THE PEOPLE, ENVIRONMENT, AND GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA

OBJECTIVES: 1. To describe the characteristics of

Asia’s natural environment;2. To identify the regions and countries

that comprise Asia; and3. To explain how geographical factors

affect the livelihood of Asian people.

ASIA THE BIGGEST CONTINENT

• Asia is the largest of the earth’s seven continents, and lies almost entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. With outlying islands, it covers an estimated 44,936,000 sq km or about 1/3 of the world’s total land area.• 2

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

• Based on the Plate Tectonics Theory, Asia is comprised of several continental and oceanic plates, the biggest of which is the Eurasian plate. This theory explains the arch-like shape of the mountain ranges, peninsulas and archipelagoes of Asia, along with the presence of volcanoes.

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GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS

1. SOUTHEAST ASIA - It has a land area of almost 2.73 million sq km, and generally has an archipelagic character, composed of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines.

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2. EAST ASIA – It has a land area of 4.5 million sq km. or 17 percent of Asia’s total land, composed of China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Japan

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3. SOUTH ASIA – It has the same land area as Southeast Asia and contains the river systems of Indus, Ganges and brahmaputra, as well as the mountains of Kashmir, Assam and the Himalayas. It is composed of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan.

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4. SOUTHWEST ASIA (OR WEST ASIA) – It has a land area of 4.18 million sq km. and made up of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UEA, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The region is known for its rich oil fields and prolonged dry spells.

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5. NORTH ASIA – Occupying 40% of Asia’s total land area of 10.4 million sq km., the region is made up of former Soviet |States Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

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GEOGRAPHICAL AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

1. Surrounding Waters2. Climate – Asia experiences all types of

climate from sub-polar climate in the north to dry climate in the south, from the cool and wet season to the dry and humid, with heavy concentration of rains.

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4. Vegetation – Asia also has diverse landscapes, from tundra and taiga vegetation in the north, to equatorial rainforests in the south and southeast parts. Asia has three main crop production systems.

5. Animal life6. Mineral Resources

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THE PEOPLE OF ASIA

More diverse than people in other continents, Asian people is composed of the following:

1. West Asia – generally Semitic people with dark hair and complexion, mostly Muslims.

2. South Asia – mostly Hindus and Muslims, composed of Indo-Aryans and Dravidians, Pakistanis, Bhutanese, among others.

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3. East Asia – 82 percent are Chinese descending from the Hans, while the Japanese are believed to have descended from the Mongol and Malay races.

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South Asia - region with the highest concentration of population, generally Malay and Chinese descended people with fair complexion and dark hair; generally Buddhist followers except for the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia

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CHARACTERISTICS OF ASIA

1. Largest of the seven continents.2. Home to the highest and lowest points of the

Earth’s surface (Mt Everest and the Dead Sea respectively).

3. Covers one third of the world’s total land area.4. Composed of the Eurasian continental plate,

the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean plates. 14

• Diverse geography, from deserts and steppes, to mountain ranges, peninsulas and archipelagoes.

• Serves as channel for many river systems, including the Huang Ho, Indus, Ganges, Mekong, Yangtze, Lena and Ili Syr Darya.

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MAJOR RELIGIONS ESTABLISHED IN ASIA

• Christianity• Judaism• Islam• Buddhism• Hinduism• Zoroastrianism

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WHAT IS PAMIR KNOT ?

• Pamir Knot – usually referred to as the “Roof of the World,” and to the area where the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Tien Shan meet.

• The Pamir Knot can be found in Central Asia at the point of the map where the boundaries of China, India, Nepal and Tajikistan meet.

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ANCIENT ASIAN CIVILIZATION

• OBJECTIVES:1. To explain how early Asian civilizations

developed.2. To identify the common strengths and

weaknesses of early Asian civilization.3. To Identify the contributions of early Asians to

world civilization.

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Introduction Asia is the cradle of world civilization, as the earliest known settlements arose along all were agricultural societies that depended on advanced social and political structures to maintain irrigation and flood control systems. 19

1. Mesopotamia-means “land between two rivers” ancient region located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and forms part of the Fertile crescent; occupied by present-day Iraq, Southeastern Turkey and Eastern Syria.

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Sumerian Civilization (4000-2500BC)

• Oldest civilization and center of sophisticated culture by 3000BC.

• People hailed from the mountains of Turkey.• Established autonomous city-states ruled by a king with

absolute powers or theocracy.• Most important contributions include the cuneiform system

of writing – the basic means of communication in the region for 2000 years – as well as the system of irrigation, wheel-turned pottery, and the use of wheel-driven carts for travel.

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Akkadian civilization (2750-2590BC)

• Founded by King Sargon I, who united the warring city-states of Sumer and built an empire in the city of Agade (Akkad).

