PHYSICAL
GEOGRAPHY OF
ASIA
WHY STUDY ASIA?
• Read the article carefully.
• Write 2-3 sentences about whether or not
you agree with the author’s opinion about why
we should study Asia.
SOUTH ASIA
B A N G L A D E S H , B H U TA N , I N D I A , T H E
M A L D I V E S , N E PA L , PA K I S TA N , S R I
LANKA
WHEN AND HOW WAS SOUTH ASIA
FORMED?
• Indian subcontinent was
once separated from Asia
• The two land masses collided
– Formed the Himalayan
Mountains: contains the world’s
tallest mountains
– Form a giant barrier between
the Indian subcontinent and
China
SOUTH ASIA’S THREE LARGEST
RIVERS AND THEIR SOURCE
• Indus River: flows through Pakistan
to the Arabian Sea
• Ganges River: flows eastward
across northern India
• Brahmaputra River: flows south
through Bangladesh
– Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers meet to
form a huge river delta before entering
Bay of Bengal
• All three originate in the
Himalayas
GANGES RIVER
• To Hindus, the Ganges River is not
only an important water resource,
but also a sacred river
– Earthly home to Hindu goddess
Ganga
– Believe the water has healing
powers
• One of the most polluted rivers in
the world
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=mkPwEuflhKo
• Varanasi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=EWLNYZKGyAA
• In the northwest part of South Asia, there is
desert
• In Bangladesh and along the western coasts
of India and Sri Lanka are tropical rainforests
• Monsoons: seasonal winds
– Winter monsoons: October – May
– Summer monsoons: June – September; bring
heavy rains
• The annual monsoon not only brings
the much needed rainfall for successful
agriculture but it also causes
catastrophic flooding that causes death
and destruction every year.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnHPDp
9-eNo
• Cyclone: violent storm with fierce winds and
heavy rain
CLIMATE
THE DECCAN PLATEAU REMAINS HIGH
AND DRY
• The monsoon rains do not
affect all areas of South Asia
equally. The Deccan Plateau
receives very little rainfall.
– Covers much of southern
India
– Western and Eastern Ghats
flank the plateau, blocking
moist winds
SOUTH ASIA MAP:
UNIT ATLAS STARTS ON PAGE 543
• Use provided numbers instead of full names
• Add countries:
– Bangladesh
– Bhutan
– India
– Nepal
– Pakistan
• COLOR YOU MAP 
Terminology
Atman-
Brahman-
Karma-
The individual soul
The universal world soul
Material actions resulting from the
consequences of previous actions
Darma- Fulfilling one's duty in life
Moksha -
liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth
HINDUISM
• Began India around 1500 B.C.E
• Today almost a billion people are Hindus
• Main Idea: the purpose of life is to unite the soul with the universe
(moksha). Every soul experiences a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
(reincarnation)
• No single sacred text; major texts are the Vedas and the Bhagavad
Gita
HINDU BELIEFS
• Hindus believe in a single force
(Brahma) that is present in
everything
• Moksha is when the soul stops
being reincarnated.Your soul
achieves moksha at the end of the
life.
– Enlightened state; similar to nirvana
Caste System- rigid class structure
based on Hinduism which is found in
India. It is believed that if one leads a
good life then they will be rewarded by
being reincarnated as a person belonging
to the next highest level in the Caste
System.
The jobs of each
social class.
It is illegal, but
still practiced in
rural villages.
Bhramin- Priests
Kshatryia- Warriors
Viasya- Merchants and landowners
Sudra- Commoners, peasants, and servants
Untouchables- Street sweepers and latrine
cleaners
HINDU CASTE SYSTEM
• Caste System: a system
of social classes in India.
When your soul is
reincarnated, you can be
born into a higher or
lower caste.
• Only the highest caste
members can achieve
moksha.
HOW DO YOU CHANGE YOUR CASTE
AFTER REINCARNATION?
• Hindus believe in 2 main rules:
–Karma: Everything you do
influences your destiny
–Dharma: you should
behave based on your caste
and your place in a family
and society
BLUE: Brahmin
RED: Kshatriya
YELLOW: Vaishya
GREEN: Sudra
EAST ASIA
C H I N A , J A PA N , M O N G O L I A , N O R T H
K O R E A , S O U T H K O R E A , TA I W A N
MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS
• Kunlun Mountains: western China;
source of Huang He and Chang Jiang
Rivers
• Qinling Shandi Mountains: divide
northern and southern parts of China
Rivers:
• Huang He (Yellow River): 3,000 miles,
empties into Yellow Sea
• Gets name from yellow silt that
the river carries
• Chang Jiang (Yangtze River): longest
river in Asia
• 3,915 miles long
CLIMATE
• East Asia has the following climate zones:
– Subarctic, Highland, Humid Continental, Humid
Subtropical, Semiarid, Desert, and Tropical Wet
• Desert:
– Taklimakan Desert: Western China
– Gobi Desert: northern China and southeast Mongolia.
