1. Physical Geography of Asia

2. Why Study Asia? Read the article carefully.
Write 2-3 sentences about whether or not you agree with the author’s opinion about why we should study Asia.

3. South Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

4. When and How was South Asia Formed?
Indian subcontinent was once separated from Asia
The two land masses collided
Formed the Himalayan Mountains: contains the world’s tallest mountains
Form a giant barrier between the Indian subcontinent and China

5. South Asia’s three largest rivers and their source
Indus River: flows through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea
Ganges River: flows eastward across northern India
Brahmaputra River: flows south through Bangladesh
Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers meet to form a huge river delta before entering Bay of Bengal
All three originate in the Himalayas

6. Ganges River
To Hindus, the Ganges River is not only an important water resource, but also a sacred river
Earthly home to Hindu goddess Ganga
Believe the water has healing powers
One of the most polluted rivers in the world
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7. Climate In the northwest part of South Asia, there is desert
In Bangladesh and along the western coasts of India and Sri Lanka are tropical rainforests
Monsoons: seasonal winds
Winter monsoons: October – May
Summer monsoons: June – September; bring heavy rains
The annual monsoon not only brings the much needed rainfall for successful agriculture but it also causes catastrophic flooding that causes death and destruction every year.
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Cyclone: violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rain
Climate

8. The Deccan Plateau remains High and Dry
The monsoon rains do not affect all areas of South Asia equally. The Deccan Plateau receives very little rainfall.
Covers much of southern India
Western and Eastern Ghats flank the plateau, blocking moist winds

9. South Asia Map: Unit Atlas starts on page 543
Use provided numbers instead of full names
Add countries:
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Nepal
Pakistan
COLOR YOU MAP 

10. Terminology Atman- The individual soul
Brahman- The universal world soul
Karma- Material actions resulting from the consequences of previous actions
Darma- Fulfilling one's duty in life
Moksha liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth

11. Hinduism Began India around 1500 B.C.E
Today almost a billion people are Hindus
Main Idea: the purpose of life is to unite the soul with the universe (moksha). Every soul experiences a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (reincarnation)
No single sacred text; major texts are the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita

12. Hindu Beliefs
Hindus believe in a single force (Brahma) that is present in everything
Moksha is when the soul stops being reincarnated. Your soul achieves moksha at the end of the life.
Enlightened state; similar to nirvana

13. Caste System- rigid class structure based on Hinduism which is found in India. It is believed that if one leads a good life then they will be rewarded by being reincarnated as a person belonging to the next highest level in the Caste System.  
It is illegal, but still practiced in rural villages.
Bhramin- Priests
Kshatryia- Warriors
Viasya- Merchants and landowners
Sudra- Commoners, peasants, and servants
Untouchables- Street sweepers and latrine cleaners
The jobs of each social class.

14. Hindu Caste System
Caste System: a system of social classes in India. When your soul is reincarnated, you can be born into a higher or lower caste.
Only the highest caste members can achieve moksha.

15. How do you change your caste after reincarnation?
Hindus believe in 2 main rules:
Karma: Everything you do influences your destiny
Dharma: you should behave based on your caste and your place in a family and society

16. BLUE: Brahmin RED: Kshatriya YELLOW: Vaishya GREEN: Sudra

17. East Asia
China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan

18. Mountains and Rivers
Kunlun Mountains: western China; source of Huang He and Chang Jiang Rivers
Qinling Shandi Mountains: divide northern and southern parts of China
Rivers:
Huang He (Yellow River): 3,000 miles, empties into Yellow Sea
Gets name from yellow silt that the river carries
Chang Jiang (Yangtze River): longest river in Asia
3,915 miles long

19. Climate East Asia has the following climate zones: Desert:
Subarctic, Highland, Humid Continental, Humid Subtropical, Semiarid, Desert, and Tropical Wet
Desert:
Taklimakan Desert: Western China
Gobi Desert: northern China and southeast Mongolia.
Typhoons: tropical storm that occurs in Western Pacific

20. Three Gorges Dam

21. Human Geography of China
Dynasty: series of rulers from the same family
Mao Zedong: a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People's Republic of China
Religions:
Confucianism
Buddhism
Taoism

22. Pacific Rim Countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean
Countries of East Asia, Southwest Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and the west coast of the US

23. North and South Korea
After WWII, North Korea was controlled by USSR, South Korea was supported by the US
Korean War: North Korea invaded South Korea – ended with a treaty that divided peninsula into 2 countries

24. Japan 19th century: becoming more modernized
20th century: expanded empire
December 7, 1941
After WWII, Japan became a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament
60% of population lived on 2.7% of the land
Manufacturing and trade = heart of Japan’s economy

25. Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica

27. Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Southeast Asia
2 distinct sub-regions: corner of Asian mainland and many islands
Most islands are found in archipelagos = set of closely grouped islands
Most mountains on these islands are of volcanic origin
Experienced years of European colonialism
Centralized, bureaucratic governments
Produced commodities to benefit Europe’s economy
Sparked nationalism

28. No one knows the exact number of islands, some estimate more than 20,000
As a group, these islands are called Oceania
Erosion causes islands to vanish, while other forces create new islands
3 regions: Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia
For many years, had no contact with the rest of the world.
Many died when Europeans came (1500s), during WWII when Japan and the US fought over possession, and US nuclear testing
Low islands: made of coral reefs
Oceania
Nauru, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuata (New Zealand and Australia)
High islands: created by volcanoes

29. Nuclear testing: Bikini Atoll
Atoll: a ring-like coral island or string of islands surrounding a lagoon
Bikini Atoll: site of US atomic weapons testing; in the Marshall Islands
US government closed Bikini Atoll, relocated its 167 inhabitants in 1946, and they were unable to return.
Bravo: hydrogen bomb explosion that vaporized several islands
Still uninhabitable, and no one knows when/if it will ever be safe for humans again

30. New Zealand 2 main islands: North Island and South Island
Center of South Island – Southern Alps, a 300-mile long mountain chain
North Island is less mountainous, but has hilly ranges and a volcanic plateau
Original inhabitants: Maori people
Colonized by the British, became a self-governing nation in 1907
Still a Commonwealth nation
First nation to grant women the right to vote and provide pensions to senior citizens

31. Australia Smallest and flattest continent
Along eastern coast – chain of highlands called the Great Dividing Range
Great Barrier Reef: along Australia’s southern coast; largest coral reef
Original inhabitants: Aboriginal people
British colonized Australia as a place to send prisoners
British killed many Aboriginal people due to violent conflicts and diseases
Still a Commonwealth nation

32. Rabbit Problem in Australia
Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits into Australia to hunt them in 1859
By 1900, there were more than a billion rabbits
Rabbits killed or weakened the few plants that grow in Australia – wiped out many native plants and destroyed crops
Ruined pastures; sheep couldn’t graze
Areas suffered from erosion, because they had no vegetation
Native animals became endangered because there was no food for them
Still a major problem in Australia: the government has tried to poison them, released foxes, built fences, and introduced new diseases.

33. Antarctica Circular in shape, centered around the South Pole
Transantarctic Mountains divide the continent in two
Antarctica’s ice sheet is the largest in the world – 90% of the world’s freshwater supply