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Physical Geography of East Asia. Major Geographic Characteristics of East Asia. World’s MOST POPULOUS REALM One of the world’s earliest culture hearths Population concentrations in the East , situated in river basins and special economic zones. Sub-regions of East Asia.
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Major Geographic Characteristics of East Asia • World’s MOST POPULOUS REALM • One of the world’s earliest culture hearths • Population concentrations in the East, situated in river basins and special economic zones
Sub-regions of East Asia • CHINA PROPER-Eastern half; the core of China • XIZANG (TIBET)- Tall mountains and high plateaus; sparsely populated • XINJIANG- Vast desert basin and mountain rims; gateway to the Islamic world • MONGOLIA- Mostly desert • The JAKOTA TRIANGLE • Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY • LONGITUDINAL EXTENT (East to West) Comparable to the U.S. • LATITUDINAL RANGE (North to South): Comparable to Northern Quebec to Central Caribbean • Bordered by oceans, high mountains, steppe country, and desert
CLIMATE • CLIMATE TYPES INCLUDE: Arid/Semi-arid; humid continental; humid subtropical; highland • Includes the largest area of highland climate in the world • Desert conditions prevail in the Northern and Western interior • Coastal, peninsular, and insular East Asia have more moderate climates than the interior regions
Step terraces are designed to allow water to flow by gravity through all the fields, generally reentering a stream at a lower level.
XIZANG (TIBET) • A harsh physical environment • Sparsely populated • Came under Chinese control during the Manchu Dynasty in 1720 • Gained separate status in the late 19th Century • China’s Communist regime took control in the 1950s • Cornerstone of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and monasteries • Now an autonomous region
The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, is the ceremonial home of the 14th Dalai Lama, now in exile in India.
XINJIANG • Comprises one-sixth of China’s total land area • A region of high mountains and basins • Chinese only account for 40% of the population • Muslims account for half of the population • Has extensive reserves of oil and natural gas
MONGOLIA • Steppe and desert physical environment • Sparsely populated with an estimated 2.5 million inhabitants • Part of the Chinese empire from late1600s until 1911 • Functions as a buffer state between Russia and China • Economy is focused on herding and animal products
THE JAKOTA TRIANGLE • CHARACTERISTICS • Small, confined land area (Japan and Taiwan are islands and the Koreas are on a Peninsula) • Hazardous region- earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons • Great cities and high-tech industry • Enormous consumption of raw materials, but few raw materials produced locally • Global links and rapid development
Known Hazards for this Region • Earthquakes • Tsunamis • Volcanic Activity (Japan) • Typhoons • Floods • Drought