• Destroyed by weak leadership, until the empire is divided into two following attacks by the Elamites and Amorites.

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Babylonian Civilization –(1760BC)• Founded in 1760 under Hammurabi, the sixth Amorite king of Syria

who defeated the Elamites and chose Babylon as capital of his empire.

• The city-states of Akkad and Sumer were united and trade and commerce flourished in the region; people worshipped the god Marduk.

• Most important contribution is the Code of Hammurabi which protected the poor against the abuses of the rich.

• Attacked by the Hittites two centuries later and eventually fell to Agum, a Kassite ruler in the 16th century BC.

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The Hittites (1600-1200BC)

• Ancient people of Asia Minor and the Middle East, inhabiting present-day Anatolia in Turkey, invaded the region of Hatti in 1900BC.

• Used a writing system combining Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

• Most important contribution is their use of iron, becoming the first people to use horse-drawn cart during wars.

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• Known to have humane laws but were fierce warriors, invading Babylon and Jerusalem.

• Diminished following a long war with ancient Egypt.

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The Phoenicians, Hebrews, Assyrians and Chaldeans (1200-400BC)

• Known as “Sidonians” in the Old Testament in the Christian Holy Book, were Semites whose kingdom prospered from trade in their ports along the Mediterranean.

• Hebrews hailed Abraham or “ Ebrahim for Arabic” as the rightful ruler of Mesopotamia, but became more prominent under King Solomon.

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• Assyrians traded in gold, silver and textile and established a dynasty with Nineveh as its capital in Upper Mesopotamia in 1000BC; became dominant under Assurnasirpal II.

• Chaldeans built their empire under King Nebuchadnezzar, who ordered the building of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; also had great knowledge in astronomy.

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• The Chaldeans were defeated by the Persians who expanded their empire into Mesopotamia under a despotic king, Darius; before the Greeks arrived which “Hellenized” most Mesopotamian states such as Phoenicia.

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2. INDIAN CIVILIZATION

• A 1920 discovery of a site called “Mohenjo-Daro” revealed the largest Indus Valley settlement existing about 2300BC.

• The ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa traded cotton and textile with Mesopotamia; seals called “steatite” were abundant in the site.

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• Early Indians were known to be fond of the arts, as well as heavily influenced by religion.

• Stone tablets found were inconclusive however and could not explain the disappearance of all life forms in the Indus Valley 3,500 years ago.

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LEADING ANCIENT STATES

OBJECTIVES:1. To discuss how the Chinese and Indian

civilizations developed.2. To appreciate the major contributions of the

Chinese and Indian civilizations to Asia and the world.

3. To identify the similarities among many civilizations that emerged in China and India.

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1. Roots of Chinese civilization

• Bear elements of fact and fiction (legend of Pan Ku; Prince Yu of Xia Dynasty)

• Earliest records date to the Shang Dynasty of the 16th century, a dynasty ruled by kings believed to have “heaven’s mandate” and was often at war with neighboring peples.

Vocabulary: Dynasty – is a series of rulers from the same family. 32

2. Cultural Linkages

• Early civilizations in China and other parts of Asia were open to cultural exchange, particularly from the Greeks in the case of Alexander the Great.

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3. Indian expansion

• Early Indians were able to develop their own distinct culture owing to the country’s geography.

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4. Aryan Settlement

• Foreign invaders were able to enter India through the mountain ranges of Hindu Kush and later through sea routes. The Aryans were the most successful, settling in the Indus and Ganges plains by 1500BC.

• The Aryans drove the native Dravidians and developed the “Vedic Phase” (1500-900BC) of Indian civilization, based on the sacred Vedas or Knowledge. The Vedas are considered the core of Hinduism.

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• Under the Aryans, the caste system emerged in India. First Class ----Brahman – priests and scholars. Second class – Kshatriya – warrios and rulers.Third Class - Vaisya – mercharts, farmers and traders.Fourth Class – Sudra – artisan, laborers and servantsLower Class – Pariah – “untouchables” 36

• The “ Epic Phase” saw the emergence of two great epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana. The epic phase lasted 400 years.

• Conflicts among city-states weakened the Aryan culture, which experienced Persian rule under Darius, before the brief invasion of the Greeks and the attempt of the Seleucids to take over that was thwarted by the Mauryans.

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5. Mauryan Empire

• Established by Chandragupta Maurya, leader of the armed forces of the Nanda King in Magadha, with its center to Pataliputra.

• Known as merciless to foes but bighearted to loyal followers, Chandragupta was regarded as emperor, ruling over almost all areas that were under Alexander’s control. India was united as commerce flourished because of efficient road systems and irrigation and flood control projects.