East Asia Geography

IntroductionEast Asia Includes:

People’s Republic of China (China), Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), Japan, Hong Kong (former British colony, leased until 1997), Macao (former Portuguese colony until 1999)

8% of the world’s land; 25% of the world populationHIGH POPULATION DENSITY

2/3 of East Asians live in rural areas18 cities with more than 2 million people,

Shanghai is one of the largest in the worldAsia is isolated by high mountains, barren

deserts; developed independently from other ancient civilizations

Physical SettingMainland

Mountains, Plateaus, Deserts

Rugged landscape, plateaus surrounded by mountain ranges

Mountains feed great rivers that run east to west

Lowlands for farming along river banks and eastern coast

Himalayas on southern border, Mt. Everest highest peak in world

Plateau of Tibet (10,000-16,000’); “Roof of the World”

Takla Makan Desert (“go in and you won’t come out”); Silk Route ran around this desert (tea, jewels, furs, spices); old cities include Kashgar and Changan (Xian)

3 Rivers1. Huang He (Yellow River)

In the north, not navigable, yellowish loess soil, “China’s sorrow”

2. Chang Jiang (Yangtze)Central-south China; 4th largest river in the

world next to the Nile, Amazon, and Mississippi/Missouri; ½ of Chinese population lives beside it, “land of fish and rice”. Shanghai is at the mouth, important for transportation

3. XiIn the south, port of Guangzhou (Canton)

Climate Natural Resources

North:4 seasonsGrowing season 3-

5 monthsSouth:

SubtropicalDouble and triple

croppingWest:

Semi-aridPrecipitation based

on elevation

Coal, iron, tungsten, manganese

Small amounts of forest

Great potential for hydroelectricity; problematic

Land scarce; INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE, terracing, small plots

The Islands•Taiwan and Japan

• Volcanic mountain tips that rise above the ocean floor• Scarcity of land like the mainland• Japan is the leading fishing nation of the world

• Natural harbors, good ocean current, wide continental shelf, seaweed (iodine and vitamins) and pearls

• Taiwan has ponds to raise fish and ocean fishing

•Oceanic Influences• Tropical storms and typhoons

•Seismic Influences• “Pacific Ring of Fire” volcanic action and earthquakes• Tsunamis (large, high speed waves)• Hot springs resorts

Quality of Life•Village Life

• 2/3 live in rural villages, tiny dirt roads and homes; mud-brick houses, tile and straw roofs, some electricity; growing cash economy and businesses; many have sewing machines, bicycle and radio or TV; CHANGE

•Largest Cities in East Asia• Housing shortages common, most live in apartments with 3 rooms or

less, with electricity and heat, plumbing; centers of industry along coast, along Chang Jiang or Manchurian Plain; serious overcrowding

•Rising Standard of Living• Japan fully modernized, very western, high standard of living; job

loyalty, yet economic decline in last five years• Taiwan—rapid industrialization, land reform, China wants to take

Taiwan back• China is increasing its standard of living; not really communist, but

authoritarian with growing capitalism; a “waking giant”