Transcript East Asia

The Physical Geography of
East Asia
Peninsulas, Islands, and Seas
– Korean Peninsula
• What 2 countries are located in the
Korean Peninsula?
– Japan (1 of 2 island countries in East
Asia, what is the other?)
• Archipelago
– South China Sea
• From Taiwan to the Philippines it
carries 1/3 of the world’s shipping
traffic.
The Ring of Fire
•Is caused by movement in the tectonic plates
•Earthquakes, volcanoes & tsunamis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4w27IczOTk&feature=related
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/the-science-of-tsunamis-tsunami-speed.html
•East Asia is vulnerable to earthquakes because
it is located between tectonic plates
East Asian Mountains Ranges
– Kunlun Shan & Tian Shan
(Western China)
– Atlay Mountains (North)
• Natural barrier between
Mongolia & China
– Himalaya (South)
Great Wave off Kanagawa Katsushika Hokusai 1829-32
Mount Fuji rises above the plains of Honshu, Japan’s biggest island.
China’s Plateaus, Basins & Deserts
– Mongolian
Plateau mainly
grassy pastures
which are ideal
for grazing.
– Plateau of Tibet
• East Asia’s
highest plateau
region
•Tarim Basin is just one of the many broad
flat highlands located between China’s
inland mountain ranges.
•The Taklimakan Desert lies to the west
•Gobi Desert lies to the north.
River Systems
• China’s Rivers
– Originate high in the Plateau of Tibet and
flow eastward to the Pacific Ocean. The
Yellow River (Huang He) named after the
yellowish topsoil blown by winds from the
western deserts. This rich soil makes the
North China Plain agriculturally productive.
Historically, the flood waters have killed
hundreds of thousands of people.
– The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in Central
China, is Asia’s longest river (3,965 miles)
and flows through gorges and plains and
empties into the ocean at Shanghai.
– The Xi River or West River is Southern
China’s most important river. It flows into
the South China Sea and has created a
huge, fertile delta. The Grand Canal, which
is the world’s longest artificial waterway,
connects Hangzhou in the south to Beijing
in the north.
River Systems
• Japan and Korea have short, swiftly flowing
rivers which provide hydroelectric power.
North Korea’s Amnok River (or Yalu River)
forms a border with China.
Natural Resources
• China contains a wide range of mineral resources, including iron ore,
tungsten, tin and gold. The Taklimakan Desert has large oil deposits, while
Northeastern China and Korea have an abundance of coal.
• Japan, South Korea, and coastal China have the world’s busiest deep-sea
fishing industry. Seafood farming is also a major industry in East Asia.
• Only 10% of China is suitable for farming, but still remains to be the
world’s leading producer of rice. South Korea’s two yearly crops are rice
and barley. Mongolia and Japan have limited farmland with poor soil.
Only 25% of Taiwan is farmable, and their hardwood forests are the
important resource.
Climate Regions
• Mid-Latitude Climates
– Southeastern quarter of East Asia has
humid subtropical climate. Summers
are warm and rains are heavy.
Northeastern quarter has humid
continental climate, with cold, snowy
winters.
– Eastern half of the region consists of
forests, which include evergreen and
deciduous trees. Bamboo grows in
warmer areas and is a source of food
for some rare mammals, such as giant
and red pandas.
• Desert and Steppe Climates
– Mongolia and inland northern China
are very dry because the surrounding
mountains block the rain. Gobi and
Taklimakan deserts are cold and
windy.
Climate Regions
• Highland Climates
– The higher the elevation, the
colder the temperature. The
Plateau of Tibet has an average
high temp of only 58ºF (14ºC).
• Tropical Rain Forest Climates
– Hainan, an island off of China’s
southern coast, shares a
rainforest climate with Taiwan.
Temperatures are always warm,
and summer is rainy.
Monsoons and Ocean Currents
• Monsoons – bring seasonal weather
patterns to East Asia. Summer monsoons
blow from southeast to northwest,
causing soaking rains from April to
October. Winter monsoons blow in the
opposite direction, bringing icy winds
from November to March. Farmers
depend on summer monsoon rains for
their crops.
• Ocean Currents
– Warm Japan Current flows northward toward
southern Japan, bringing moisture and warm
temperatures. The cold Kuril Current flows
southwest from the Bering Sea, bringing cold
winds and lower temperatures to Japan’s
northern islands.
– The interaction of ocean currents and
monsoon winds can give rise to violent
typhoons. Typhoons form in the Pacific Ocean
and blow across coastal East Asia. They tend
to be most severe between late August and
You should be able to answer the following questions
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What do East Asia’s Rivers provide?
What are China’s main waterway systems?
What is a typhoon?
What country is the leading producer of rice?
What factors come together to create a typhoon?
What are the effects of a typhoon?