Chapter 18: Physical Geography of East Asia

Section 2: Climate and Vegetation

East Asia’s Climates

• The climate zones of east Asia are very varied.

• China: humid subtropical east, highlands in the west are cool and dry, northeast is humid andwarm, northern central region is dry and can be hot or cool, far north is subarctic.

• Korea and Japan both experience warmer winters and cooler summers than other places with similar latitudes because they are surrounded by water.

Storms in Asia

• Monsoons – winds that blow across east Asia at certain times of the year;– in summer, they are very wet; in winter, they are

generally dry unless they have crossed warm ocean currents.• In summer, winds blow from the water towards the west

bringing rain.• In winter, winds blow west bringing cool air that can lead to

snow or cold rain.

• Typhoons – a violent storm that develops over the Pacific Ocean (similar to a hurricane.)

Vegetation

• Bamboo is strong enough to grow when it is very wet and can survive in times when it is dry.

• Deciduous – leaf-shedding; referring to trees that lose their leave each year, such as maple and birches.

Life of the People

• The Yellow River gets its name because it carries large loess deposits with it to the North China Plain. This makes for very good farm land on the bank of the Yellow River.

• When the Huang He River floods (usually after a monsoon), it can cause great damage. It has been nicknamed “China’s Sorrow” because it has been both a blessing and a curse to the people there.

• People in southern China eat a lot of rice because it grows well in southern China where it is warm. People in the north eat more noodles because flour grows better there.