1. Political and Physical Geography of East Asia
February 24, 2015

2. Political Geography
Countries include China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, and Mongolia
China is the largest country in East Asia
Japan is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean
North Korea and South Korea lie on the Korean Peninsula, surrounded by the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, and Korea Strait
Taiwan is an island in the East China Sea
Mongolia is landlocked between China and Russia

3. Asia Political Map

4. East Asia Political Map

5. Major Landforms of East Asia
Rivers: Huang He (Yellow), Yangtze
Mountains: Mt. Fuji
Deserts: Gobi, Taklimakan
Bodies of Water: Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Yellow Sea, Pacific Ocean
Mountain Ranges: Himalayas

6. Rivers
Huang He (Yellow): flows out of the Plateau of Tibet in eastern China into the East China Sea
Flows through central China
Yangtze: flows out of the Plateau of Tibet into the East China Sea
Flows through southern China

7. Deserts Gobi: in central and southeastern Mongolia
The coldest desert in the world
Made up of gravel and rock, not sand
Taklimakan: in western China
Made up largely of sand

8. Bodies of Water Sea of Japan: between Japan and the Korean Peninsula
South China Sea: off the coast of southeastern China
Yellow Sea: between northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula
Pacific Ocean: borders the region to the east

9. Mountains and Mountain Ranges
Himalayas: the tallest mountain range in the world
Along the border of southwestern China
Mt. Fuji: On Japan’s largest island, it is a dormant volcano
Dormant: a volcano that hasn’t erupted in a long time, but there is still the possibility that it could one day erupt and cause a lot of damage.

10. Physical Maps of East Asia

11. Questions 1. What is the largest country in East Asia?
2. Which country in East Asia is an archipelago?
3. Which 2 countries are found on the Korean Peninsula?
4. Which Chinese river flows through central China into the East China Sea?
5. Which Chinese river flows through southern China into the East China Sea?
6. Which East Asian desert is the coldest in the world?
7. Where is the Taklimakan Desert located?

12. More Questions 8. Where is the Sea of Japan located?
9. Which body of water is found off the southeastern coast of China?
10. Where is the Yellow Sea located?
11. Which mountain range is located along China’s southwestern border?
12. Which East Asian mountain is a dormant volcano in Japan?
13. What does dormant mean?