Natural Resources in Asia Lesson PDF

PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA  Lies along the seismic and volcanic belt of Asia.  Divided into the mainland peninsula and insular  Mainland includes the rugged mountainous regions of Indochina and Malay Peninsula  The insular includes the island arcs and...

PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA  Lies along the seismic and volcanic belt of Asia.  Divided into the mainland peninsula and insular  Mainland includes the rugged mountainous regions of Indochina and Malay Peninsula  The insular includes the island arcs and archipelagoes to the east and southeast of mainland Asia  Mountains, valleys, rivers and river basins divide Southeast Asia’s landmass.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA  Foremost among the rivers in the region like the Irrawaddy, the Mekong that serve as a border between Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Southern Vietnam, and Chao Phraya of Thailand.  Malay Peninsula comprises Malaysia and Singapore.  It has tropical climate  Northern Vietnam is an exemption, it has a subtropical climate.  Southeast Asia wet and dry seasons because of the seasonal monsoon winds  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA  Some animals that can be found only in the region are the orangutans of Borneo and Sumatra, bearcat, the Malayan tapir, the Sumatran rhinoceros, and the Bornean clouded leopard.  Komodo dragon is the largest living specie of lizard and inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang in Indonesia  Philippine Eagle is the national bird of the Philippines. It is the largest eagle in the world and is endemic to the Philippines.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA  mouse deer is mainly found in Sumatra, Borneo and Palawan, Philippines  gaur, which is known to be a gigantic wild ox bigger than a water buffalo, is found mainly in Indochina  babirusa or the tusked pig is found in Indonesia.  Raja Ampat located off the northwestern tip of West Papua, Indonesia, as surveyed by the Marine Conservation International, is now considered the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA dominant vegetation cover of the region is tropical rainforest. regions forest resources have been sources of popular herbal medicines and quality timber..  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA CAMBODIA widely covered with tropical forests due to its tropical monsoon climate. mineral resources include iron ore, phosphate, limestone, coal, salt, gold, silver, clay and semi-precious stones habitat loss and degradation brought or increased agriculture, frequent fires, planned commercial concessions, illegal logging, and unsustainable levels of hunting all threatened Cambodia’s forest biodiversity  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA Laos Is largely mountainous except for the plains and terraces. Plains are irrigated by the Mekong river. Other crops include tobacco, cotton, and other tropical fruits. Mineral resources include copper, tin, and coal  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA VIETNAM Lies in the East Asian monsoon zone. true or false Its coastal harbors of Vietnam are ideal fishing grounds. The northern part of the country is rich in minerals having the largest deposit of anthracite and other mineral deposits of tin, phosphate, iron ore, and antimony in Southeast Asia.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA THAILAND The north and west part of Thailand are mountainous. The central region is made up of the vast plain of Chao Phraya river basins that attracted large group of settlers. The entire country has a tropical climate and vegetable, directly affected by the monsoon  The Gulf of Siam is the primary source of fish resources. Millions of tons of marine and freshwater fishes are harvested in the gulf.  Tin is the most important mineral in Thailand.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA MALAYSIA terrain is characterized by coastal plains that rise toward the hills and mountains Malaysia is one of the largest exporters of water resources. rubber is the most vital product of the country. Malaysia is also a leading producer of tin. Taman Negara forest, which is known to be the oldest forest in the world, remains to be a tourist attraction.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA SINGAPORE located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. serves as the crossroad of Asian sea routes between India and China. consists of one large island and several tiny islands composed of lowland and hills has one of the finest harbors in the world.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM predominantly hilly and mountainous.  is often called “puni” or “poli” which means oil-rich kingdom. Is rich in oil and natural gas. is still very much dependent on revenues from crude oil and natural gas. Due to the non-renewable nature of oil and gas, it develop programs to diversify its economy toward agriculture..  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA INDONESIA  divided into the Greater Sunda Islands and the Lesser Sunda islands.  Greater Sunda island contain most of the population and wealth of the nation.  include Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Sulawesi.  