1. EAST ASIA
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

2. PHYSICAL BARRIERS TO CHINA
China’s has 4 physical barriers; these used to limit their contact with the outside world.
CHINA’S 4 PHYSICAL BARRIERS: 1. 2. 3. 4.

3. RIVERS
China’s rivers are important to the economy b/c they provide: crop irrigation, hydroelectric power, & transportation.
________________________________________________
Located in Northern China; starts in Kunlan Mountains
3,000 miles
Empties into Yellow Sea
Gets name from yellow silt that
river carries, called ____________
AKA: “China’s Sorrow” b/c of
terrible floods it causes

4. RIVERS 2. __________________________________ ____:
Longest river in Asia; 3,900 miles; Name means “long river”
Runs from Tibet to East Asia
Major trade route
Floods frequently
3. ____________________________:
Starts in Southeast Asia & joins Pearl River– empties into South China Sea
Joins w/ 3 other rivers to form an estuary b/t Hong Kong & Macao
Define Estuary: Where river’s current meets the ocean’s tides.
Important mineral resources located in river’s valley

5. MOUNTAIN RANGES
Mountain ranges in East Asia limited contact b/t people in China & other parts of Asia.
2 Mountain Ranges in East Asia:
__________________________: located in West China
__________________________: divide north part of China from south.

6. GOBI DESERT One of largest in the world
Stretches from northwest China into Mongolia
500,000 square miles

7. PENINSULAS
Peninsulas create ___________________________________ ________________________________________
Peninsulas in East Asia:
Shandong Peninsula
Leizhou Peninsula
Macao Peninsula
Korean Peninsula

8. ISLANDS Islands in East Asia: ___________________
____________________: originally part
of China; ________________________
__________________; In 1997 came under
authority of mainland China
again.
_______________________________
one time belonged to
mainland China; China still claims it.

9. LAND IN EAST ASIA Why is China’s population concentrated in the east?
B/c _______________________________________________________
Amount of land available for agriculture is limited in China b/c of number of mountain there
China’s __________________________________________________
____________________where the basins are
located– land in valleys is highly productive.

10. REGIONS IN CHINA
HEARTLAND: _________________________________________________
North Region
South Region
OUTLYING REGIONS:
3. Northeast (Manchuria)
4. Mongolia
5. Xinjiang
6. Xizang (Tibet)

11. MINERAL & ENERGY RESOURCES
China:
Mineral Resources: Iron ore, tungsten, manganese, magnesite, lead, zinc, & copper
Energy Resources: Petroleum, coal, & natural gas
Korea:
Korea’s Mineral Resources: Tungsten, gold, & silver
Energy Resources: Coal Reserves
Japan:
Mineral Resources: Reserves of Lead, silver, & coal
Energy Resources: Coal

12. THE THREE GORGES DAM Dam Being Built To:
___________________________________
*See your other handout on the dam for
additional information on the costs &
benefits of the Three Gorges Dam.

13. HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS
POPULATION OF CHINA:
In 2012= ________________________________________
PEOPLE:
95% of Chinese people are HAN, or ___________________________
LANGUAGE:
Dialect: __________________________________________________
Official language of China is _____________________________