EG9_TB_Geo_Chap1 PDF - The Asian Region

1 The Asian Region The aim of this chapter is to learn the important information on the Asian Region.  Geographical location of Asia Relative Location The continent of Asia is located in the Eastern part of the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth....

1 The Asian Region The aim of this chapter is to learn the important information on the Asian Region.  Geographical location of Asia Relative Location The continent of Asia is located in the Eastern part of the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. Geographically, it is connected to the continent of Europe. Some of the islands that belong to the Asian continent are located in the Southern hemisphere. (Fig.1.1) The Asian continent is bounded by, ² The Arctic ocean on the North ² The Pacific ocean on the East Fig 1.1 - Geographical location of Asia ² The Indian ocean on the South and, ² The continent of Europe on the West. In a geographical view, the Continent of Europe and Asia are both located as one landmass called Eurasia. Ural Mountain Range, River Ural, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal and Red Sea are the boundaries that separate Asia from Europe and Africa. There are many islands that belong to the Asian continent. Japanese islands, Indonesian islands, Philippine islands, Sri Lanka and Taiwan are examples for those islands which are larger in extent. Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands and the Maldives are examples of smaller islands. 2 For free distribution Absolute Location The location of any place or region on the Earth can definitely be shown using geographical coordinates. Accordingly, the absolute location of the Asian region can be shown on the basis of longitudes and latitudes as follows; The Asian continent is located between 100 Latitude South to 800 Latitude North and between 250 and 1800 Longitudes East. Uniqueness of the Asian region There are many specific physical and human characteristics in the Asian region. Several unique ² The largest continent in the world physical and human characteristics ² Presence of all the climatic types of the world ² Presence of different human races, ethnic groups and languages and cultural diversity ² Birth place of many major religions ² Location of the largest mountain ranges and the highest mountain peak ² The most popular continent The Asian continent covers an area of 44.6 million km2 (44,579,000 km2). It is about 30% of the land area of the earth and 8.7 % of the entire surface of the Earth. Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia 2017.02.05 The largest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, is located in the continent of Asia. Mount Everest, the highest peak which is 8848 meters in height is located here. The Dead Sea is also located in the Asian land mass, is below the sea level. Cherrapunji in the state of Meghalaya in India receives the highest rainfall and Gobi desert is considered as the area that receives the lowest rainfall in the world. Both areas are located in the continent of Asia. 3 For free distribution  All types of climates that exist in the world can be found here. Therefore, every type of forest in the world also can be found in the continent of Asia. Therefore, biodiversity which means the diversity of plants and animals is greater in this region. According to the size of population, more than half or about 60% of the world population lives in the Asian region. It is notable that China and India, the two most populous countries in the world are located in Asia. Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan that belong to the top ten countries with the highest population of the world are also located in the Asian region. Accordingly, six out of 10 most populous countries are located in the continent of Asia. The average density of population of the continent of Asia is 87 per kilometer, but there are some regions in Asia with a high population density of more than 3000 people per kilometer. In the Asian region, there are 54 States or independent countries. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia 2017.02.05) The diversity in the culture, ethnicity and race is a special feature of the population of the Asian region. Existence of various languages is another specific characteristic as various ethnic groups are living there. According to ethnologue, that providing information on languages in the world, 297 living languages are available only in China. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia 2017.02.05) Asian region has become unique as it is the home to the world’s most ancient civilizations such as Mesapothemia, Howang-Ho, and Indus. It is the birth place of major religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. At present, people who follow religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity live in this continent. Activities 1. State the geographical boundaries that would indicate the relative location of the Asian region. 2. Mark those boundaries on an outline map of the world and shade the continent of Asia. 3. Prepare a list of factors that cause for the Asia to be considered as specific region of the world. 