ASIA

3 parts of Asia-South Asia (India), SE Asia (Vietnam, Thailand), East Asia (Japan, China)

Most people live in urban areas, river valleys and on coastal plains

The population is not evenly distributed

Farming-main job for people

South Asia Because of the Western

Ghats Mts. block the monsoon winds, the interior of the subcontinent of India has a hot and dry climate

Heavy rains in S. Asia are due to the monsoons that pick up moisture in the warm Indian Ocean

Many south Asians move to cities because of lack of farm land

Challenge for South Asia-growing enough food for their people

B/C of the Tsunami, India has actually moved

India/Pakistan India- 2nd most

populated country in the world

Britain controlled India until 1947: they pulled out of India but it was also divided, Pakistan came from this (Muslims moved to Pakistan, Hindus-India)

1971-War between India and Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh

More on India/Pakistan Hinduism and

Islam have the most followers in the area

Hinduism- polytheistic & belief in reincarnation

Caste System- social classes in Hindu India, broken down into 4 classes, only way to move up is to die

China The world’s most populous

country (1 billion) Most people live in the East

China main energy source- coal Three Gorges Dam in China on

Yangtze River controls flooding and supplies power (world’s biggest dam)

1 Of 4 Communist countries in Asia (N. Korea, Vietnam, Laos)

3 major products in China-rice, tea, silk

Japan

Asia’s major economic leader

Mostly one ethnic group Isolated for most of its

history, Japan became an imperial power in the early 20th century

Shintoism-main religion in Japan

Only 13% of Japan’s land is suitable for farming because of steep mountains (they don’t have a lot of resources)

Korea Korea is

separated by a DMZ (demilitarized zone- it divides Communist North & Non- Communist South)

Korea is also mostly one ethnic group

South Korea is highly industrialized; North Korea is not

East Asia

Singapore & Taiwan- newly industrialized island countries off of the coast of Asia (China still thinks that Taiwan is theirs)

Asia’s hope for the future- untapped energy resources

Terracing-stair step farming basic food-rice, loess-yellow

soil Fishing- job of many who

live near water

Some Asian Religious Facts

Homeland for Buddhists- Tibet

Dalai Lama-spiritual leader for Buddhists

Ganges- holy river for Hindus

Philippines-mostly Christian

Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh- Mostly Muslim

Final Facts

Sri Lanka- island nation off of the coast of India (Tsunami hit the hardest there)

Ring of Fire- chain of volcanoes that line the Pacific Rim (Mt. Fuji in Japan is one)

Many people in SE Asia purchase food at floating markets

Myanmar, Vietnam & Cambodia have oil reserves

Two more facts about China- Beijing is the capital & the Great Wall was built to keep out invaders