PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF EAST ASIAEAST ASIA

World’s MOST POPULOUS REGION

One of the world’s earliest culture hearths

Population concentrated in the East, in river basins, coastal areas, and special economic zones

CHINA PROPER- Eastern half; the core of China

XIZANG (TIBET)- Tall mountains and high plateaus; sparsely populated

XINJIANG- Vast desert basin and mountain rims; gateway to the Islam world

MONGOLIA- Mostly desert The JAKOTA TRIANGLE

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan

LONGITUDINAL EXTENT (East to West) Comparable to the U.S.

LATITUDINAL RANGE (North to South): Comparable to Northern Quebec to Central Caribbean

Bordered by oceans, high mountains, steppe country, and desert

CLIMATE TYPES INCLUDE: B (Dry); C (Humid temperate); D (Humid cold); and H (Unclassified Highlands)

Includes the largest area of highland climate in the world

Desert conditions prevail in the Northern and Western interior

Coastal, peninsular, and insular East Asia have more moderate climates than the interior regions

Step terraces are designed to allow water to flow by gravity through all the fields, generally reentering a stream at a lower level.

A harsh physical environment Sparsely populated Came under Chinese control during the Manchu

Dynasty in 1720 Gained separate status in the late 19th Century China’s Communist regime took control in the

1950s Cornerstone of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and

monasteries Now an autonomous region

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, is the ceremonial home of the 14th Dalai Lama, now in exile in India.

Highland Pasture in Tibet

Comprises one-sixth of China’s total land area

A region of high mountains and basins

Chinese only account for 40% of the population

Muslims account for half of the population

Has extensive reserves of oil and natural gas

CHARACTERISTICS Small, Confined land area (Japan and

Taiwan are islands and the Koreas are on a Peninsula)

Hazardous region- earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons

Great cities and high-tech industry Enormous consumption of raw materials,

but few raw materials produced locally Global links and rapid development

Earthquakes Tsunamis Volcanic Activity

(Japan) Typhoons Floods Drought