4. With reference to a political divisions map of Asia, show the countries that belong to it. 4 For free distribution Physical landscape in Asia Relief The most specific topographic feature in the Asian region is the Mountain Range of Himalaya. This mountain range spreads 2500 kilometers and stretches in a land area of 6.12,000 square kilometers. Due Fig 1.2 - Mount Everest - The highest peak in to this large mountain range, Himalaya mountain range India is seen to be separated from Asia and as a result, India is called a sub continent. There are many peaks including Everest located on this mountain range, exceeding 7000 meters in altitude. Table 1.1 - Highest Peaks in the Himalaya mountain range Highest peaks Height in meters Everest 8848 Kanchenjunga 8586 Makalu 8462 Dhaulagiri 8167 Manaslu 8156 Nanga parbat 8126 Annapurna 8091 Nanda devi 7817 Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/ The other large mountain ranges located in Asia are Altai, Kunlun, Karakorum, Tangshan, Ghats, Sargros and Urals. Several large plateaus in the world are also located in Asia. Some of them are Tibet, Pamir, Deccan, Central Siberian and Iran plateaus. Tibet plateau is the one that located at the highest elevation in the world. It is located at 5000 meters of altitude and surrounded by the mountain ranges like Himalayas, Karakoram and Pamir. As it is the highest plateau in the world and spread over a very large land area, it is called 'Rooftop of the world'. 5 For free distribution  North Asia is a large plain. It is known as the Western Siberian Plain. Manchurian plain and the Great Chinese plain are the other large plains located in Asia. Apart from that, large plains are located close to the river valleys of Indus, Ganges and Hwang Ho. Drainage The large number of river systems scattered all over the Asian region is the major characteristic of the drainage. These rivers flow into different oceans and seas. ² Ob, Yenisey and Lena to the Arctic Ocean, ² Amur, Hwang Ho and Yangtze to the Pacific Ocean, ² Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Irrawaddy and Salvin to the Indian Ocean, ² Euphrates and Tigris flow into the Persian bay. There are several rivers flowing in to the internal seas. ² Serdaria and Amudaria to the Aral sea, ² Ural flows into the Caspian Sea. Fig 1.4 - River Ganges - India Fig 1.3 - River Hwang Ho (Yellow River) China 6 For free distribution For free distribution Map 1.1 - Physical landscape in Asia Source : Gunasena Phyliphs World Map book 2016 7  Table 1.2 - Major rivers in Asia River Length (km) Yangtze 6301 Hwang Ho 5464 Mekong 4909 Lena 4400 Yenisei 4088 Ob 3650 Indus 2900 Brahmaputra 2897 Ganges 2510 Compare the length of the rivers in Asia with the length and width of Sri Lanka. Map 1.2 - Size of Sri Lanka There are several large lakes located in Asia. Among them Baikal and Balkhash are major lakes. Lake Baikal is considered as the deepest lake with fresh water located in the world. Activities 1. Mention four major mountain ranges located in the Asian continent. 2. Name five peaks with their height located on the Himalaya mountain range. 3. Write down the largest rivers located in Asia and write the oceans or seas into which they flow. 4. Name two large plateaus, one plain and two lakes located in the Asian continent. Assignment Mark and name all the physical features written above in an outline map of Asia. 8 For free distribution Climate The Earth is divided into three main climatic zones according to the variations of the distribution of temperature towards the South Pole and towards the North Pole from the equator. ² Tropical zone (Warm climate) ² Temperate zone (Mild climate) ² Frigid zone (Cold climate) (Refer to the Map 1.3) The Asian continent spreads over to the North Pole from the equator. Therefore, all types of climate that belong to those three climatic zones are found there. ² Tropical zone (Warm climate) Very high temperature prevails throughout the whole year. The average temperature is more than 180C. Therefore, a warm climatic condition prevails here. ² Temperate zone (Mild climate) The average temperature in this zone is lower than the tropical zone. Seasonal variations exist here due to the increase and decrease of temperature from time to time throughout the whole year. A clear warm season and cold season is seen here. ² Frigid zone (Cold climate) The main feature that can be seen here is the falling snow and land being covered with snow for a longer period of the year due to the lower level of temperature. N Frigid Zone Arctic Circle N. 66.5o Temperate zone Tropic of Cancer N. 23.5 o Tropical Zone Equator 0o Tropical Zone Tropic of Capricorn S. 23.5o Temperate zone Antarctic Circle S. 66.5o Map 1.3 - Distribution of the main climatic zones in Asia 9 For free distribution  In these three climatic zones, several types of sub climates with different features are be seen due to the influence of various factors, such as changes of the rainfall, influence of monsoons and oceans, altitude, location of mountain ranges and continents. These types of climates and the areas they are distributed are included in the table below; The types of climate that exist in the Asian continent Climatic zone Climatic type Distribution Areas/countries