1. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: EAST & SOUTHEAST ASIA

2. Landforms: Mountains & Plateaus
Region includes:
High mountains, vast deserts, cold climates, & Pacific waters
Kunlun Mountains
Qinling Shandi Mountains
Rugged terrain formed by the collision of tectonic plates (sound familiar?!?!)
Significance of mountains: limit contact between people of China and in other part of Asia
Areas between mountains & plateaus are sparsely population due to rough terrain

3. River Systems The Huang He (or Yellow River) “China’s Sorrow”
Northern China
Starts in the Kunlun Mtns
The Chang Jiang (or Yangtze River)
Longest river in all of Asia
Name means “long river”
Major trade route since ancient times
The Xi Jiang (or West River)
Consists of important mineral resources

4. China’s long rivers are important to the economy b/c they provide (1) crop irrigation, (2) hydroelectric power, & (3) transportation
River Systems
- China’s long river systems are important to the economy as they provide (1) crop irrigation, (2) hydroelectric power, and (3) transportation

5. Huang He Carries tons of fine, yellowish brown topsoil known as loess
Known as “China’s Sorrow” because of its frequent & terrible floods which have destroyed villages and towns, killing thousands of people

6. Chang Jiang Flows across a fertile plain
Forms what is called China’s “rice bowl”
Why?
Because large quantities of rice & other grains are grown

7. Problem:
Natural and mineral resources are unevenly distributed

8. Extreme Weather Typhoons:
Tropical storms (like hurricanes) occurring in the Western Pacific

9. Islands Japan’s islands are called an archipelago
Made up of 4 MAIN islands
2,000 additional (smaller) islands are also present

10. Pacific Ring of Fire
Most islands in region are formed by volcanoes that line the Pacific Rim
Violent earthquakes & volcanoes are frequent
Japan has 50 active volcanoes & has more than 1,000 earthquakes every year

11. Earthquake Severity Richter Scale: measures earthquake magnitudes
Effects:
- Less than 3.5 Generally not felt, but recorded.
Often felt, but rarely causes damage.
- Under 6.0 At most slight damage to well-designed buildings. Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions.
Can be destructive in areas up to about 100 kilometers across where people live.
Major earthquake. Can cause serious damage over larger areas.
- 8 or greater Great earthquake. Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred kilometers across.

12. Tsunami
When an earthquake occurs under the ocean floor, part of the floor moves; if the quake is strong enough, this shift may produce a tsunami (a huge wave of great destructive power)
Some tsunami waves have reached heights of over 100 feet
228,000 killed in 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia

13. Southeast Asia: Physical Geography

14. SE Asia Landforms Peninsulas Islands
Indochinese Peninsula (rectangular)
Malay Peninsula (narrow strip of land)
Islands
Most are ARCHIPELAGOS

15. Mountains and Volcanos
Most of the mountains found on islands are of volcanic origin
Volcanic activity & flooding rivers adds nutrients back to the soil and keep it rich
Part of Pacific Ring of Fire

16. Mekong River Begins in China & stretches to Vietnam
Millions rely on river for transportation, farming and fishing
- Mekong pronounced MAY-kawng

17. Climate Tropical climate covers most of the region
Large quantities of rain with average annual temps around 80 degrees
Some parts receive over 100 inches of rain; some over 200 inches
Some parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam are affected by monsoons

18. Glaciers in Indonesia Higher elevations in Indonesia have glaciers
The higher the elevation, the lower the temp

19. Human Environment Interaction
With so much rain & mountainous areas, the people use terrace farming
Creation of ledges or steps on slopes to make the area suitable for farming,
Terrace farming also stops soil from being washed away with all of the rain