The Physical Geography of Southern and Eastern Asia

Mrs. Gero’s World Studies ClassSpring Semester

Let’s look at South Asia first

• This is South Asia.• The two countries you

will need to focus on the most are #1 and #2.

• #1 is Pakistan• #2 is India

Mountains and Rivers• South Asia is has two major

rivers.• The Indus River runs through

Pakistan and empties into the Arabian Sea

• The Ganges River runs through India, into Bangladesh and into the Bay of Bengal.

• The Himalayan Mountains form the border between India and China.

IndusGanges

The Himalayan Mountains

• The Himalayan Mountains are a 1500 mile mountain chain that stretches across the Northeast corner of India.

• It creates a natural barrier between India and China.

The Roof of the World

• The average height of the mountain chain is 24,000 feet tall.

• You are looking at Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

• It is over 29,000 feet high! (over 5 miles straight up!)

Where do people settle in South Asia?

• Look at the patterns on the map.– India, the second largest

country in population in the world is where most people settle

– The majority of the people live along the Ganges River, but the really, they settle most anywhere.

Look at Afghanistan and Pakistan

• There are not as many people living in Afghanistan and Pakistan because the climate is mainly arid.

• The majority of Pakistan’s people live along the Indus River.

What are the climate patterns?

• Most of the time, India stays relatively warm.

• It is protected from the cold by the mountains that wrap around the north.

• During the summer, it gets a lot of rain from the winds that come off of the ocean.

Monsoons!• Monsoons are seasonal

winds that bring climate changes to Asia.

• The summer monsoon comes off of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

• This brings the rainy season to India.

Why no cold winters?

• Look at the green arrows that are supposed to bring the winter monsoons.

• Can you think of a major mountain range that might block those winds from coming to India?

Tropical Wet and Dry

• This is why India is considered to be tropical wet and dry.

• There is a warm and rainy season, then there is also a warm and dry season.

Floods and Mudslides

• Because Nepal and Bangladesh are in the foothills of the Himalayas, they get a lot of floods from the monsoons.

• If there is too much rain, it can trigger mudslides.

What do most do for a living?

• With over 1.2 billion people, India still has the majority of their people working in agriculture.

• They live in rural areas and they farm or herd livestock for a living.

• Those that are lucky enough to be educated move to the cities to work in industry and services.

Southeast AsiaPeninsulas

Islands

Peninsulas and Islands

• Southeast Asia is dominated by peninsulas and islands.

• Your two major mainland peninsulas are the Malay and the Indochina.

• Your two main archipelagos are Indonesia and the Philippines.

Indochina

Malay

Philippines

Indonesia

Surrounded by water

• Because this area is surrounded by water, it doesn’t matter which way the monsoon winds blow.

• The winds will always pick up water, so the climate will be tropical wet.

Bay of Bengal

South China Sea

Pacific Ocean

Vegetation

• The majority of Southeast Asia will be covered with rainforests.

• What do you think one of their major environmental issues will be?

One river you need to know…

• This is the Mekong River.

• This river essential to farming on the Indochina Peninsula.

• The major exports from this peninsula is rice, rubber, and tea.

• The majority of the people work as farmers.

East Asia

Deserts and a BIG Plateau

• Look at China’s southwest corner. That brown area is called the Plateau of Tibet.

• Just to its north and northeast are two major deserts, the Taklimakan and the Gobi.

• This part of China does NOT have a high population density.

Taklimakan Gobi

Plateau of Tibet

Two Rivers and the North China Plain

• China is highly dependent on its two major rivers, the Yellow and the Yangtze.

• People for thousands of years have depended on the flooding of these two rivers to fertilize the land.

• The best farming area in the country is the North China Plain, where the population density is the highest.

Huang He (Yellow River)

Chang Jiang (Yangtze)

China’s Climate

• China’s climate along the eastern seaboard is similar to the eastern coast of the U.S.

• The farther north you go, the colder the winters are.

• The farther south you go, the milder the winters are.

• Summers are hot.

East Asian Population Density

• The majority of China’s population is going to live on the eastern 1/3 of the country

• This is because of the Plateau of Tibet and the Taklimakan Deserts.

• The harsh climates make it difficult for people to farm.