Geography: Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia, China

• The study notes are about Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia and China

Japan: Location and Area

• Islands located in the Pacific Ocean in eastern Asia
• Borders surround Japan, the East China Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Korean Strait
• Extends over 377,000 km2, ranking 61st globally and being about 5 times larger than the Czech Republic
• Home to more than 126 million people, ranking 11th worldwide
• Functions as a constitutional monarchy

Japan: Natural Conditions

• It is a stratovolcanic archipelago comprising more than 14,000 islands
• The main islands constitute 97% of the total area
• The main islands are Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido
• The surface is very mountainous including Mount Fuji at 3,776 m
• Forests cover two-thirds of the land
• The land has short and fierce mountain rivers with a year-round water supply
• There are many mineral and thermal springs
• There is a diverse climate that includes cold weather in the north, subtropical conditions in the south, and strong monsoon rains

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Cities

• Tokyo is the capital city that comprises 12 million residents, with an agglomeration of up to 38 million
• Yokohama has 3.3 million residents
• Osaka has 2.6 million residents

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Population

• 99.2% of the population is Japanese
• 0.6% of the population is Korean
• 0.2% of the population is listed as "other"
• The average life expectancy is 81 years old

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Economy

• Ranked as the 3rd or 4th largest economy, is considered an Asian economic superpower
• Achieved its greatest growth in the 1960s and 1970s

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Agriculture

• Only 12% of the country is arable land that is very fertile
• Agriculture employs 6% of the population
• Rice is the most important crop

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Fishing and Forestry

• Japan is the world's leading country in the volume of fish caught at up to 13 million tons per year
• Forests are very difficult to access and systematic logging operations are complex

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Power Supply

• Japan has small reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas which are insufficient for its economy
• Fuels and other raw materials such as iron ore must be imported
• About 20% of the electricity is nuclear-generated and 10% is hydroelectric

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Industry

• Japan is among the top 5 global manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles
• Major automobile manufacturers include Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Suzuki
• Major motorcycle manufacturers include Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha
• Notable Tire Manufacturer: Bridgestone
• The country produces electronics
• Major electronics manufacturers include Panasonic, Sony, Canon, JVC, Sharp, Casio, Nikon, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Seiko
• Electronics have been significantly supported by the state since the 1960s
• Production of ships and chemicals is an industry

Japan: Socio-Economic Characteristics - Transport

• Japan has high-speed railways and is ranked first in high-speed trains
• Tokaido connects Tokyo and Osaka established in 1964 with a maximum speed of 210 km/h
• The Shinkansen high-speed train network covers 8 lines with over 2,800 km, operates over 250 trainsets, and reaches speeds up to 320 km/h
• The Seikan Tunnel connects the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu with a length of 53 km
• There is also a city railway
• There is an automobile transport that includes 60,000 km of highways although still inadequate
• Air transport is available through 170 airports
• The largest airport is Haneda in Tokyo

Korea - Location and Area

• South Korea is a republic with a democratic government in the south of the Korean Peninsula
• North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is to the north, practicing a totalitarian regime under the Korean Workers' Party
• The peninsula is surrounded by the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, the Korean Strait, and the Korean Bay
• South Korea is 100,000 km2 and has 51 million people which translates to 500 inhabitants per km2
• North Korea is 120,000 km2 and 26 million people
• After World War II, Korea was divided by the victorious powers into North Korea which was influenced by the USSR, and South Korea, which was under the influence of the USA
• The Korean Peninsula was divided into North and South Korea after the Korean War in 1950-1953

South Korea - Natural conditions

• It is primarily a mountainous country, featuring Hallasan, which is 1,949m high, on Jeju Island
• The lowlands make up only 30% of the surface and are located in the southwest and south east.
• There are roughly 3,000 islands that a part of South Korea
• The climate is mild
• Includes a short rainy season in the summer due to the summer monsoon
• Has very cold winters

South Korea - Socio-Economic Characteristics - Cities

• Seoul is the capital city with 11 million residents
• Pusan has 3.7 million residents, Tegu has 2.5 million residents and Ulsan has 2 million residents

South Korea - Socio-Economic Characteristics - Population

• The population is 99% Korean
• The remaining 1% is Chinese and Japanese

South Korea - Socio-Economic Characteristics -Demographics

• The population density is high, with over 500 residents per km2
• The urbanization rate is up to 75%

South Korea - Socio-Economic Characteristics - Economy

• Was one of the poorest countries in the world in the 1950s
• Implemented reforms in the 1960s following Japan's model
• It has mineral resources that include coal, iron ore, gold, and wolfram
• Nuclear energy accounts for as high as 45% of power generation ranking in the top 5 globally, and is a supplier of nuclear technology to other countries
• Industries include automobiles (Hyundai, Kia, Daewoo, and SsangYong), electronics (Samsung, LG), shipbuilding (Hyundai), and textiles (FILA)

North Korea - Natural Conditions

• It has very mountainous terrain including Pektusan which measures 2,745 m and is located in the North of North Korea
• Forests cover 70% of the land
• It has a mild climate
• There are very warm and rainy summers due to the summer monsoon
• There are very cold winters that are influenced by cold northern winds

North Korea - Socio-Economic Characteristics

• The country is has a political and economic situation
• The country is a people's democratic republic characterized by hereditary dictatorship
• There is a cult of personality
• The economy was rapidly developing and industrializing in the 1950s-1970s with great growth
• It was supported by the USSR and formerly communist countries
• The 1990s introduced repeated droughts and floods, and the breakdown of the communist bloc, leading to famine and the collapse of the economy
• There is a malfunctioning state sector
• There are very poor living conditions, lack of freedom, and oppression