• Typhoons: tropical storm that occurs in Western
Pacific
THREE GORGES
DAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_QnEIX_y1w
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA
• Dynasty: series of rulers from the same family
• Mao Zedong: a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the
founding father of the People's Republic of China
• Religions:
– Confucianism
– Buddhism
– Taoism
PACIFIC RIM
Countries surrounding
the Pacific Ocean
Countries of East Asia,
Southwest Asia,
Australia, New Zealand,
Chile, and the west coast
of the US
NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA
• After WWII, North Korea was controlled
by USSR, South Korea was supported by the
US
• Korean War: North Korea invaded South
Korea – ended with a treaty that divided
peninsula into 2 countries
JAPAN
• 19th century: becoming more
modernized
• 20th century: expanded empire
– December 7, 1941
• After WWII, Japan became a
constitutional monarchy with an
elected parliament
• 60% of population lived on 2.7%
of the land
• Manufacturing and trade =
heart of Japan’s economy
SOUTHEAST
ASIA, OCEANIA,
A N D A N TA R C T I C A
SOUTHEAST ASIA
• 2 distinct sub-regions: corner of
Asian mainland and many islands
• Most islands are found in
archipelagos = set of closely
grouped islands
• Most mountains on these islands are
of volcanic origin
• Experienced years of European
colonialism
– Centralized, bureaucratic governments
– Produced commodities to benefit
Europe’s economy
– Sparked nationalism
Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, East
Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• No one knows the exact number of islands,
some estimate more than 20,000
– As a group, these islands are called Oceania
• Erosion causes islands to vanish, while other
forces create new islands
• 3 regions: Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia
Low islands: made of coral reefs
• For many years, had no contact with the rest of
the world.
• Many died when Europeans came (1500s), during
WWII when Japan and the US fought over
possession, and US nuclear testing
OCEANIA
High islands: created by volcanoes
Nauru, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States
of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands,Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuata (New
Zealand and Australia)
NUCLEAR TESTING: BIKINI ATOLL
• Atoll: a ring-like coral island or string of islands surrounding a lagoon
• Bikini Atoll: site of US atomic weapons testing; in the Marshall Islands
– US government closed Bikini Atoll, relocated its 167 inhabitants in 1946, and they were unable to return.
– Bravo: hydrogen bomb explosion that vaporized several islands
– Still uninhabitable, and no one knows when/if it will ever be safe for humans again
NEW ZEALAND
• 2 main islands: North Island and
South Island
• Center of South Island – Southern
Alps, a 300-mile long mountain chain
• North Island is less mountainous, but
has hilly ranges and a volcanic plateau
• Original inhabitants: Maori people
• Colonized by the British, became a
self-governing nation in 1907
– Still a Commonwealth nation
• First nation to grant women the right
to vote and provide pensions to
senior citizens
AUSTRALIA
• Smallest and flattest continent
• Along eastern coast – chain of highlands called the
Great Dividing Range
• Great Barrier Reef: along Australia’s southern coast;
largest coral reef
• Original inhabitants: Aboriginal people
• British colonized Australia as a place to send prisoners
• British killed many Aboriginal people due to violent
conflicts and diseases
• Still a Commonwealth nation
RABBIT PROBLEM IN AUSTRALIA
• Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits into Australia to hunt
them in 1859
– By 1900, there were more than a billion rabbits
• Rabbits killed or weakened the few plants that grow in
Australia – wiped out many native plants and destroyed
crops
• Ruined pastures; sheep couldn’t graze
• Areas suffered from erosion, because they had no
vegetation
• Native animals became endangered because there was no
food for them
• Still a major problem in Australia: the government has tried
to poison them, released foxes, built fences, and introduced
new diseases.
ANTARCTICA
• Circular in shape, centered around the
South Pole
• Transantarctic Mountains divide the
continent in two
• Antarctica’s ice sheet is the largest in the
world – 90% of the world’s freshwater
supply