World Geography

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ASIA

Self StudyNCERT: Discover Geography Class 6

Section III Asia

Additional reading:Discover Geography:Class 6 and class 7

South Asia

China

Hills and Plateaus of China:

Altai Shan

Tien Shan

Kunlun Shan Altun Shan Qilian Shan

Qinling Shan

Tai hang Shan

Great

Khi

ngan

Tibetan plateau

Shandong peninsula

Yunnan plateau

Southern Hills

G. Of Tonkin

Loess plt.

Basins of China

Altai Shan

Tien Shan

Kunlun Shan Altun Shan Qilian Shan

Qinling Shan

Tai hang Shan

Great

Khi

ngan

Dzungarian

Tarim

Qiadam

SichuanTibetan plateau

Shandong peninsula

Yunan plateau

Southern Hills

G. Of Tongking

Loess plt.

Deserts of China

Altai Shan

Tien Shan

Kunlun Shan Altun Shan Qilian Shan

Qinling Shan

Tai hang Shan

Great

Khi

ngan

Dzungarian

Tarim

Qiadam

Sichuan

Takla makan Gobi desert

Ordos

Tibetan plateau

Shandong peninsula

Yunan plateau

Southern Hills

G. Of Tongking

Loess plt.

Plain regions of China

Altai Shan

Tien Shan

Kunlun Shan Altun Shan Qilian Shan

Qinling Shan

Tai hang Shan

Great

Khi

ngan

Dzungarian

Tarim

Qiadam

Sichuan

Takla makan Gobi desert

Ordos

Manchurian Plain

Tibetan plateau

Shandong peninsula

Yunan plateau

North China Plain

Southern Hills

G. Of Tongking

Loess plt.

1/3th of China is mountainous

90% of population live on east coast

•Kunlun Shan•Tien shan•Altai Shan•Qaidam basin•Turfan basin•Takla Makan•Gobi desert•Ordos desert

•Great Khingan range•Shandong peninsula•Loess plateau•Hwang He river•Yangtze river (Chang Jiang)•Pearl river (Xi Jiang)•Amur river

Physical features to note in China

•Dry region•Surrounded by steppe grassland•Uighur population•Russia’s Irtysh river: inland drainage•Urumqi – capital of XinJiang Uyghur autonomous region- located here

Dzungarian Basin

Irtysh river

Tien Shan

Dzungarian

Altai Shan

Urumqi

•Drained by Tarim river•Lop Nur lake- nuclear testing center of China

Tarim Basin

Tien Shan

Kunlun ShanAltun Shan

Tarim

Takla makanLop Nur lake

•salt marshy land•Large Petroleum reserve - Mangnai• Iron ore – Golmud•Source of Potash, boron•Wheat cultivation using irrigation

Qaidam Basin

Kunlun Shan

Altun Shan Qilian ShanQaidam basin

•Qaidam basin is located in Qinghai province •Qinghai – China’s largest producer of Lithium. •Source of potassium, silicon, magnesium•More than 30 salt lakes

Qaidam Basin

Kunlun Shan

Altun Shan Qilian ShanQaidam basin

Climate of China

Laurentian type

China type

•Rainfall throughout the year •summer –intense heating of central Asia•south east monsoon

China Type climate

• In winter -> north-west monsoon •Siberian plateau – HP anticyclone, cold air flow outwards as North West monsoon- snow fall and rain on windward side of the mountains

China type

Yellow sea

•Rainfall is also due to local storms – typhoons (China) in late summers

China Type climate

• In china – summer max•summer – intense heating of land – rainfall - wind from pacific•Winter – anti-cyclonic condition in the heart of Asia – cold wind blows out – snow fall in mountainous area

Laurentian type climate, China

•High rainfall, warm temp, long growing season•Evergreen vegetation – broadleaved forest – grass, ferns, bamboos, palms

Vegetation in China

•10-15% of China is arable• Intensive agriculture•Rice cultivation – largest rice production•Largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, ground nut, rapeseed, silk

Agriculture in China

Important rivers of China

Grand canal

G. Of Bo Hai Rivers –

west to east flowing

•Hwang He (yellow river)– perennial river•Highest sediment carrying river in the world – cut loess plt•Flood prone- shifting course due to silting• Important for wheat cultivation

Agriculture: Hwang He basin

OrdosGrand canal

•Half of the China’s agro-produce•Sichuan basin – rice bowl of China•  cotton, wheat, barley, corn (maize), beans•  35% population of China• Intensive agriculture• Irrigation – 3 gorges dam

Agriculture: Yangtze basin

•Silk•Vineyard, apple, pears•Tea• Iron-ore and Gold is abundant

Agriculture: Shandong peninsula

•Rich black soil•Long winter season•Major soya bean growing area•Spring wheat, sweet potato, corn (maize), rice, sorghum, and flax•Live stock grazing

