Geography of Asia

• Asia is the biggest of all continents.
• It contains mountain ranges, vast plateaus, majestic river basins, lakes and inland seas.
• The Himalayas serve as the home of the world's tallest mountains, situated within the borders of China, Nepal, and India
• Asia's average elevation measures 950 m (3,117 ft), making it the highest of any continent.
• Asia has a total surface area of 44,579,000 sq. km (17,212,000 sq. miles) which is equivalent to 30% of Earth's land
• Mt. Everest, situated on the Nepal-China border, marks Asia’s highest natural point at 29,028 ft above sea level.
• Asia’s lowest point is the Dead Sea along the Israel-Jordan border, at 1,412 ft below sea level.
• The Himalayas connect westward to the Hindu Kush, while the Caucasus and Ural mountains define the boundary between Asia and Europe

The Tibetan Plateau & Other Plateaus

• The Tibetan Plateau is known as the "roof of the world" due to its height.
• The Deccan Plateau dominates South Asia in India.
• The Jog Falls (Gersoppa Falls) are found on the Deccan Plateau, having a height of 830 ft (253 m).
• The Anatolian plateau lies in western Turkey.
• Siberia has vast plateau regions in the far north.

Deserts, Plains, and Bodies of Water

• Plains are found in Asia, while geologically distinct areas lie on the Arabian, Indian, and Malay peninsulas.
• Eastern China contains vast plains like the the central part of India, and areas of Southeast Asia.
• Central Asia has steppes in the northwesterly direction from Eastern China.
• Gobi Desert stands as the continent's largest, stretching across Mongolia and China, covering 500,000 sq. mi. (1,300,000 sq. km).
• Islands are concentrated southeast of the continent, with Indonesia having the highest number, followed by the Philippines and Japan.
• Islands and archipelagos include Bahrain, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Qatar, and Taiwan.
• Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake at 5,315 feet (1,620 meters) deep, with its bottom lying 3,822 feet (1,165 meters) below sea level.
• The Caspian Sea stands as the largest inland water body, located in the western part.

River Systems

• China's plateaus are dissected by large rivers.
• The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) stretches as the longest river measuring 3,964 mi. (6,378 km).
• The Huang Ho (Yellow River) is the continent’s largest.
• Other river systems include the Tigris and Euphrates to the west, Ob and Lena to the North, Ganges and Indus to the south, Mekong, Chao Phraya, Salween, and Irrawaddy in the southeastern region.

People and Regions of Asia

• China and India contain the world's largest populations within Asia.
• Asia is further divided into five distinct primary regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western/Southwest Asia, and Central Asia.

East Asia

• Occupies approximately 28% of the Asian continent at 12,000,000 km2 (4,600,000 sq. mi).
• Contrasts occur between mountains and lowlands, arid and well-watered areas, deserts and forests

Taklimakan and Gobi

• Taklimakan Desert and Gobi Desert are located North of the Tibetan Plateau - The Gobi occupies a large part of Mongolia and Northernmost China.
• The Korean Peninsula shows hilly features.
• Japan experiences frequent seismic activity due to tectonic plate clashes.

East Asia Population

• East Asia has a population of approximately 1.5 billion people, accounting for about 38% of the Asian population and about 24% globally; around twice the population of Europe
• The Han Chinese represent the largest ethnic group.
• In mainland China, the government recognizes over 55 other ethnic groups, with majority being Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Bouyei, Dong, Yao, Korean, Bai, Hani, Kazakh, Li, and Dai.

Southeast Asia

• Comprises Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, and the Malay Archipelago.
• The region is bordered by China (north), the Pacific Ocean (east), and Indian Ocean (south and west), the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and India.
• The region is divided into "mainland" and "island" zones.

Mainland Southeast Asia

• The mainland consists of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, representing an extension of Asia

Island or Maritime Southeast Asia

• It includes Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, and East Timor (formerly part of Indonesia).
• Long rivers begin where the highlands separate Southeast Asia from China and northwest.

Lowland Plains & Other Geographic Info of Maritime Southeast Asia

• Extensive lowland plains are separated by forested hills and mountain ranges.
• Highlands display tribal groups with unique styles in clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles.
• Many rice-growing ethnic groups are made of Thais, Burmese, and Vietnamese.
• Islands range from large (Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Luzon) to small (Indonesia consisting of 17,000 islands).
• The land divides and the sea unites through ocean currents and seas, which promote similar languages, cultural influences, and religious beliefs.

Climate & Population of Southeast Asia

• It lies entirely within the tropics, resulting in similar climate and bio-diversity.
• The area undergoes from monsoon winds from the northwest and then shift to the southeast

Ethnic Distribution of Asia

• Each Indochina countries has a nationally dominant group: Khmer (Cambodia), Lao (Laos), Burmese (Myanmar), Thai (Thailand), and Vietnamese (Vietnam).
• Malays and Chinese make up the population in Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, and the Philippines.
• Indonesia, is one of the most populous countries, accounts for more than 42 percent of the population.
• Around 60% of the population inhabits in rural environments, especially in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, live in small farming villages.

