Transcript Chapt. 27 PPT - AAA Geography

Chapter 27 Notes
Physical Geography of East Asia: A
Rugged Terrain
Section 1:
Landforms &
Resources
Section 1: Landforms & Resources
Section 1: Landforms & Resources
Kunlun Mts. are the source of
China’s two greatest rivers
(Yellow & Yangtze Rivers)
Mountains in the western
part of China limited
contact between China &
the rest of Asia
Section 1: Landforms &
Resources
Most of Western China is
uninhabited because of the
mountainous region & large
deserts including the Gobi Desert.
Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus
A Survey of the Region
• East Asia stretches from western China to the
east coast of Japan
- also includes Mongolia, Taiwan, North Korea,
South Korea
• Landscape has high mountains, deserts, cold
climate, Pacific waters
• Rugged terrain created by tectonic plates
colliding
- natural barriers limit human movement,
increase
isolation
Section 1: Landforms & Resources
Huang He (Yellow) River- gets its name
from the yellow silt that its waters carry
(world’s muddiest river)
AKA China’s Sorrow for the tremendous
floods that it has caused
Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River- Asia’s
longest river
Peninsulas and Islands
The Coast of China
• Eastern coast of China has several peninsulas
- Shandong, Leizhou, and Macao Peninsulas
- Portugal owned Macao; returned it to Chinese
control in 1999
• China’s long coastline has several major port
cities like Shanghai
• Korean Peninsula is on eastern border of China
- contains independent nations of North Korea
and South Korea
continued Peninsulas and Islands
The Islands of East Asia
• East of China is continental shelf—the
submerged border of continent
• Isolation of shelf islands allows them to develop
in peace, security
• Chinese islands include Hainan and part of
Hong Kong
- Hong Kong was Britain’s; returned to China’s
control in 1997
• Japan is a small island nation with large
economic power
• Taiwan once belonged to mainland China,
which still claims it today
Climate and Vegetation
• East Asia has a dry highland climate in the west.
• The region has a humid climate in the east.
High Latitude Climate Zones
Subarctic
• Small subarctic zones on Mongolia’s and
China’s Russian borders
• Summers are cool or cold; winters are brutally
cold; climate is dry
• Vegetation is northern evergreen forest,
mosses, lichens
Highland
• Western China’s highland zone temps vary with
latitude, elevation
• Vegetation also varies; forests, alpine tundra
are typical
• Tundras have no trees, frozen soil a few feet
below surface
- only mosses, lichens, shrubs grow on tundras
Mid-Latitude Zones
Humid Continental
• Climate zone includes northeastern China,
northern Japan
- also North Korea, northern South Korea
• Forests are coniferous; temperate grasslands
provide grazing
- agriculture has replaced many forests
Humid Subtropical
• Southeastern China, southern South Korea,
south Japan, north Taiwan
• Deciduous forests in north, coniferous in
southern, sandy soil
Dry Zones
Semiarid
• Includes parts of Mongolian Plateau
• Vegetation is mostly short grasses, food for
grazing animals
Desert
• Most of region’s deserts are in west central
mainland
• Taklimakan Desert—in west China, between
Tian Shan, Kunlun mountains
• Gobi Desert—in north China, southeast
Mongolia
- prime area for dinosaur fossils
Tropical Zones
Tropical Wet
• Typhoon—tropical storm that occurs in western
Pacific
• Tropical climate zone in East Asia is small
- strip of land along China’s southeastern coast
- island of Hainan, southern tip of Taiwan
• High temperatures, heavy rainfall, high humidity
all year
• Tropical rain forest has tall, dense forests of
broadleaf trees
Climate
Two main climate regions. The
southern part of China is affected by
monsoons with hot, humid summers
with heavy rains, while the NW part
receive little rain.
Dry
Wet
Cold
Warm
Section 2: Climate & Vegetation
NW
SW
NE
SE
Section 2: Climate & Vegetation
Natural Resources
1. Agricultural Resources –
only 11% of land is arable,
though China is primarily
an agricultural nation, rice
is dominate crop
2. Mineral Resources – vast
reserves of coal, iron ore, and
uranium
Resources of East Asia
Uneven Distribution
• China, Mongolia, North Korea have natural,
mineral resources
• Japan, South Korea, Taiwan have limited
natural resources
Land and Forests
• Limited farmland in sparsely populated,
mountainous, western areas
• Most Chinese are in fertile eastern river basins
where rice is grown
• Abundant forests in China, Japan, Taiwan,
North and South Korea
- Japan reserves forests by buying timber from
other regions
continued Resources of East Asia
Mineral and Energy Resources
• China has large petroleum, coal, natural gas
reserves
- energy resources make China self-sufficient
• China’s mineral resources include iron ore,
tungsten, manganese
- also molybdenum, magnesite, lead, zinc,
copper
• North and South Korea have coal, tungsten,
gold, silver reserves
• Japan has lead, silver, coal, but must trade for
most resources
continued Resources of East Asia
Water Resources
• China’s long river systems are important to its
economy
- provide crop irrigation, hydroelectric power,
transportation
- Three Gorges Dam on Chang Jiang will
control
floods, create
power
- Huang He and Xi Jiang provide hydroelectric
power, transportation
• Sea is important food source for East Asia
- Japan has one of world’s largest fishing
industries
Gobi Desert
Dinosaur bones?
Taklimakan
Desert
Topography
•2/3’s of the area consists of
mountains and deserts
•96% of population live in the
eastern part of the nation
•Mountains – Himalayas, Tien
Shan, Altai, Kunlun Shan,
Tibet Plateau
•Deserts – lie in the north
and west of China, Gobi,
Taklimakan
•Rivers – Chang (Yangtze
River) – most important river
system, Huang He (Yellow
River) and the Xi Jiang
Section 3: Human-Environment
Interaction
Three Gorges Dam- being built on the
Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River
Help to control flooding on worlds 3rd longest
river
Largest dam & construction project in world
More than 1 mile wide & 600 ft high
Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Three Gorges Dam cont.Create a 400 mile long reservoir
Over 1000 towns will disappear
Generate about 10% of China’s energy
Allow ocean-going ships into interior of China
Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Negative effects of the Three Gorges DamAbout 2 million people will have to move
Costs up to $75 billion
Harming of the environment?
Section 3: Human-Environment
Interaction
Japan- has limited land
area
Land prices are extremely
expensive
Homes are sparsely
furnished & small compared
to American homes
Subway Packer
Subway Japan
Section 3: Human-Environment
Interaction
Landfill- method of solid waste disposal in which
refuse is buried between layers of dirt to fill in or
reclaim low lying land
Factories are built on this land
Section 3: Human-Environment
Interaction
Capsule Hotel