Agriculture: Manchurian basin

•Petroleum•Coal• Iron•Copper, lead, zinc•Uranium•Lumbering, paper industries

Manchuria region

Political map of China

23 provinces 5 autonomous

regions4 centrally

administrative regions

2 special administrative

regions

Coal (3th largest)

Iron (4th largest)

Tin

Petroleum

Rare Earth (monopoly)

Important Minerals of China

Coal reserve of China

Qaidam

Shanxi

Inner Mongolia

Liaoning

ShandongHebei

Shaanxi

Shanxi: 2/3th

China’s coalDatongXishan

HedongHunan

Yunnan

AnhuiSichuan

Iron reserve of China

Liaoning

Hebei

Inner Mongolia

Shanxi

AnhuiSichuan

ShandongGansu

Petroleum reserve of China

Daqing

Jilin

LioaheTarim Basin

ShangliDadang

Changqin

ZhongyuanJiangsu

Karumai, Dushanzi Qidam basin

•China largest producer of Tin and Manganese•Gejiu, Yunnan – Tin capital of the world

Minerals: Tin

Gejiu

China produces more than 90% of the world's supply of rare earth

Rare earth 17 chemically similar elements: Monazite, Zircon etc.

Rare earth - manufacturing of high-tech products, smartphones, wind turbines, camera lenses, magnets, solar panels and missile defence systems.

Rare Earth

Rare earth Usage lanthanum oil refineriesneodymium and praseodymium

used in magnets for motors

dyprosium used in hybrid vehicles, wind turbines and stealth helicopters

yttrium Used in military jet engines

Importance of rare earths

Rare earth reserve of China

Bayan Obo MineBaotou cityInner Mongolia

 Toxic acids used in the refining rare earthsProcessing one ton of rare earths produces 2,000 tons of toxic waste

Toxic include radio active substances like, Thorium

Baotou's rare earths enterprises produce 10m tons of wastewater per year. 

Ground water reserve have become toxic, about to reach Hwang He waters

Rare earth: environmental damage

 2010, China imposed export restrictions and raised tariffs – cut exports 40%

1) higher prices to help cover the huge environmental costs of production

2) To encourage the growth of domestic industries that use rare earths

Japan, USA and EU filed complaint at WTOWTO verdict in 2014 – China’s restriction is discriminatory

China’s monopoly in rare earth production

Indian PM visit to Japan in 2014One of the agreement between them: India will supply rare earth to Japan

Japanese assistance in refining and processing

India 2nd largest producer of rare earthKR, Odisha and TN account for nearly 95% of the country’s production of rare earths.

Japan-India agreement on rare earth

Mukden triangle

Beijing-Tianjin region

Yangtze basin

Guangzhou- Macau region

Industrial regions of China

•Liaoning province•Reserve of Iron, boron, diamonds•Good reserve of crude oil and natural gas•Liaohe oil field•Petroleum in gulf of Bo hai

Mukden triangle

•Shenyang – Anshan –Fushun•Steel triangle of China•Electronics, petrochemicals•Automobile, aircrafts, heavy machinery• important port - Dalian

Mukden triangle: Liaoning province

•Beijing – Tianjin•Tianjin – highest per capita GDP of China•Metallurgical & ship building industries•Now hub of shipping and logistics•Textile, automobile, petrochemical

Bo Hai economic Rim

•Yangtze river•Sichuan basin- rice bowl of China•Highest navigable river in China•Three gorge dam•World’s largest power station•To increase navigation in Yangtze

Yangtze basin region

•Shanghai –steel, textile, ship building• Largest port of China• world’s busiest container port•financial center of China

Yangtze region: Shanghai

•Nanking –textile•Wuhan – steel industries•Chengdu – petroleum reserve, iron reserve, Petro- chemical industries

Yangtze region

•Guangzhou:•On pearl river•Earliest SEZ of China•Famous for finished goods and light industries•Close to Hong Kong and Macau

Guangzhou- Macau region

China Japan Russia

SE Asia West Asia

ASIA

Japan

Hokkaido

Honshu

ShikokuKyushu

Ryuku

Islands of Japan

Physical geography of Japan

Sea of Japan

Korea strait/

western Channel

La Perouse strait

Tsugaru strait

• Japan at the junction of 3 plates•Ocean-ocean collision – volcanic mountains in Japan•Frequent earthquake and possibilities of Tsunami

Geology of Japan

•80% of Japan rugged topography•Most of the population live on eastern coast•Rivers – small and swift run-off•No large river system in Japan

Physical Geography of Japan

•Hokkaido – Laurentian type (Cool temperate eastern margin))•Rest of Japan temperate monsoon – China type (Warm temperate eastern margin)

Climate of Japan

•Rainfall from south east monsoon in summer •north west monsoon in winter – dry wind from Siberia – become moist from east china sea•Maritime influence

Climate of Japan

Sea of Japan

•Only 20% of land suitable for agriculture•Wet paddy and terraced paddy•Wheat, Barley, Soya bean, potatoes, Sweet potatoes

Agriculture in Japan

•The humid climate inside is maintained• Instead of soil, the plants are raised hydroponically, a method where nutrients and fertilizer is drip-fed and absorbed through recycled water in a measured, controlled manner.

