Chapter 23 and 26: Physical Geography of South and East Asia

1. Chapter 23 and 26: Physical Geography of South and East Asia

2. South Asia: The Land • Is a subcontinent because its countries- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are separated from the rest of Asia by mountains. • Northern Landforms • Himalayas created when India slammed into Asia. 1,500 miles across northern edge of peninsula and hundreds of miles wide. Mt. Everest- highest mountain at 29,028 ft. • Meet the Karakoram Mountains in the northern most part of South Asia. • Further west are the Hindu Kush. Khyber Pass is one of the few places you can cross these mountains. • Plains at the base of the Himalaya ranges. Watered by great rivers like the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. 1/10th of the world’s people live in this area known as the Gangetic Plain.

3. South Asia: The Land • Central and Southern Landforms • Vindhya Ranges in central India. Satpura Range. Narmada Rive flows in between. Divide India into separate places. • At the base of subcontinent are the Eastern and Western Ghats. Triangle of rugged hills. In between is the Deccan Plateau. Rich black soil. • Sri Lanka is a tear drop shaped island. Maldives is a chain of volcanic outcroppings and of tiny coral atolls. • Maldives covers 35,200 square miles of ocean, its land area only totals 116 square miles.

4. South Asia: The Land • Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers • Ganges comes east from Himalaya. Most important river. Keeps its waters during dry season because of snow. Floods during the wet season. • Gangetic Plain cleared to make way for rice, sugarcane and jute. Longest alluvial plain in world. • Brahmaputra River flows east through Himalaya and into western India. Joins the Ganges in Bangladesh and forms a fertile delta. • Indus River • Flows mainly through Pakistan. Transportation route. Cradle of ancient civilizations.

5. South Asia: The Land • Natural Resources • Rivers provide drinking water, alluvial soil, transportation, and hydroelectric power. Fish. • Water resource management is a challenge because rivers cross national borders. Work together. • India is leading exporter of iron ore and mica. • Nepal has copper and mica. • Sri Lanka is one of the world’s largest producers of graphite. Also has precious stones. • Do have some oil reserves and uranium deposits. • Timber includes sandalwood, sal and teak. Sri Lanka banned timber exports in 1977 and several countries have cut back on timber industry.

6. South Asia: Climate and Vegetation • Tropical Regions • Western coast of India, Ganges Delta in Bangladesh, and southern Sri Lanka. • Rain forests absorb great amounts of moisture. • Sundarbans- swampy area in southwestern Bangladesh and the north-eastern coast of India. • Tropical dry surrounds central Indian steppe and eastern Sri Lanka. • Mid latitude and Highland Regions • Himalaya block cold winds from Central Asia. Humid subtropical extends across Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and northeastern part of India. • Coldest climate lies along northern edge. Himalayas and Karakoram snow year round.

7. South Asia: Climate and Vegetation • Dry Regions • Lower Indus in the northwestern part of South Asia keeps dry climate. • Thar Desert- east of Indus River. Surrounding desert is steppe climate. Average rainfall is less than 20 inches. • Monsoon Rains • 3 seasons- hot (February to June), wet (June to September), and cool (October to February). Depend on monsoons. • 700 million people depend on these rains for livelihoods. • Natural Disasters • Temperatures and rainfall impact agriculture. Monsoon winds are good and bad. Not enough or too much rain. • Cyclones- high winds and heavy rains. Tsunamis also prevalent.

8. East Asia: the Land • Ring of Fire • China makes up 80% of East Asia. Mongolia 13%. Japan, Taiwan, North and South Korea. • Arc of islands that marks the meeting place of the Pacific, Philippine and Eurasian tectonic plates. • Japan has about 50 active volcanoes. 1,000 small earthquakes a year. • Peninsulas, Seas, and Islands • Korean Peninsula juts southeast out from China’s Northeast Plain., separating Sea of Japan from the Yellow Sea. • Tectonic activity is cause of many of the seas and islands. • Japan is 4 main islands and hundreds of smaller islands. • Honshu is central and largest. Hokkaido to north, and Kyushu and Shikoku to the south.

9. East Asia: The Land • Mountains, Highlands and Lowlands • Pamirs- area of high peaks and valleys. Mountain ranges fan out from here. • Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan. Altay Shan form boundary between Mongolia and China. • Kunlun Shan bends to become QinlingShandi. Changbai Shan of Manchuria extend into Korean to become Northern Mountains. • Mount Fuji- 12,388 ft. • Plateau of Tibet is highest plateau region. Average 15,000 ft. • Gobi desert- less than 3 inches of rain a year.

10. East Asia: The Land • China’s Rivers • Huang He (Yellow River) is major river system in China. Carries loess which gives it its color. • North China Plan a major wheat and soy bean farming area. • Chinas Sorrow- often floods its banks, killing hundreds of thousands of people. • Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)- longest river. 3,965 miles. Major transportation route. • Xi (West River)- southern China. Huge fertile delta. • China’s Grand Canal- longest artificial waterway. 1,085 mile route. • Rivers in Japan and Korea • Short and swift. Waterfalls. Hydroelectric power. Many diverted for irrigation.

11. East Asia: The Land • Natural Resources • Unevenly distributed. • China has greatest share and range of minerals- iron ore, tin, tungsten, and gold. • Oil deposits in South China Sea and Taklimakan. • Coal deposits in northeastern China. • Productive farmlands also uneven. Southern China’s rice bowl- two harvests a year. Leading producer of rice. • 25% of land suitable for farming in South Korea produces two crops a year. • Japan not good for farming. Taiwan and Mongolia are not good for farming either. • Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China have world’s biggest deep sea fishing industries.

12. East Asia: Climate and Vegetation • Mid latitude • Humid continental- northeastern East Asia. Northern parts of Korea and Japan. • Southeastern part has a humid subtropical climate. • Bamboo is abundant in warm areas. • Desert and Steppe • Inland China and Mongolia. Gobi and Talkimakan are cold and windy. Gobi temps average 73°F in summer and 0°F in winter. • Highland • Changes with elevation. Plateau of Tibet average temps only hit 58°F.

13. East Asia: Climate and Vegetation • Tropical Wet Climates • Hainan- island. Very rainy summer and year round warm temperatures. Rain forests • Seasonal Weather Patterns • Interaction of prevailing winds and ocean currents. • Air mass above Asian continent meets air mass above Pacific Ocean in East Asia. Results in monsoons. • Summer winds are hot with lots of humidity off Pacific Ocean. April to October rains. Gets 80% of annual rain. November to March is cold, arctic air. • Rely on monsoon rains for their crops. • Ocean currents influence climate. Japan Current- warm water. Adds warm moisture to winter monsoon. • Kuril Current- harsh cold winters to Japan. • Warm humid air gives rise to typhoons.