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

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.

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.

South Asia: The Land Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers Indus River 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.

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.

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.

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.

East Asia: the Land Ring of Fire Peninsulas, Seas, and Islands 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.

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 Qinling Shandi. 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.

East Asia: The Land China’s Rivers Rivers in Japan and Korea 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.

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.

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.

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.