North Korea - Current Political State

• The country is in international isolation due to sanctions from the UN because of repeated nuclear tests
• Is economically and nutritionally severely underdeveloped
• Operates the third largest military on Earth, comprising 1.3 million soldiers
• Border between North and South Korea is a demilitarized zone of 250km long and 4km wide

Mongolia - Overview

• Is a landlocked country
• It shares its border with Russia to the north, and with China to the south
• Covers 1.56 million km2, which is 20 times the size of the Czech Republic
• Home to 3.3 million people
• Is sparsely populated, with a density of 1.8 residents per km2
• Ulaanbaatar is the capital city with 1.3 million residents
• Other cities hold less than 100,000 residents

Mongolia - Terrain

• A large part of the country consists of a plateau above 1500m
• The Altai Mountains include Khuiten Peak with an altitude of 4374 m
• Gobi Desert is the driest region
• The country has a lake basin that is endorheic
• The Selenga River flows into Lake Baikal
• The Cherlen flows into the Chinese Lake Hulun - the Amur to the Pacific
• The nearest sea is up to 700 km away

Mongolia - History and Politics

• In the 13th century, Mongolia built an empire that was one of the largest of all time
• Since 1924, Mongolia has been a People's Republic, operating under the influence of the USSR
• Became a fully free country in 1990
• Functions as a parliamentary republic

Mongolia - Economy

• 15% of the population works in agriculture
• 32% of the population works in industry
• 53% of the population works in services
• Nomadic herding is an occupation
• Mineral resources mined include coal (black & brown), oil, iron ore, gold, and copper
• Industry is mostly mining and food processing

China - Overview

• The country has a population of 1.4 billion residents
• The country is the 4th largest country worldwide in area at 9.6 million km2
• Is located in eastern Asia
• It borders 14 states
• The shores are the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea
• More than 5,400 islands belong to China
• Beijing is the capital city with 21 million residents

China - Terrain

• China is located on the Eurasian tectonic plate
• Its collision with the Indo-Australian Plate was the reason for the formation of the Alpine-Himalayan folding
• The southwest region of the country is very mountainous Tibet Plateau (average height 4,500 m)
• Mountain ranges include the Himalayas, Karakoram, Tian Shan, Pamir and Hengduan Shan
• The Turpan Depression is -154 m deep covering 50,000 km2
• Major deserts are the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan Desert
• Lowlands include the Great China Plain, and the Manchurian Plain

China - Climate

• Has climate zones including moderate, subtropical, tropical and alpine
• The southeast region is a humid subtropics
• The southwest region has a mild monsoon climate
• The northeast area has a mild continental climate
• The southwest region has an alpine cold climate
• The Himalayas act as a barrier preventing the penetration of warm air from the south
• Monsoons are the main factor affecting the climate there with most of them occurring in the southeast, bringing periods of drought and rain
• The northeast faces a winter monsoon, blowing from the northeast as a result of the Siberian-Mongolian high pressure system
• Depending on the frequency and abundance of rainfall, China is divided into arid in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, and humid in the South East

China - Hydrology

• China is divided into a warm and cold regions by the Yangtze River
• The waterways include: Yangtze River (3rd longest river in the world), Huang He aka Yellow River, the Pearl River and the Amur River
• Lakes include: Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake and Qinghai Lake that is saline
• The Three Gorges Dam is a reservoir that measures 1,000 km2 in size and 660 km long, with a difference in water level of 113 meters
• It contains 39 km3 of water
• When the dam was constructed, over 1.25 million people were displaced from their homes and an additional 4 million are at risk of dislocation due to landslides

China - Government and Administration

• Major cities include Shanghai, 24 million residents
• Followed by Beijing, 21 million residents
• Next is Tianjin, 16 million residents
• Fourth is Guanzhou with 14 million residents
• Fifth is Shenzen at 12 million residents
• Finally Wuhan with 11 million residents
• China operates administrative divisions
• there are 22 controlled provinces with exception to Taiwan that is considered by China to be a province but it does not have factual power over it
• there are five autonomous regions, four government-administered cities and two special administrative regions (Hong Kong, Macau)

China - People

• Politics are based on to a totalitarian regime under the leadership of the Communist Party
• The the population is composed of multiracial groups that include 56 ethnic groups
• The Han make up 92% of the people
• The remaining 8% are minorities from 55 ethnic groups including Manchus (10 million), Uyghurs (7 million), Tibetans (5 million), Mongols (5 million)
• there are approximately 1 million foreigners, mainly from South Korea, the USA, and Japan
• Of the 290 languages commonly used, Mandarin is the most commonly spoken accounting for 70% of the population
• Standard Chinese is the official language of China

China - Economy - Trade

• China runs a strongly pro-export economy
• China imports oil, natural gas, iron ore, integrated circuits (chips), plastics in primary form, automobiles and their parts, copper and its alloys
• China exports PCs and their components, cell phones, integrated circuits, clothing and accessories, textiles, steel, furniture, and plastic products

China - Economy - Trade Partners

• Main trade partners include ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) at 14%
• Followed by the EU at 13%
• Next is the USA at 12.5%
• Then comes Japan at 6%
• Finally South Korea, also at 6%

China - Economy - Resources

• Is the world's largest importer of oil, it does not have significant reserves of oil or gas
• The mining of iron ore, coal, tungsten and non-ferrous metals is significant
• Over 60% of power plants are thermal
• The rest is hydraulic and nuclear with the Three Gorges being the largest power plant
• A high rate of economic growth was launched from the 90s of the 20th century
• As of 2015 it has been the largest economy in the world