ASIA 3 parts of Asia-South Asia (India), SE Asia (Vietnam, Thailand), East Asia (Japan, China) Most people live in urban areas, river valleys and on coastal plains The population is not evenly distributed Farming-main job for people
South Asia Because of the Western Ghats Mts. block the monsoon winds, the interior of the subcontinent of India has a hot and dry climate Heavy rains in S. Asia are due to the monsoons that pick up moisture in the warm Indian Ocean Many south Asians move to cities because of lack of farm land Challenge for South Asia- growing enough food for their people B/C of the Tsunami, India has actually moved
India/Pakistan India- 2 nd most populated country in the world Britain controlled India until 1947: they pulled out of India but it was also divided, Pakistan came from this (Muslims moved to Pakistan, Hindus-India) 1971-War between India and Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh
More on India/Pakistan Hinduism and Islam have the most followers in the area Hinduism- polytheistic & belief in reincarnation Caste System- social classes in Hindu India, broken down into 4 classes, only way to move up is to die
China The world’s most populous country (1 billion) Most people live in the East China main energy source- coal Three Gorges Dam in China on Yangtze River controls flooding and supplies power (world’s biggest dam) 1 Of 4 Communist countries in Asia (N. Korea, Vietnam, Laos) 3 major products in China- rice, tea, silk
Japan Asia’s major economic leader Mostly one ethnic group Isolated for most of its history, Japan became an imperial power in the early 20 th century Shintoism-main religion in Japan Only 13% of Japan’s land is suitable for farming because of steep mountains (they don’t have a lot of resources)
Korea Korea is separated by a DMZ (demilitarized zone- it divides Communist North & Non- Communist South) Korea is also mostly one ethnic group South Korea is highly industrialized; North Korea is not
East Asia Singapore & Taiwan- newly industrialized island countries off of the coast of Asia (China still thinks that Taiwan is theirs) Asia’s hope for the future- untapped energy resources Terracing-stair step farming basic food-rice, loess-yellow soil Fishing- job of many who live near water
Some Asian Religious Facts Homeland for Buddhists- Tibet Dalai Lama- spiritual leader for Buddhists Ganges- holy river for Hindus Philippines-mostly Christian Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh- Mostly Muslim
Final Facts Sri Lanka- island nation off of the coast of India (Tsunami hit the hardest there) Ring of Fire- chain of volcanoes that line the Pacific Rim (Mt. Fuji in Japan is one) Many people in SE Asia purchase food at floating markets Myanmar, Vietnam & Cambodia have oil reserves Two more facts about China- Beijing is the capital & the Great Wall was built to keep out invaders