Physical Geography of East Asia:

A Rugged Terrain

The mountainous landscape, open ocean, and harsh climate of East Asia isolate the region and present challenges for the people living there.

Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.

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SECTION 1 Landforms and Resources

SECTION 2 Climate and Vegetation

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SECTION 3 Human-Environment Interaction

Physical Geography of East Asia:

A Rugged Terrain

Unit Atlas: PoliticalUnit Atlas: Physical

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Section 1

Landforms and Resources • East Asia has a huge mainland area that

includes rugged terrain. • East Asia has a number of important islands

off its eastern coast.

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, increaseisolation

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Mountain Ranges of the Region • High mountains limited China’s contact with rest of

Asia- world’s highest mountains located on western

edge of region •Kunlun Mountains are located in west China

- source of Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) rivers

•Qinling Shandi Mountains divide northern China from the south

continued Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus

Continued . . .

Map

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Plateaus and Plains • Mountainous area includes some sparsely

populated basins, deserts- includes Plateau of Tibet (Xizang Plateau)- western China’s Tarim Pendi Basin and

Taklimakan Desert •Gobi Desert stretches from northwest China into

Mongolia- covers 500,000 square miles

•Mongolian Plateau is in northeastern China •Northern China includes Manchurian Plain, North

China Plain

continued Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus

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

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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

continued Peninsulas and Islands

Chart

River Systems

The Huang He • Huang He (Yellow River)—northern China river

- starts in Kunlun Mountains in west, winds east for 3,000 miles

- empties into Yellow Sea, named for yellow silt the river carries

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Continued . . .

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The Chang Jiang • Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)—longest river in Asia

- flows 3,900 miles from Xizang (Tibet) to EastChina Sea

- major trade route; floods often causing greatdamage

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The Xi Jiang • Xi Jiang (West River) flows southeast through south

China- joins Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) to flow into South

China Sea- Xi Jiang, three other rivers form estuary between

Hong Kong, Macao

continued River Systems

Other Rivers of the Region • Yalu Jiang river flows 500 miles along North Korea,

China border- Chinese troops cross it in 1950- attack UN forces, enter Korean War

Resources of East Asia

Uneven Distribution • China, Mongolia, North Korea have natural, mineral

resources • Japan, South Korea, Taiwan have limited natural

resources

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Continued . . .

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

Interactive

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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

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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

continued Resources of East Asia

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Section 2

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

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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

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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

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Image

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

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Section 3

Human-Environment Interaction • The Chinese are building the Three Gorges

Dam to control flooding.

• The Japanese have developed creative ways to use their limited amounts of land.

The Three Gorges Dam

An Engineering Feat • In 1993, China began construction of the Three

Gorges Dam- being built on China’s Chang Jiang river- should reduce flooding, generate power

• China’s largest construction project will be world’s biggest dam- will be 600 feet high, spanning a mile-wide valley- will create 400-mile-long reservoir, covering 1,000

towns

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Continued . . .

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Positive Effects • Government believes dam will control Chang Jiang

flooding- river irrigates half of China’s crops, drains one-fifth

of land • Giant turbines should generate 10% of China’s

electrical power • Will make it easier for ships to reach China’s interior

through locks- river carries more than half the goods moved on

China’s waterways- dam, locks will increase shipping capacity,

decrease costs

continued The Three Gorges Dam

Continued . . .

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Negative Effects • Most observers feel dam will also have negative

effects- negative environmental impact may outweigh any

benefits • One to two million people will have to move

- hundreds of historical sites, scenic spots will besubmerged

• Dam could cost $75 billion rather than original $11 billion estimate- costs scare away many potential investors

continued The Three Gorges Dam

Continued . . .

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Negative Effects • In building dam, government has not protected the

environment • New reservoir will flood land, reduce animal habitats

- submerged factories could leak chemicals intowater

- region’s climate, temperature will be affected- some species (alligator, river dolphin, others) may

vanish • International groups slow to invest due to

environmental concerns

continued The Three Gorges Dam

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Use of Space in Urban Japan

Crowded Living and Working Spaces • 60% of 127 million people live on 3% of land along

coastal plains- 80% live in largest cities: Tokyo, Yokohama,

Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo- 25 million in Tokyo, one of world’s largest

cities • Cities poisoned with mercury, PCBs—factory

pollutants—in 1950s, ’60s- PCBs build up in animal tissue; cause disease,

birth defects- PCBs banned in 1977

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Adapting to Limited Space • Houses are small, sparsely furnished • Many in cities live in apartments

- family of four in a one-bedroom apartment is common

• Some move to suburbs, but must commute several hours to work

• Coastal cities reclaim land with landfill- landfill is solid waste buried in layers of dirt- Tokyo puts factories, refineries on landfill

continued Use of Space in Urban Japan

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