1. Physical Geography of East Asia: A Rugged Terrain
Chapter 27 Notes
Physical Geography of East Asia: A Rugged Terrain

2. Section 1: Landforms & Resources

3. Section 1: Landforms & Resources

4. Section 1: Landforms & Resources
Kunlun Mts. are the source of China’s two greatest rivers (Yellow & Yangtze Rivers)
Mountains in the western part of China limited contact between China & the rest of Asia

5. Section 1: Landforms & Resources
Most of Western China is uninhabited because of the mountainous region & large deserts including the Gobi Desert.

6. Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus
A Survey of the Region
• East Asia stretches from western China to the east coast of Japan
- also includes Mongolia, Taiwan, North Korea,
South Korea
• Landscape has high mountains, deserts, cold climate, Pacific waters
• Rugged terrain created by tectonic plates colliding
- natural barriers limit human movement, increase
isolation

7. Section 1: Landforms & Resources
Huang He (Yellow) River- gets its name from the yellow silt that its waters carry (world’s muddiest river)
AKA China’s Sorrow for the tremendous floods that it has caused
Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River- Asia’s longest river

8. Peninsulas and Islands
The Coast of China
• Eastern coast of China has several peninsulas
- Shandong, Leizhou, and Macao Peninsulas
- Portugal owned Macao; returned it to Chinese
control in 1999
• China’s long coastline has several major port cities like Shanghai
• Korean Peninsula is on eastern border of China
- contains independent nations of North Korea and South Korea

9. continued Peninsulas and Islands
The Islands of East Asia
• East of China is continental shelf—the submerged border of continent
• Isolation of shelf islands allows them to develop in peace, security
• Chinese islands include Hainan and part of Hong Kong
- Hong Kong was Britain’s; returned to China’s control in 1997
• Japan is a small island nation with large economic power
• Taiwan once belonged to mainland China, which still claims it today

10. Climate and Vegetation
• East Asia has a dry highland climate in the west.
• The region has a humid climate in the east.

11. Subarctic Highland High Latitude Climate Zones
• Small subarctic zones on Mongolia’s and China’s Russian borders
• Summers are cool or cold; winters are brutally cold; climate is dry
• Vegetation is northern evergreen forest, mosses, lichens
Highland
• Western China’s highland zone temps vary with latitude, elevation
• Vegetation also varies; forests, alpine tundra are typical
• Tundras have no trees, frozen soil a few feet below surface
- only mosses, lichens, shrubs grow on tundras

12. Humid Continental Humid Subtropical Mid-Latitude Zones
• Climate zone includes northeastern China, northern Japan
- also North Korea, northern South Korea
• Forests are coniferous; temperate grasslands provide grazing
- agriculture has replaced many forests
Humid Subtropical
• Southeastern China, southern South Korea, south Japan, north Taiwan
• Deciduous forests in north, coniferous in southern, sandy soil

13. Semiarid Desert Dry Zones • Includes parts of Mongolian Plateau
• Vegetation is mostly short grasses, food for grazing animals
Desert
• Most of region’s deserts are in west central mainland
• Taklimakan Desert—in west China, between Tian Shan, Kunlun mountains
• Gobi Desert—in north China, southeast Mongolia
- prime area for dinosaur fossils

14. Tropical Wet Tropical Zones
• Typhoon—tropical storm that occurs in western Pacific
• Tropical climate zone in East Asia is small
- strip of land along China’s southeastern coast
- island of Hainan, southern tip of Taiwan
• High temperatures, heavy rainfall, high humidity all year
• Tropical rain forest has tall, dense forests of broadleaf trees

15. Climate
Two main climate regions. The southern part of China is affected by monsoons with hot, humid summers with heavy rains, while the NW part receive little rain.
Dry
Wet

16. Cold
Warm

17. Section 2: Climate & VegetationNW NE SW SE

18. Section 2: Climate & Vegetation

19. Natural Resources
Agricultural Resources – only 11% of land is arable, though China is primarily an agricultural nation, rice is dominate crop
2. Mineral Resources – vast reserves of coal, iron ore, and uranium

20. Resources of East Asia
Uneven Distribution
• China, Mongolia, North Korea have natural, mineral resources
• Japan, South Korea, Taiwan have limited natural resources
Land and Forests
• Limited farmland in sparsely populated, mountainous, western areas
• Most Chinese are in fertile eastern river basins where rice is grown
• Abundant forests in China, Japan, Taiwan, North and South Korea
- Japan reserves forests by buying timber from
other regions

21. continued Resources of East Asia
Mineral and Energy Resources
• China has large petroleum, coal, natural gas reserves
- energy resources make China self-sufficient
• China’s mineral resources include iron ore, tungsten, manganese
- also molybdenum, magnesite, lead, zinc, copper
• North and South Korea have coal, tungsten, gold, silver reserves
• Japan has lead, silver, coal, but must trade for most resources

22. continued Resources of East Asia
Water Resources
• China’s long river systems are important to its economy
- provide crop irrigation, hydroelectric power, transportation
- Three Gorges Dam on Chang Jiang will control floods, create power
- Huang He and Xi Jiang provide hydroelectric power, transportation
• Sea is important food source for East Asia
- Japan has one of world’s largest fishing industries

23. Gobi Desert
Dinosaur bones?
Taklimakan Desert

24. Topography
2/3’s of the area consists of mountains and deserts
96% of population live in the eastern part of the nation
Mountains – Himalayas, Tien Shan, Altai, Kunlun Shan, Tibet Plateau
Deserts – lie in the north and west of China, Gobi, Taklimakan
Rivers – Chang (Yangtze River) – most important river system, Huang He (Yellow River) and the Xi Jiang

25. Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Three Gorges Dam- being built on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River
Help to control flooding on worlds 3rd longest river
Largest dam & construction project in world
More than 1 mile wide & 600 ft high

26. Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Three Gorges Dam cont.-
Create a 400 mile long reservoir
Over 1000 towns will disappear
Generate about 10% of China’s energy
Allow ocean-going ships into interior of China

27. Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Negative effects of the Three Gorges Dam-
About 2 million people will have to move
Costs up to $75 billion
Harming of the environment?

28. Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Japan- has limited land area
Land prices are extremely expensive
Homes are sparsely furnished & small compared to American homes
Subway Packer
Subway Japan

29. Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Landfill- method of solid waste disposal in which refuse is buried between layers of dirt to fill in or reclaim low lying land
Factories are built on this land

30. Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Capsule Hotel