– 35 00 N, 105 00 E
• 4th largest country in World (9,596,961 sq km)
• After Russia, Canada, and U.S.A.
China Facts (continued)
• Terrain & climate are VERY diverse
– Tropical to subarctic (hot to very cold)
– Mountains, plateaus, deserts, plains, deltas, hills
• Natural hazards
– Typhoons
– Droughts/floods
– Tsunamis
– Earthquakes
Languages
• Population = 1,355,692,576 (July 2014 est.)
• What language do People in China Speak?
– Not “Chinese!”
• Most common language = Mandarin (official language)
– Hello = "nǐhǎo"
• Other Languages
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–
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–
–
–
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Yue (Cantonese)
Wu (Shanghainese)
Minbei (Fuzhou)
Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese)
Xiang
Gan
Hakka dialects
Various Minority Languages
4 Major Regions
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Northeast
Northwest
Southeast
Southwest
– Each has own character and geography
Northeast
• China’s major lowland area
• Greatest population concentration
• Traditionally China’s core
– Empire expanded from here
– Always included capital
– Today?
• Beijing
Beijing
• China’s capital
– Lots of business
– Losing status as China’s center
• Many moving South
Northeast Agriculture
• Very rich soil due to “loess”
– Moved by dust storms from Mongolian and Gobi
Desert!
• Enters Huang He River
–“Yellow River”
–Floods deposit silt
• North China plains = most intensely farmed area
Rivers of China
• 3 major rivers begin in Himalayas
– Flow across China to East coast
River
• Yellow River
• Yangtze River
• West River
Chinese name
• Huang He
• Chang Jiang
• Xi Jiang
Huang He/Yellow River
• Flows 2,903 miles
– Major transportation route
– Subject to severe flooding
• 1887 = 1 million deaths!
• Water used by ~120 million people
– Can dry up completely for months
• Government’s response = make dams
Southeast
• Warmer and wetter climate
– Fertile soil in river valleys = excellent farming
• Double cropping
• Mountain terraces
• Main crop?
–Rice
Yangzi River and Valley
• Most productive farmland
– 5,000 people/square mile
• Yangzi River = East-West Highway
– Ocean vessels can travel 700 MI inland
• Smaller vessels continue further up
– Mouth of Yangzi = Shanghai
• China’s major port and largest city
–Population = ~7.5 Million
Special Economic Zones
• Communist government took over 1949
– Led by Mao Zedong
• Government took complete control of economy
– Following leaders opened up some freedoms
• To help economy, special areas created on East coast
– Wanted to attract foreign money
• By 1991 - $22 billion poured in
–Coastal areas became rich
–Many wanted to move south
»Shanghai population = 23.5 million by 2015?
Northwest
• “Rugged, stark, and barren”
• Why?
– Gobi Desert
• Very little grows
• Population is low
• Mountains separate 2 large “basins”
– Takla Makan Desert & Steppe Grasses
Silk Road
• One of greatest historic trade routes
• Along path, way stations developed
– Supplied by mountain streams
• Some grew into towns
–Examples
»Kashgar = 100,000 People
»Urumqi = ~ 1 Million
Northwest Agriculture
• Some underground irrigation
– Lots of grape growing
• Main occupation = Nomadic herding
– Spring = Drive animals up
• Fresh pastures
– Winter = Return to lowlands
Southwest
• Dominated by plateau of Tibet
• Highest region in world
– +14,000 foot elevation
• Surrounding mountains = +20,000 Feet
• Area called Tibet
– Traditional Buddhist society
• Farmers and herders
–Led by Dalai Lama
Tibet
• 1950 Chinese invaded area to destroy Buddhist
monasteries
• Dalai Lama exiled in India
– China attempted to destroy Tibet’s culture
• Renamed “Xizara”
–“Hidden land of the west”
–Struggle continues today
2 Interesting Spots in China
1. Hong Kong (since 1997)
2. Taiwan (since...?)
Hong Kong
• Under British control from mid-1800s – 1997
– “one country, two systems” agreement reached in 1984
• Supposed to have capitalism and democracy
• China took back Hong Kong in 1997
– China has been slow to reach democracy agreement
– Protests broke out in 2014 demanding democracy now
Taiwan
• Governed as the Republic of China since 1945
– Supported by the USA
– “Chinese Taipei” according to China
• Lost its membership in the U.N. to China in 1971
• Today fewer than 30 countries recognize Taiwan.
• Taiwan’s public does not support rejoining China
Japan
Japan Geographic Facts
Relative Location
Eastern Asia
Archipelago = chain of islands
Pacific Ocean & Sea of Japan
East of the Korean Peninsula
Absolute Location
36 00 N, 138 00 E
st
61 largest country in world
10th largest population!
127,368,088 (July 2012 est.)
Japan’s Economy
Major industries?
Fishing
Automobile factories
Toyota, Honda, Daihatsu, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda,
Mitsubishi, Subaru, Isuzu, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and
Mitsuoka
Services
Japan is VERY dependent on imports
50% of food is imported
Most of its fuel is imported
Japan’s Politics
Capital?
Tokyo
Government form?
Democracy (people vote for leaders)
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Emperor Akihito (since 1989)
Language?
“Japanese”
Hello = Konnichiwa
Japan’s Topography
Topography = Surface features
What does this map tell you?
~3/4 of Japan is mountains!
Also has some plains
8/10 people live in these areas
~12% of Japan is farmable
Mt. Fuji
Tallest mountain in Japan
12,388 ft
Considered sacred by Shintos
Native religion to Japan
Followers worship spirits (kami)
Spirits live in specific places
Rivers, mountains, lakes, etc.
North Korea
North Korea Geography Facts
• Relative Location
– East Asia
– Between China and South Korea
• 99th biggest country in the world
– Little bigger than Virginia
• Population = +24 million (50th biggest in world)
• Language (?)
– Korean
• Hello = Ann-yeong (video)
North Korea Geography Facts
• Capital = Pyongyang
• Government type = Communist dictatorship
– Leader = Kim Jong Un
– Government controls everything, including TVs
• Juche – belief in isolationism and independence
– Encourages obedience to the leader
• Borders China, Russia, and South Korea
Korean War
• North Korea and South Korea fought 1950-53
– Russia and China supported North Korea
– USA supported South Korea (+36,000 KIA)
– No official end to the war, border is still called DMZ
• “Demilitarized zone” is 2.4 miles wide
• Off limits to soldiers and civilians
Why is North Korea Scary?
• Government controls all parts of life
• Estimated ~200,000 people live in prison camps
– Entire families are sometimes put in jail (link)
• Around 1 million people are in N.K. military
• Since 2006, N.K. has tested nuclear bombs
The U.S.A. and N.K.
• USA and N.K. have no diplomatic relations
• US has focused on “sanctions” to punish N.K.
– Stops certain items from being sold
• Sanctions are not always seen as effective
– Hurts citizens over leaders
– North Korea’s biggest trade partner is China
• North Korea often issues threats
– Usually seen as an attempt to reduce sanctions