Indoor farming in Japan

•LED fixtures sitting atop are programmed to automatically adjust their illumination in a cycle that maximizes photosynthesis during the day and breathing at night•High productivity and better quality of produce

Indoor farming in Japan

•One of the largest fishery sector in the world•Deep sea fishing, aqua-culture, artificial insemination, modern hatching techniques

Fishery in Japan

1) Meeting of cold current Oyashio and warm current Kuroshio

2) Indented coastline3) Shallow

continental shelf4) Temperate waters

Reason:Flourishing fishery sector in Japan

•Whale is a chief source of protein in Japan. •Whale meat – special food at festivities•Whale meat, whale bones, blubber and oil•After, WWII, destruction of Japan’s infra, whale consumption increased

Whaling in Japan

International Whaling Commission’s global moratorium on commercial hunting in 1986.

Japanese whaling program known as JARPA II

Japan hunting whales in Southern Ocean (Antarctic Ocean) since 2005 in the name of scientific research

Japanese Whaling Program

Environmental groups have been opposing Japanese whale hunting, because whale are chief predator. Their decrease in population can disturb the marine food chain

2010: Australia filed a case in ICJ claiming, Japanese whaling program is not scientific.

Australia: Japan had caught more than 3000 whales since 2005, but the scientific output was limited.

International opposition

Use of DNA samplings and remote monitoring, scientist do not need to kill whales for research.

If at all, dead whale is needed for research – dead whales found on the beach around the world. The scientists can use those dead whales

International Whale Commission

JARPA II is not is not a scientific research permitted under International Whaling Commission Rules.

JARPA II violates the International Whaling Commission’s global moratorium on commercial hunting (1986).

Verdict of ICJ on Japan’s whaling

ICJ asked Japan to halt lethal methods for whale research

Japanese govt. announced not to hunt in 2014-15 season

Japan need to produce fresh proposal in accordance with the verdict, if it wants to continue with the hunt.

Verdict of ICJ on Japan’s whaling

Japan is world’s largest importer of coal and Natural gas

2nd largest importer of oilCoal – Ishikari coal field in HokkaidoPetroleum- Nigata, Akita

Mineral resources in Japan

Coal resources in Japan

Ishikari

Kushiro

Ube

Petroleum resources in Japan

Akita

Nigata

Iron ore resources in Japan

Kaomaishi

Copper resources in Japan

Fukusima

Industrial Regions

Kwanto plain

Kinki plain

Nobi/Nagoyaplain

Kyushu plain

•1/4th of Japan’s agriculture land•wheat, soybeans, potatoes, sugar beet•Timber industry, tourism•Sapporo – important city (tourism, paper, steel)•Murorun city – steel industries

Hokkaido

•Kyoto, Chiba, Kawasaki, Yokohama•Chief steel producing region of Japan• Iron from India, Australia•Coal from Australia

Kwanto plain

TokyoKawasaki

Yokohama Chiba

•Yokohama – world’s finest natural harbour•Tokyo – electrical and engineering goods•Kawasaki -Electronics, automobile, cement, glass

Kwanto plain

TokyoKawasaki

Yokohama Chiba

•Nagoya, Gifu, Hamamatsu•Leading textile producing region•Nagoya automobile capital of Japan

Nagoya Plain

Nagoya

Gifu

Hamamatsu

•Kyoto-Kobe and Osaka •Kyoto – old capital of Japan, ancient city•Osaka – textile, footwear•Kobe – oil refinery, petro-chemical•Major port and ship building

Kinki Plain

KyotoKobe

Osaka

•Hiroshima, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Nagasaki•Kitakyushu merger of [Yahata, Kokura, Moji, Tobata, Wakamatsu]

-Steel industries

•Fukuoka and Nagasaki – steel industries

Kyushu Plain

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

UbeKitakyushu

Fukuoka

•Hiroshima – automobile and ship building•Ube – chemical industries

Kyushu Plain

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

UbeKitakyushu

Fukuoka

Strength of Japan

people’s attitude Knowledge hubAvailability of natural ports

Cheap HEP

Ageing populationHigh population density

Prone to earthquake, volcanism and Tsunami

Shikoku – only island without volcano

Weaknesses of Japan