Transcript East Asia
East Asia Asia and the Pacific Land and Water • Landforms – China is the world’s third-largest country in land after Russia and Canada. • Mountains • Highlands • Plateaus • Other areas are mountainous like China, but they lack its wide plains and plateaus – – – – – Mongolia North Korea South Korea Taiwan Japan Land and Water • Japan and the Koreas – Narrow plains are found mainly along coasts and rivers • About 50 million years ago a huge piece of a continent collided with Asia. – Now called India, located SW of China – Collision caused the Earth’s surface to fold and buckle, forming the Himalaya Mountains and other mountain ranges in China as well as the plateau of Tibet Land and Water • Natural forces also shaped the land in Japan – Earthquakes forced some parts of the country to rise and others to sink – Erupting volcanoes piled up masses of lava and ash, forming new mountains. – In many parts of E. Asia earthquakes and volcanoes are still changing the landscape. Land and Water • China is a land of extremes – Home to the oldest civilization on Earth – One billion people—most people of any nation in the world – Mountains and deserts take up over 2/3 of China – Desert is a dry region of extreme temperatures and little vegetation. Land and Water • The Himalaya Mountains contain Mount Everest and other mountains nearly as tall • Part of the Himalayan range is located in the area of China called Tibet. • A high plateau surrounded by mountains covers much of Tibet • China’s most important rivers, the Yangzi and the Huang begin in this region Land and Water • The Yangzi flows 3,915 miles to the East China Sea. – is the only river in E. Asia that is deep enough for cargo ships to sail on. – 400 million people live along the banks of the Huang He. • It runs through one of the most fertile regions of China • The N. China Plain is covered with deposits of loess (a brownish yellow fertile soil. Land and Water • Japan – Is an archipelago—a group of islands in the western Pacific Ocean. – Four major islands – Over 3,000 smaller ones. – Every major Japanese city is located on the coast – Nearly 80% of the country is mountainous Land and Water • The Koreas: “Land of Golden Embroidery” – Rocky peaks, narrow canyons, and rushing stream make Korea a land of great beauty. – A peninsula—a piece of land nearly surrounded by water. – Stretches out into the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan – World’s most mountainous regions. – 70% of the land consists of steep and rocky slopes Land and Water – Compared with the mountains of China and Japan, these ranges are not very high – Since 1945 (the end of WWII) Korea has been divided into two separate countries • North Korea • South Korea Geography and Population • The population of E. Asia is not spread evenly across the land. – Few people live in the deserts, highlands, and mountains – 1.5 billion people make their homes in this region – People crowd into the lowland and coastal areas, where it is easier to live and grow food Geography and Population • These parts of E. Asia have a very high population density, or average number of people living in a square mile. – E. Asia, level ground must be shared by cities, farms and industries. • ½ the population of Japan is crowded on less than 3% of the country’s total land • Most of the population of China is located in the East. Geography and Population • E. Asia is largely rural • 70% of china’s people live in rural areas. • E. Asia also has some of the largest cities in the world. • Japan—nearly 80% of the people live in cities. – Seoul, South Korea, has a population of about 10 million