South Asia

• Bounded by the Himalayas to the north, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains to the northwest, deserts to the west, and forests along the Burmese border to the east.
• Contains countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
• Plains of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra Rivers form significant physical features and are the heart of Hindu civilizations.
• Is mostly tropical with monsoons in summer and dry winters, except in the Himalayas which see frost.
• Monsoons may only last six months in South India or with Sri Lanka has two monsoons with one in May and another in either October or November.
• Poverty stands as a pressing paradox with the average population density being seven-times the world average.

Western/Southwest Asia

• Sits where Africa, Asia, and Europe converge.
• Consists of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, and Yemen as well as Cyprus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
• Dominated by deserts, steppes, and mountains along the Mediterranean coast, with very low and variable annual precipitation and intense heat or cold.
• Water sources are obtained along coasts, rivers, in oases, and through qanats (tunnels).
• Desert and steppe climates, with the Arabian Peninsula being the driest with sparse rainfall.
• Region marked by flat plains, plateaus, expansive deserts (Rub'al Khali, Syrian Desert).
• Northern mountains include the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, the Elburz and Zagros Mountains in Iran, and the mountains of northern Iraq.
• Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel hold the northern part of the Great Rift Valley.
• Predominantly Arab with Arabic language.
• Islam accounts for majority of followers with Turks, Iranians, Kurds and Jewish populations also present in the region.

Central Asia

• Central Asia consists of five independent republics, which were previously all states of the Union, inclusive of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
• Sparsely populated, landlocked, arid or semiarid climates, and very diverse mountainous landscapes.
• High passes and mountains, vast deserts, and treeless grassy steppes.
• Gobi Desert extends from the Pamirs to the Great Khingan (Da Hinggan) Mountains.
• Population includes over 100 ethnic groups: the Uzbeks are the largest ethnic group, and Russians are also a part of the population.

Culture

• Cultural differences are very apparent from East to West Asia.
• Chinese culture, Japanese and Korean traditions are shared in East Asia, centering on Buddhism, communal society, use of Chinese writing, familial connections, and clan connections.
• The northwestern parts of East Asia show Muslim influences.
• The Chinese calendar is used as a root for many calendars.
• Chinese-speaking regions (including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), as well as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, are within cultural East Asia.

Southeast Asia’s Cultural Characteristics

• Primarily influenced by cultures either from India or China, or both, this is very true in Vietnam.
• Spanish and American influences are most pronounced in the Philippines.
• The unique cultural diversity is a defining characteristic of Southeast Asia, which sees approximately a thousand different languages spoken today.

Southeast Asian Linguistic Features

• The mainland divides into Austro-Asiatic (Cambodian, Vietnamese), Tai (Thai, Lao), and Tibeto-Burmese language families.
• The languages are Malay (Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia), Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, and tribal dialects.

Southeast Asian Economy:

• Southeast Asia was pivotal to the world trading system, impacting the distribution of economic development, population growth, and economic activities.
• This caused large distinctions among all social classes.
• ASEAN consists of most countries in Southeast Asia, a key force in the economic aspects of its member states.

South Asian Culture - Economy

• It is an assortment of societies, nationalities, ethnicities, customs, and legacies.
• Cultural aspects includes art, cuisine, music, literature, philosophy, religions, and traditional aspects.
• India made the unification of South Asia and formed the "Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire.
• Among the world’s fastest growing with much poverty among them.
• The region has high growth, and large pockets of poverty are present.
• High amounts of consumers exist, including exotic spices that grow on the land and extensive fishing along the coastlines.

Western/Southwest Asia

• Tigris-Euphrates civilization had many of the world’s firsts.
• Law codes, and cities all began in the Middle East. In addition, Judaism (13th century bc), Christianity (1st century to 4th century ad) and Islam (7th century ad) were all founded in this region.
• Natural gas output in Gulf States (Iraq, Iran, Kuwait) forms the base and primary source.
• Petrochemicals create main impact despite most regions still exporting crude oil.
• Desalination is needed for human survival in gulf states.
• World's total oil gas deposits are found in the Middle Eastern areas, even though the zone imports needed items and raw materials.
• The strongest economy out of all Mediterranean is Israel.

Central Asia in Finality

• Still reflects its cultural legacy of a nomatic nature.
• Many ethnic and linguistic traditions exist.

Religion

East Asia

• Consists of major religions in Asia with Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese folk religion in China, Shinto in Japan, and more Christianity can be in South Korea.

Southeast Asia

• Most Indonesians and Malaysians adhere to Islam, people of Indochina are Buddhists, and most Filipinos and East Timorese are Christians.
• Other religions include Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism. Muslims are found in all mainland countries, mostly in southern Thailand and western Burma (Arakan).
• The Islam state religion in Malaysia and Brunei with 85% of Indonesia follows Muslim traditions.

South Asia

• Home to Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, Confucianism and Christianity, South Asian culture is rich and varied with rich early Indus Valley Civilization is the origin for the races.
• Islamic influenced was spread by Muslim invaders starting around the 7th century that rose to prominence during the Mughal Empire.
• Hindus live in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Western Asia

• More than 90% are Muslims.
• The prophet Muhammad, who was born in Arabia in AD 571, brought the Islamic faith into West Asia around AD 610 with its influence spreading in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Central Asia

• Islam religion seen in Central Asian Republics.
• Strong influence of communism due to the the Russian Orthodox Church, and many members in Kazakhstan.