1. ASIA Location (Physical Features & Countries) FSMS Standard SS7G9.a
Days 1-3

2. Vocabulary Words
Tributary – Any smaller stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river. Aquifers – Underground, water-bearing layers of rock, sand, or gravel. Acid rain – A type of polluted rain, produced when pollution from smokestacks combines with water vapor. Ozone layer – A form of oxygen in the atmosphere that helps protect Earth from harmful solar radiation. Global warming – A slow increase in Earth’s average temperature. Greenhouse effect – Process by which Earth’s atmosphere traps heat.

3. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Physical Geography Introduction The southern and eastern parts of Asia are home to almost half of the world’s population. The geography of this large area is varied, containing some of the world’s longest rivers, highest mountain ranges and large extensive deserts.

4. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
The Indus River Indus River begins in the mountains of Tibet and flows almost 200 miles through the country of Pakistan before emptying into the Arabian Sea. The Indus River valley is one of the richest farming areas in this region. Many different civilizations have lived along this river throughout the centuries.

5. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Ganges River The Ganges River is India’s most important river. It begins in the Himalayan Mountains and flows southeast through India and Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The water of the Ganges carries tons of rich sediment (topsoil, silt and minerals from the mountains) that is gradually spread along its path enriching the farmland and creating a large, fertile delta at the mouth of the river.

9. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Ganges River cont.
Because so many people live and work along the Ganges, the water in the river is heavily polluted.
The country of Bangladesh is located almost completely in the Ganges River delta.
Monsoon Season
Heavy flooding in this part of the world during the monsoon season (a seasonal prevailing wind, lasting several months, bringing heavy rains) often causes great hardships for those living in this country.

15. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Indian Ocean Further out to sea is the Indian Ocean, which is the third largest ocean in the world. Mountains & Plateau The Himalayan Mountains form the southern border of China. This high ground spreads to the north to form the Tibetan Plateau.

16. Mt. Everest

17. Himalayas

19. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Deserts
As the mountains begin to level off in the north, the land becomes desert. Here one finds the Taklimakan Desert and the Gobi Desert.
The Taklimakan Desert is over 600 miles in length, one of the longest deserts in the world.

20. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Deserts cont.
To the west and in the central part of China is the Gobi Desert, which can be one of the “hottest” and also one of the “coldest” places in the world.
Much of the Gobi Desert is covered with sand and rocks.

21. Gobi Desert

24. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
China’s River
China’s fertile farming areas lay north and east of the Gobi desert region.
The Huang He, or Yellow River, begins in the Tibetan Plateau. It flows toward the east and finally empties into the Yellow Sea.

25. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
China’s Rivers cont. The yellow dust blowing out of the Gobi Desert is picked up by the Huang He and carried along as loess (another name for silt), giving both the river and the sea a yellowish color. The frequent flooding has led some to call the Yellow River “China’s Sorrow.”

26. Huang He or Yellow River

28. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Mekong River
Flowing through China, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, & Vietnam, the Mekong River affects the lives of over 60 million people, many of whom are the poorest in the world.
One of the regions most important crops, rice is grown extensively in the Mekong River Basin.

29. Mekong River

31. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Oceans, Bays, & Seas
Indian Ocean
The third largest of the world’s five oceans is the Indian Ocean. It’s Relative Location is between Africa to the west, Asia to the north, Australia to the east, and the Southern Ocean to the south.

32. Indian Ocean

34. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is an arm of the Indian Ocean with India to the west and Myanmar to its east. The Ganges River flows into the bay.
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is an arm of the Pacific Ocean that lies between the Asian continent and Japan.

35. Bay of
Bengal

37. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
South China Sea
The South China Sea lies between Vietnam and the Philippines. Weather in the region is marked by violent monsoons and typhoons.
Yellow Sea
This arm of the Pacific Ocean lies between China and Korea. It gets its name from the Yellow River which flows into the sea.

38. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula juts out of the northeastern China in between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. Since , this peninsula has been divided into two countries: Communist North and Democratic South Korea.

39. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Korean Peninsula cont.
The Korean Peninsula is a mountainous peninsula. It is attached to China and is bordered by the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan.
Over half of the peninsula is made up of mountains. Even though so much of the country is rocky and mountainous, there is still plenty of rich farmland.

40. Plateau of Tibet

42. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Relative Location Southern and Eastern Asia is located between Pakistan on the west to Japan and the Philippine Islands on the east. To the north is Russia and the southern border is the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Indonesia, Malaysia and the South China Sea.

43. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
China’s Population Distribution
Only the areas to the east and south are humid and even tropical. Therefore, most of China’s 1.4 billion people live in these areas of the country (east & southeast) that have the milder climates.
This area is also where one finds the great river valleys and most of China’s fertile farmland.

44. ASIA GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDINGS
Absolute Location Between 50o North Latitude & 10o South Latitude Between 60o East Longitude & 155o East Longitude