Name: ______
Physical Geography – Asia
For simplicity sake, we divide Asia into three easier to manage regions – South Asia, East Asia, and Sea Asia (Southeast Asia).
South Asia
Human Perspective
Thousands of years ago, the Hindus of what is now north India imagined a gigantic mountain reaching more than 80,000 miles into the sky. They believed that this enormous peak, called Mt. Meru, was the center of the physical and spiritual world. In their writings, they described “rivers of sweet water” flowing down the sides of the mountain.
While Mt. Meru exists only in myth, it did have a real life inspiration – Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain peak at 29,035 feet above sea level. Mt. Everest and the other towering peaks of the Himalaya Mountains have been a lure to mountain climbers around the world. Many climbers had died on Everest’s icy slopes before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide, became the first people to reach its summit in 1953.
1)What is the major mountain chain found in South Asia?
Mountains and Plateaus
The Himalayas are part of South Asia, a region that includes seven countries – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Butan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives (we will also throw in Afghanistan though the Himalayas are not there). South Asia is sometimes called a subcontinent, a large land mass that is smaller than a continent. In fact, it is often referred to as the Indian subcontinent because India dominates the region. Although South Asia is about half the size of the continental United States, it has more than one billion inhabitants – one-fifth of the world’s population!
The Himalayas create a natural barrier which helps to separate the South Asian subcontinent from the rest of Asia. The Himalayas and other mountain ranges form the northern border, while water surrounds the rest of the region. The South Asian Peninsula, which extends south into the Indian Ocean, is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east.
2)Define subcontinent.
3)What major physical feature separates South Asia from the rest of the Asian continent?
EXTENDED LEARNING: Take a helicopter flight through the Himalayas!
or
Rivers, Deltas, and Plains
Great Rivers: The three great rivers of South Asia have their origins among the snowcapped peaks of the high Himalayas. The Indus River flows west and then south through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. The Ganges River drops down from the central Himalayas and flows eastward across northern India. The Brahmaputra River winds its way east, then west and south through Bangladesh. The Ganges and Brahmaputra eventually meet to form one huge river delta before entering the Bay of Bengal.
4)What are the three major rivers? What is the source of the water in the rivers?
Fertile Plains: These rivers play a key role in supporting life in South Asia. The rivers provide crucial irrigation for agricultural lands (remember that nearly 1 billion people depend on these rivers!). They also carry rich soil, called alluvial soil, on their journey down from the mountains. When the rivers overflow their banks, they deposit this soil on alluvial plains, lands that are rich farmlands. As a result, the Indo-Gangetic Plain is one of the most fertile farming regions in the world.
5)What is an alluvial plain? How are they formed?
6)Why are the rivers in South Asia so important?
Water and Soil: Additionally, natural resources are abundant in South Asia. South Asia relies heavily on its soil and water resources to provide food through farming and fishing. Furthermore, the South Asian waters provide a means of transportation and power. Boats travel the rivers and coastlines, carrying goods and people from town to town. Governments also use the rivers to generate hydroelectric power.
7)What is the water used for in South Asia? List everything that it is used for!
For the map below, locate the following:
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Himalaya Mountains
Indian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
Arabian Sea
Ganges River
Indus River
Brahmaputra River
West Ghats
East Ghats
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For the following map, create a climate map for the region. Don’t forget to make a key! Use the map on page 557!
CRAZY WEATHER!
Although climate varies in South Asia, the region as a whole is greatly affected by monsoons, or seasonal winds. Each year, from October through February, dry winds blow across South Asia from the northeast. From June through September, the winds blow in from the southwest, bringing moist ocean air. Heavy rain falls, especially in the southwestern and Ganges Delta portions of South Asia.
The rainfall is crucial to life on the subcontinent. Yet, the monsoons can cause severe hardship for millions, especially those living in the lowlands of India and Bangladesh. The monsoons also are highly unpredictable. Some areas may get too little rain, while others get too much. The monsoons are a sometimes beneficial, sometimes difficult feature of life in South Asia.
8)What is a monsoon? Why are they good? Why are they bad?
East Asia
East Asia stretches from the western provinces of China to the eastern coast of Japan. Mongolia, Taiwan, North Korea, and South Korea are the other countries in the region. East Asia includes high mountains, vast deserts, cold climates, and Pacific waters. The mostly rugged terrain was formed by the collision of tectonic plates. One result of these natural barriers was to limit people’s movement and increase their isolation.
9)What major natural features in East Asia have limited people’s movement and isolated groups from one another?
Mountain Ranges of the Region
High mountains in the region limited contact between people living in China and in other parts of Asia. The world’s highest mountains are located on the western edge of East Asia in southwestern and northwestern China and western Mongolia. The Kunlun Mountains, which are located in the west of China, are the source of two of China’s great rivers, the Huang He (Yellow) and the Chang Jiang (Yangtze). In southeastern and east central China, the QinlingShandi Mountains divide the northern part of China from the south.
10)What are the two great rivers of China? Where do they originate?
Plateaus and Plains
The landscape of East Asia is among the roughest in the world. The mountain areas in the western part of the region restricted movement and were underpopulated. Although few flat surfaces exist, the region has some low basins and barren deserts. These include the Plateau of Tibet, the TarimPendi Basin in western China, and the Taklimakan Desert in western China. All these areas are sparsely populated.
