HIST 3305 Geography Study Guide (Asia)
Part I: Identify all counties and geographical features and place them on the blank maps provided. Use a
current map or atlas (The world map found in your textbook is not recommended). You need to use both a political
map and physical (topographical) map.
A. Countries (current boundaries)/ Islands
Russia
China
Japan
Mongolia
North Korea
South Korea
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Vietnam
Laos
Cambodia
Thailand
Myanmar
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia
Brunei
the Philippines
Taiwan
Sri Lanka
India
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Nepal
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Oman
Yemen
Syria
Jordan
Lebanon
Israel
Turkey
Georgia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Cyprus
B. The following geographical features
Black Sea
Caspian Sea
Aral Sea
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Bay of Bengal
Arabian Sea
Gulf of Tonkin
Malay Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
Indian Subcontinent
Asia Minor (Anatolia)
Siberia
C. Cities ( * not capital)
Beijing (China)
*Nanjing (China)
*Shanghai (China)
*Hong Kong (China)
Tokyo (Japan)
Seoul (South Korea)
Pyongyang (North Korea)
Taipei (Taiwan)
*Vladivostok (Russia)
D. Historical
Former Soviet Union
South Vietnam
North Vietnam
E. Regions
Kashmir
Tibet
Manila (The Phillippines)
Hanoi (Vietnam)
*Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Bangkok (Thailand)
Jakarta (Indonesia)
Yangon / Rangoon (Myanmar)
New Delhi (India)
Islamabad (Pakistan)
Kabul (Afghanistan)
Tehran (Iran)
Baghdad (Iraq)
Damascus (Syria)
Beirut (Lebanon)
Jerusalem (Israel)
Ankara (Turkey)
*Istanbul (Turkey)
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
*Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
Part II : Basic Geography Review (Asia): Students are expected to be familiar with these information.
1)
Ural mountains are usually considered as the boundary that separates Asia and Europe. That means while the majority
of Russia is considered part of Asia, the rest is part of Europe.
2)
The Russian cold region east of the Ural Mountains all the way to the Pacific is known as Siberia. The area is covered
with Tundra (i.e. lichen and moss) and Taiga (subarctic, evergreen coniferous forest).
3)
Caspian Sea, in spite of its name, is the largest LAKE in the world.
4)
Lake Baikal found in South Eastern Russia (Siberia) is the largest freshwater lake in the world and also the deepest lake
in the world.
5)
The Huang (Yellow) River is found in northern China. It runs from the Kunlun Mountains into the Yellow Sea. The river
actually appears “yellow” since it carries vast amount of yellow silt (dirt) from the desert. The earliest civilization in China
flourished along this river.
6)
Chang (Yang-tze) River is the longest river in China. It runs through the temperate zone of China and has supported rice
production throughout history. It has also served as an important means of transportation since it runs through one of the
most populated regions in the world.
7)
One of the earliest civilizations flourished in Mesopotamia, which literally means “the area between the two rivers.”
These two are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and found in presently Iraq.
8)
Persia is an old name for Iran.
9)
Most of the Arabian Peninsula is covered by desert and sparsely populated.
10) Mecca is the Holy City of Islam, and is located in Saudi Arabia. Muslims pilgrimage to Mecca and visit its holy shrine
Ka’aba (“cube”).
11) The principle population groups of the Middle East (Southwest Asia) include 1) Arabs 2) Persians 3) Turks and 4)
Kurds.
12) The area in which modern day Turkey is found is known as Asia Minor or Anatolia. Today, the Republic of Turkey is
comprised of Asia Minor and Eastern Thrace (in Europe).
13) The area in which modern-day Israel is found is known as Palestine. Most of people in Israel practice Judaism.
14) Both the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are products of plate tectonics and therefore are the direct result of the
collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian landmass. The Himalayas include nine of the world's ten highest
peaks, including Mount Everest.
15) Five nations in South Asia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, comprise the Indian subcontinent (Historic
India). After the British lost control of the region, the subcontinent was divided into “Hindu” India (Over 80 percent of the
population in India practices Hinduism) and “Muslim” Pakistan in 1947. (Pakistan included present-day Bangladesh until it
gained its independence in 1971) India and Pakistan have an ongoing disputed over the control of the area known as
Kashimir.
16) One of the world’s oldest civilizations flourished in the Indus Valley. Today the Indus River is found in Pakistan. Hindus
consider the Ganges River as the most sacred river in the world. Hindi Devotees perform ritual cleansing in this river.
17) The Strait of Malacca is found between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra (one of the major islands that constitutes
Indonesia). Being a link between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, the control of this strait was crucial for the
spice trade.
18) As Arab traders took an active role in the Indian Ocean trade network, Islam spread throughout the world. Today, the
largest Muslim country, in terms of population, is Indonesia.
19) Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, found south of the Caucasus Mountains between The Black Sea and Caspian Sea,
are known as the Caucasus states.
20) After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, five nations emerged in Central Asia; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The majority of people in this area speak Turkic (distinguished from “Turkish”) languages
(with the exception of Tajiks who speak Persian). All practice Islam.