Tropical rainy climate Java and Sumatra islands Tropical Tropical monsoon India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar climate Tropical savanna climate North and northeast India, Bangladesh Warm desert climate India, Thar Desert, Middle Est Countries Temperate Warm temperate climate Areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea Wet temperate climate East China, Japanese islands Frigid Polar and Tundra climate Siberian region and the Northern parts of Asia Mountain climate Regions surrounding the mountain range of the Himalaya Existence of places with very extreme climatic conditions in Asia is a special characteristic ² The lowest temperature in Asia is recorded from the small city of Verkhoyansk located in Russia and its temperature decreases up to -500C during certain days. ² The highest temperature in Asia is recorded from Jacobabad in Pakistan and it is about 550C. 10 For free distribution Natural vegetation and wild life Natural vegetation changes regionally according to the differences of rainfall and temperature. Accordingly, the natural vegetation and the wild life have adapted to the climatic type. Tropical zone –Tropical Rain Forests Tropical evergreen forests can be seen in the areas where high temperature and heavy rainfall is experienced throughout the whole year. In these forests, there are various tall trees like Mahogany, Ebony, Rosewood, Kaluwara, Bamboo, Sandalwood, Akeshia are available. The forests consist of different layers. Various types of creepers, moss, lichen as well as epiphytes grow abundantly here. There is also great bio-diversity. Species of monkeys, reptiles, snakes, fish species and chameleon species are abundantly seen here. Animal species such as tiger, leopard, pig, jackal, deer, and sambar live in large numbers in these areas. Figure 1.5 - Tropical rain forests and the wild life 11 For free distribution  Temperate zone - Temperate Deciduous Forests Deciduous Forests are grown in the temperate zone as a result of the existence of cold and warm seasons during the year. A special characteristic in these forests is falling of leaves from trees annually. Oak, Mulberry, Chestnut, Pine, Eucalyptus, Douglas fir are specific trees grown in these forests. Kinds of animals living here are Wolf, Bear, Sambar deer, and Antelope. Fig 1.6 - Temperate zone forests and animal species Frigid zone - Coniferous forests The specific characteristic of this climatic zone with Taiga and Tundra climate is the prevalence of a longer cold season. Coniferous forests are situated in this region. The trees are in a shape of a cone so as to resist snowfall. Leaves are in a shape of needles. The species of trees grown here are pine, spruce, fir, oak and larch. Reindeer, Polar bear, Snow fox, Snow dog, Sable, and Mink are animal species that can be seen here. 12 For free distribution  Fig. 1.7 - Frigid zone forests and animal species Activities 1. Table three major climatic zones that are seen in the continent of Asia and the types of climate in each of the climatic zones. 2. Write down the types of natural vegetation spread out in each of the climatic zones. 3. Name the animal and plant species grown in each of the natural vegetation zones you mentioned above. Human landscape of the Asian region Ancient human civilizations Several ancient civilizations had been established close to river valleys in the world according to the information found at present about human history. Among them, Euphrates and Tigris, Hwang Ho, Indus and Nile river valley civilizations are major ones. It is special that except Nile river valley civilization, all the other three are located in the continent of Asia. 13 For free distribution  River Indus flows across present Pakistan and India and falls into the Arabian Sea close to the city of Karachchi. A developed urban civilization established on the basis of the two ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa close to this river valley. A developed civilization emerged centralizing Anyang city in the river valley of Hwang Ho or Yellow river that flows across China. The Mesopotamian civilization is the other river valley civilization that was located in the continent of Asia. There are evidences that this civilization had been established between the doab of two rivers, of Euphrates and Tigris that flow across present Iraq. Systematic town planning, buildings, creation of monuments, agriculture and production of artistic items were specific features that developed in these civilizations. Types of human races In the Asian region, different human races as well as many ethnic groups live according to various climatic conditions. Mainly, two types of human races live in the Asian region and the countries where they live are mentioned below; Mongoloid Caucasoid ² China ² India ² Japan ² Afghanistan ² Malaysia ² Pakistan ² Korea ² Sri Lanka ² Singapore ² Arabian countries 14 For free distribution Population distribution The present population in Asia is 4.46 billion (4460 million) (world populationview.com/continents/asia-population 2017.02.01) Out of this, more than half is distributed in China and India. This population is unevenly distributed among countries and it varies from region to region. Physical factors have impacted this unequal distribution of population. Relief features, climate, drainage and soil are such physical factors. When considering the population in Asia, a higher population density can be found close to the river valleys in South, Southeast and East Asian countries. (Over 500 per km2) ² Indo-Gangatic plain in North India. ² Irrawaddy river valley in Myanmar. ² Hwang Ho river valley in China are given as examples. Central Asia, Mongolia, Northern flat lands Gobi and Thar deserts are sparsely populated areas in Asia.