One of the largest deserts in the world – the Gobi – stretches from northwestern China into Mongolia. It covers more than 500,000 square miles, which is larger than Texas and California combined. The Mongolian Plateau reaches into northeastern China. Northern China encompasses the Manchurian Plain and the North China Plain.
11)What is the Gobi desert? Where is it located? How big is it?
River Systems
China has three great rivers, which have been critical to the development of China’s civilization. The rivers have helped to feed hundreds of millions of people because of the fields and crops they irrigate.
12)Why are the rivers in this region important?
The Huang He (Yellow River)The Huang He of northern China starts in the Kunlun Mountains in the west. It winds east for about 3,000 miles before emptying into the Yellow Sea. Both the sea and the river get their names from the yellow silt, or particles of soil, that the river carries to its delta. Another name for the river is “China’s Sorrow” because of the terrible floods that it has caused.
The Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)The Chang Jiang is the longest river in all of Asia. The name Chang Jiang means “long river.” It flows about 3,900 miles from Tibet to the East China Sea. The river has been a major trade route since ancient times. Even today, the Chang Jiang carries most of the goods shipped on China’s waterways. But this river, too, floods frequently, causing a great deal of damage to nearby villages, as well as to the surrounding countryside.
13)What is the longest river in Asia?
14)Which river has the most economic value in Asia?
Resources of East Asia
Natural and mineral resources are unevenly distributed throughout East Asia. China, for example, is rich in natural resources. Mongolia and North Korea also have substantial mineral resources. However, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have limited natural resources. Even so, these latter three nations have grown into major economic powers.
15)What level of economic activity will most people participate in in countries like China, Mongolia, and North Korea?
16)What levels of economic activity will most people participate in in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan?
Land and Forests
The number of mountains in East Asia means that the amount of land available for agriculture is limited. For this reason, China’s population is concentrated in the east, where river basins are located. The land in these valleys is highly productive, allowing the Chinese to grow rice and many other crops. In contrast, the mountain western regions of China are more sparsely populated.
Forests are also abundant in the region. China, Japan, Taiwan, and both North Korea and South Korea all have forest resources. Japan has been able to keep most of its forests in reserve by buying timber and other forest products from other regions of the world.
Water Resources
China’s long river systems are important to the country’s economy. They provide irrigation, hydroelectric power, and transportation. To control flooding on the Chang Jiang and produce more electricity, China is building the Three Gorges Dam.
People in Asia look to the sea for food. In fact, Japan has developed one of the largest fishing industries in the world. Japanese factory ships process huge amounts of seafood for human consumption throughout the world, as well as in Japan.
17)Why are the rivers in the region important, especially for China? (3 reasons)
For the map below, locate the following:
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Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)
Yellow River (Huange He)
Plateau of Tibet
Gobi Desert
Pacific Ocean
Yellow Sea
Mt. Fuji
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For the map below, create a climate map for East Asia. Don’t forget your map key! I suggest using the map found on page 626!
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia: Mainland and Islands
Southeast Asia has two distinct subregions: the southeastern corner of the Asian mainland and a great number of islands. Both the mainland and the islands have many high mountains.
Peninsulas and Islands
The most noticeable feature of mainland Southeast Asia is that it lies on two peninsulas. The Indochinese Peninsula, located south of China, has a rectangular shape. In contrast, the Malay Peninsula is a narrow strip of land about 700 miles long, stretching south from the mainland and then curving southeast. It serves as a bridge between the mainland and islands.
Most of the islands of Southeast Asia are found in archipelagoes. An archipelago is a set of closely grouped islands, which sometimes form a curved arc. The Philippines and the islands of Indonesia are part of the Malay Archipelago. A few Southeast Asian islands, such as Borneo, are actually the high points of a submerged section of the Eurasian plate.
18)What is an archipelago?
Mountains and Volcanoes
There are tons of small mountain chains in this region! One of them is the Annamese Cordillera, running roughly north and south. All of the mountains fan out from a mountainous area to the north.
On the islands, most of the mountains are of volcanic origin. Southeast Asia is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that you have previously learned about. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are natural disasters that frequently occur in this region.
19)What major natural earth process is deadly in this region?
Rivers and Coastlines
The mainland has several large rivers that run from the north through the valleys between the mountain ranges. Near the coast these rivers spread out into fertile deltas. For example, the Mekong (May-Kawng) River begins in China and crosses several Southeast Asian nations before becoming a wide delta on Vietnam’s coast. Millions of people rely on the Mekong for farming and fishing.
Southeast Asia’s peninsulas and islands give it a long, irregular coastline with many ports. As you can imagine, this has encouraged a great deal of seagoing travel and trade.
Resources
Fertile soil is a valuable resource in Southeast Asia. Volcanic activity and flooding rivers both add nutrients back to the soil and keep it rich. Southeast Asians also have access to large numbers of fish in the rivers and nearby seas. Parts of the region have mineral resources, such as petroleum, tin, and gems, which industry can use.
On the map below, locate the following:
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Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Bay of Bengal
Mekong River
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For the map below, create a climate map. Don’t forget to make a map key! I suggest using the map on page 683!
Summarizing Questions: (These questions require thought!)
20)How do mountains influence where people live, where they settle, how they move, and climate?
21)How does water proximity (how close you are) to water influence human life?
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