lesser Sunda stretches from Bali to Maluku, the former Moluccas or “Spice Islands”,  West Irian and the western half of New Guinea.  Indonesia carries within its islands around 100 volcanoes.  Indonesia experiences a maritime equatorial climate.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA INDONESIA warm tropical waters around the archipelago support a wide variety of coral reefs, fishes and the world renowned pearl oyster. Oil and petroleum are the most important industry in the country coming mostly from Sumatra and Kalimantan. Other minerals like bauxite, nickel, iodine, and coal are also found in the country.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA PHILIPPINES Luzon, the largest, the Visayas islands, and Mindanao. consists of many active volcanoes. About 42 percent of the Philippines are covered with forests due to careless logging and kaingin practice, the forest cover was reduced now to only 20 percent. Bananas and pineapple are commercially important as  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA PHILIPPINES home of various and unique mammals and wild birds. monkey-eating eagle, the tarsier, deer, and tamaraw can be found within the country. Gold, copper, zinc, chromite, iron and manganese are some of the mineral resources of Philippines. At present, factories of cement, textiles, aluminum, chemicals, and other industries are being developed in the country. Fish ranks second to rice of the diet of most Filipinos.  PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA EAST TIMOR It is the largest easternmost island of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Timor has a tropical climate. easternmost part of Timor consists of mountain ranges where the tropical dry forested area of the country is found. hosts a number of unique plant and animal species. Its northern coast is comprised of a number of coral reef systems. It also has deposits of gold, copper, iron, oil, and  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: AGRICULTURE Southeast Asia is an agricultural region. The monsoon climate is also helpful for the people in enriching the production of rice and crops. majority of the population in this region lives in the plains that are well irrigated  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: AGRICULTURE Mekong and the Tonle Sap basins of Cambodia, the Mekong Delta, the alluvial areas at the foothills of the Annamite mountain range of Vietnam, the alluvial plains and delta pf the Chao Phraya, the wide plains of Luzon, the Rice Terraces in Banaue, the fertile island of the Java in Indonesia and the fertile deltaic plains of the Irrawaddy River of Myanmar all yield abundant rice and other crops.  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: AGRICULTURE Most of the people in this region depend on farming as their source living. Java is the riches island in Indonesia, more than half of Indonesians live in this small fertile island. Java only accounts to seven percent of the country’s total land area. the government launched a “transmigration policy”. This policy involves a large scale relocation of people from Java to other islands in the archipelago.  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: AGRICULTURE most of Southeast Asians also live in farms and plantations. Rubber is the second most important crop next to rice. Rubber is Malaysia’s important crop because the country has low rice production. These rubber plantations are on the plains of Kedah, Selangor and Tahore. The rivers of Parang Perak, and Kelantan water these plains.  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: ECONOMY more of an agricultural region, Southeast Asian countries have now developed its manufacturing and service sectors. The manufacture of timber constitutes, 70 percent of Cambodia’s economy. Laos’ economy is partly helped by its cottage-type industries. includes pottery, weaving, leather curing, and silver  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: ECONOMY Vietnam is now focused on improving its industrial sector and is fast emerging as an industrialized nations. It manufactures and exports textiles, electronic high- tech goods like microprocessors and heavy industrial products like automobiles. It has also reserves of oil.  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: ECONOMY Singapore and Brunei have well-developed economies.  Singapore’s major assets are its location and its deep-water harbor. its strategic port relies on extended entrepot trade. This trade deals with buying raw goods and purifying or refining them for re-export.  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: ECONOMY industries that depend on this kind of trade are water fabrication and oil refining. Singapore’s busy port infrastructure and skilled labor force offer traders an easy access to markets it exported electronics, chemicals. At present, Singapore is considered as the most industrialized nation in Southeast Asia.  IMPLICATIONS OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN: ECONOMY the countries of Southeast Asia have been performing well as tourist havens. In 1998, Singapore was recognized as the front-runner of the region with regards to tourism followed by Thailand and Lao PDR. in the year 2000, Cambodia has bested Singapore and other ASEAN countries with almost 15% of its GDP coming from tourism (2006 WDI Online).