(1.4 map) Ten countries with a higher density Ten countries with low population of po pulation by 2017 by 2017 ² China 1370 millions ² Maldives 345000 ² India 1299 millions ² Brunei 421000 ² Indonesia 255 millions ² Macao 641000 ² Pakistan 192 millions ² Bhutan 760000 ² Bangladesh 159 millions ² Timor 1.24 millions ² Japan 127 millions ² Bahrain 1.78 millions ² Philippine 103 millions ² Qatar 2.11 millions ² Vietnam 92 millions ² Armenia 3 millions ² Iran 79 millions ² Mongolia 3.02 millions ² Turkey 78 millions ² Georgia 3.73 millions Source : worldpopulationreview.com/continents/asia-population - 2017.02.01 15 For free distribution  Population Density population per 1 km2 over 500 100-500 25-100 10-25 1-10 less than 1 Tokyo Tehran Beijing Mumbai Pacific Ocean Bangkok Indian Ocean Jakarta Map 1.4 - Population distribution in Asia Activities 1. State four factors that influenced the unequal distribution of population in Asia. 2. Name five high populated countries, five less populated countries and five high populated cities located in Asia. 3. Mark the five high populated countries and cities located in Asia you stated above in a world map. Economic activities Various economic activities can be found in the countries located in the Asian region. In this region, economy of the countries is based on agriculture, industry and service. 16 For free distribution Here, the attention is paid to three countries which are significant for each of the sectors. ² Agriculture - Pakistan ² Industries - Japan ² Service activities - Dubai Pakistan as an agricultural country in Asia Agriculture is the main economic activity in Pakistan. 25.9% of the Gross Domestic Product in Pakistan is contributed from the agricultural sector. Out of the total labour force, 43% is engaged in agricultural activities. 25% of the land area of the country has been used for agricultural activities. Pakistan is important as a major country in the world that provides raw cotton. Among the other agricultural products in Pakistan, wheat, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, chick pea, vegetables, milk and dairy products, beef, mutton and eggs are important. Pakistan is also important as a country with the largest irrigation systems in the world. Water is provided for about 16 millions hectares in the country through the Indus river valley irrigation system. Figure 1.8 - Agricultural activities in Pakistan 17 For free distribution  There are two main Table 1.3 - Two crop seasons, duration and the agricultural seasons in Pakistan and crops grown in Pakistan they are known as Khariff and Rabi. Crop Duration Crops grown season According to the ranking Khariff From April to cotton, paddy, system of the World Food and October millet, maize Agriculture Organization, Pakistan and sugarcane has achieved following places as a Rabi From November wheat, barley food producer to the world market. to March and oats Table 1.4 - Place achieved by Pakistan in providing Agricultural Products to the world Market Type of the Place in the Type of the Place in the product world market product world market Chick pea 3 Dairy products 5 Apricot 6 Date palm 5 Cotton 4 Onion 7 Sugarcane 5 wheat 7 Rice 4 Types of oranges 6 Mango 4 Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Pakistan//Rankings 21/2/2017 Accordingly, Pakistan has earned a significant place as an exporter of agricultural products in the world. Japan as an industrial country Japan is a major industrial country in Asia as well as in the world. According to the Per capita Gross National Product, Japan is the country that possess the third largest economy in the world. In Japan, 27.5% of the Gross National Product is contributed by the industrial sector. Out of the labour force, 25.2% is engaged in the industrial sector. A specific feature in Japan is maintaining industries on the basis of the import of mineral resources and raw materials completely. Among the manufacturing industries in Japan, manufacturing automobiles, electronic equipment, machinery, iron and steel, ship-building, chemicals, textiles, computer and computer accessories, robotics technology, pharmaceuticals and processed foods are important. 18 For free distribution  Manufacturing automobiles is the key field of industry in Japan. Japan has won the sixth place out of the top ten largest automobile manufacturers in the world. Japanese automobiles are in the forefront in the world due to factors of high quality, durability, fuel economy, comfort and inclusion of very modern components and equipment. There are several major automobile manufacturing companies in Japan and some foremost ones are mentioned below. ² Toyota ² Nissan ² Suzuki ² Mazda ² Daihatsu ² Mitsubishi ² Honda ² Isuzu ² Subaru ² Hino Fig.1.9 - Industrial activities in Japan Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki are major motor cycle producting companies in Japan in the world. Japan has achieved a rapid development in producing various types of electronic and electrical equipment. For these productions, the companies of Sony, Mitsubishi, Electric, Panasonic, Cannon, Fujitsu, Nikon, Yamaha, Sharp, Nec, Hitachi and Casio are important. Production of plastic, polystyrene and polypropylene are significant as main petro chemical industries in Japan. The other frontline production industry of Japan is producing computers and computer accessories. Among these companies Nec, Fjitzu, Epson and I.B.M are significant. 19 For free distribution  Japan has achieved its development with regard to Gene Technology which is considered a very important field at present in the world. Gene Technology is used in various sections such as agriculture, livestock farming, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food processing. Japan is in the forefront among the countries where that utilizes nuclear power in abundance, in the world. Dubai as a service center The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states known as Emirates. Out of them Dubai is a small Emirate state. The total population of Dubai is 2,502,715 and the population density is 644.2 per km2. Accordingly, Dubai is a highly populated country. Dubai known as global city is important as the business hub of middle east. The base of the economy of Dubai is the production of mineral oil. The large amount of wealth earned from this resource has been invested in other fields in that country. Dubai has been developed as a service center as its physical environment is not suitable for agricultural purposes. Among major economic sectors in Dubai, the highest percentage value sector is the service sector. This represents around 37.2% out of the total Gross Domestic Product in Dubai. Out of the total employees, 33.0% is engaged in employment related to the service sector. (Emirates NDB Research-Dubai’s service sector overview-18 March 2015) There are many service industries carried out by Dubai as a service center; ² An aviation center of modern crossroads connecting East and West. Accordingly, Dubai is important as an intermediate transit center in the world. ² Importance of Port Jabil Ali as the major Middle Eastern export center as well as free trade harbour. ² Center for Tourist attractions and tourist services providing center. ² As a center of providing international communication services Eg – CNN, Al Jazeera 20 For free distribution ² As a center that provides an indoor stadium and day and night cricket stadium for cricket and tennis at international level. ² Establishment of the largest trade center called Dubai Mall. Activities 1. State four factors why Pakistan is important as a major agricultural country in Asia. 2. Write down the two main agricultural seasons in Pakistan and write the types of crops grown in each of the season. 3. State five major agricultural export products in Pakistan 4. State four reasons to show how Japan has become a major industrial country in Asia. 5. State the major industrial products in Japan 6. State which reasons have influenced the importance of Dubai as a service center in Asia. References ² History, Grade 6 (1996), Educational Publications Department ² Geography, Grade 10 (2011), Educational Publications Department ² Physical Geography, G.C.E. (A/L) (2015), Educational Publications Department ² Geography Information Magazine (1996 - January 6 Volume) Sri Lanka ² Geographists Association ² Gunasena - Phyliphs World map book (2006), M.D. Gunasena and company, Colombo ² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia// ² http://www.worldatlas.com ² http://www.worldpopulationreview.com 21 For free distribution  Glossary Relative location -- idfmalI a msyà s u - \õº¦ Aø©Âh® Absolute location - ksrfmalI a msyà s u - uÛ Aø©Âh® Geographical coordinates - N+f.da,h S LKavdxl -- ¦Â°¯À BmTÖ Bio diversity - ffcj úúO;ajh - E°º¨£ÀÁøPø© Population density - ck >k;ajh - -\ÚöuõøP Ahºzv Tropical zone - ksj¾;k l,dmh - -A¯ÚÁ»¯® Temperate zone - fi!uH l,dmh -- CøhöÁ¨£ Á»¯® Polar zone - O%ej l,dmh - - øÚÄ Á»¯® Tropical rainy climate - ksj¾;k - A¯Ú ©øÇU Põ»{ø» j¾Id foaY.=Kh Tropical monsoon climate - ksj¾;k -- A¯Ú £¸ÁUPõØÖ fudaiï foaY.=Kh Põ»{ø» Tropical savanna climate - ksj¾;k -- A¯Ú \ÁßÚõ iejkd foaY.=Kh Põ»{ø» Hot desert climate - WIaK ldka;dr foaY.=Kh - -öÁ¨£¨ £õø»ÁÚ Põ»{ø» Warm temperate climate - WKqiqï fi!uH foaY.=Kh - -CÍg`hõÚ Cøh öÁ¨£ Põ»{ø» Wet temperate climate - f;;a fi!uH foaY.=Kh - -CøhöÁ¨£ DµU Põ»{ø» Polar and tundra climate - O%ej yd ;=køa d foaY.=Kh - - øÚÄ ©ØÖ® x¢vµõ Põ»{ø» Highland climate - Wiaìï foaY.=Kh - E¯º{»U Põ»{ø» Tropical rain forests - ksj¾;k j¾Id jkdka;r - A¯Ú ©øÇU PõkPÒ Deciduous forestes - m;kYS, jkdka;r - -Cø»²vº PõkPÒ Coniferous forests - fla;O = r jkdka;r - F]°ø»U PõkPÒ ö£Ø÷ÓõÀ Cµ\õ¯Ú Petro chemical industry - fmfg%d ridhk l¾udka; - øPzöuõÈÀ ö©õzu EÒ|õmk Gross Domestic Product - o< foaYh S ksIm a dÈ;h - EØ£zv Tourist attractions - ixpdrl wdl¾IK - _ØÖ»õ PÁºa]PÒ 22 For free distribution