October 30 Asia Pt 2-compressed PDF - World Regional Geography

7.3 Cultural and Historical Geographies Joseph Hobbs, World Regional Geography, Seventh Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part....

7.3 Cultural and Historical Geographies Joseph Hobbs, World Regional Geography, Seventh Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 1 Cultural & Historical Geographies Cultural developments First movable printing type (Korea) Gunpowder, paper, silk, and porcelain (China) Faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism (India) Domesticated plants and animals Rice, cabbage, chickens, water buffalo, zebu cattle, pigs Temple of Angkor, Cambodia Sukhothai, Thailand Hoi An, Vietnam Borobudur Temple, Indonesia Georgetown & Melaka, Malaysia Bagan, Myanmar My Son Sanctuary, Vietnam The Plain of Jars, Laos 7.3b Religions and Belief Systems Belief systems practiced by a quarter of the world’s population originated in this region Hinduism Buddhism Confucianism Daoism Other practices Shintoism, ancestor veneration, animism 7.3c Effects of European Colonization Portugal and Spain were first to extend economic and political control over South and Southeast Asia Colonies Opium Wars Western domination of Asia ended in 20th Century After WWII, colonial possessions gained independence Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997 Portugal returned Macau to China in 1999 The Opium Wars  7.4 Economic Geography Joseph Hobbs, World Regional Geography, Seventh Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 14 Economic Geography World’s fastest-growing economies Growing gap between the rich and poor ‘Asian Tigers’ Strong, industrialized export-oriented economies South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore Japan leads Asia in value-added manufacturing 7.4a China’s Surging Economy Average annual growth rate of 9% since 1990 China is making a little bit of everything Three-quarters of all toys sold in U.S. World’s largest manufacturer of personal computers and smartphones Joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 Surging investment in China is linked to disinvestment elsewhere, especially in SE Asia China has eclipsed the United States as Asia’s most essential trading partner  7.4c The Green Revolution Use science to increase food yields Stave off hunger Generate export income Golden rice Problems Financial obstacles Economic dislocations Large infusions of agricultural chemicals Reduction of genetic variability of crops  7.5 Geopolitical Issues Joseph Hobbs, World Regional Geography, Seventh Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 18  Low-Lying Bangladesh and Maldives Bangladesh Subject to catastrophic flooding Frequent hurricanes Increased runoff from the Himalayas due to deforestation Concerns about rising sea levels The Maldives 80% of its limited land area is less than 3 feet above sea level Could become completely submerged as a result of climate change Maldives Floating City Pakistan Since 9/11 Pakistan allowed the U.S. to use the country to prepare for the assault on the Taliban and al-Qa’ida in Afghanistan U.S. forgave much of Pakistan’s debt and lifted economic sanctions, and post-nuclear test sanctions against India Semiautonomous Federally Administered Tribal areas (FATA) Pashtun are sympathetic to the causes of their Taliban ethnic kin and their al-Qa’ida spiritual kin  7.5d Nationalism and Nuclear Weapons Comprehensive test ban treaty Prohibition of all nuclear testing Signed by 149 nations and went into effect in 1996 India and Pakistan In 1998, India conducted three underground nuclear tests in the Thar Desert Pakistan followed with six nuclear tests Fear of mutually assured destruction Pivotal countries What Does North Korea Want? A reunited Korea? North Korea’s nuclear weapons program The only leverage North Korea has had to coax desperately needed supplies from abroad Six Party Talks in 2007 Series of on-again, off-again negotiations  China’s Belt and Road Initiative India has warned the countries involved that China’s plan is to dominate Asia. India wants to project power across regional sea lanes and views this initiative as encirclement by China. Indian analysts also warn that Beijing will use the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota to project China’s power into the Indian Ocean, where much of the world’s oil and other valuable cargo is constantly in transit. 7.6 Regional Issues and Landscapes Joseph Hobbs, World Regional Geography, Seventh Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 27 7.6a South Asia: Faith, Sectarianism, and Strife (1 of 2) India and Pakistan The Indian subcontinent features great religious differences between the two largest religious groups (Hindus and Muslims) 1947 separation of India and Pakistan Kashmir Disputed province straddling border of India, Pakistan, and China Contains the upper portion of the Indus River and many of its tributaries 7.6a South Asia: Faith, Sectarianism, and Strife (2 of 2) Sri Lanka Two major ethnic groups: Sinhalese, Buddhist: about 75% of population Tamils, Hindu: about 12% of population Discontent with economic and political conditions, especially minority Tamils Between 1983 and 2009, more than 70,000 deaths have resulted from the Tamils’ fight for autonomy from Sinhalese government Tamil Tigers – Tamil fighters wishing to help establish their own homeland South Asia: Keeping Malthus at Bay Poverty and human health Population surge in India since Independence 352 million in 1947 to 1.3 billion in 2014 32% of the population “abjectly poor” Agricultural output growing Women in the population Outnumbered by men 7.6b Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires The Taliban After overthrowing Communist government in 1992, the formerly united Afghan rebels engaged in civil warfare Gained control of most of the country in 1996 Strict code of Islamic law in the region After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. engaged in a “war against terror,” targeting both the Taliban and al-Qa’ida for elimination Misrule in Myanmar Myanmar (formerly Burma) Constant civil war since independence from British Commonwealth in 1948 Since 1999, the government has been reaching cease-fire agreements with most of the country’s ethnic groups One of the world’s most repressive places to live Nobel Peace Prize Aung San Suu Kyi Still much unrest 7.6d China: Han Colonization of China’s Wild West China’s growth as a land empire Subjugation of people who are not ethnic Han; colonization by ethnic Han At least 56 non-Han ethnic groups in China Autonomous regions Western Big Development Project Objective to improve locals’ livelihoods to diminish desire for separatism Tibet has long struggled for independence The Dalai Lama China: The Three Gorges Dam Yangtze River Delivers water and fertile soils Flooding in August 1998 affected 300 million people Sun Yat-Sen proposed a giant dam on the river back in 1919 Advantages: flood control, drought relief, hydroelectricity production Three Gorges (Sanzxia) Dam begun in 1994 and completed in 2009 China: The Three Gorges Dam (cont’d.) Largest dam ever built Greatly improved shipping World’s largest hydropower plant Negative consequences: The reservoir inundated 4,000 villages, 140 towns, 13 cities, numerous archeological sites, and nearly 160 sq miles of farmland Shifting of weight of great quantities of water may have seismic consequences Growing scientific evidence that devastating magnitude 8.0 earthquake of May 12, 2008 may have been triggered by the weight of the reservoir  The Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) Rises in Tibet & flows 6,300 km to the E. China Sea The world’s 3rd longest river Watershed a key agricultural hearth: rice & wheat grown extensively on flood plain Prone to devastating floods 300 million impacted in 1998 $24 billion in damages Has long been plans to dam the river Sun Yat–sen’s idea in 1919 37 Taiwan and the Two Chinas Problem Island separated from South China by the 160 km wide Taiwan Strait Republic of China vs. People’s Republic of China One China Policy U.S. backed the Nationalist claim until 1970s U.S. supported the revocation of Taiwan’s UN seat in 1971 In 1979, the U.S. withdrew official recognition of Taiwan, recognizing China’s claim of sovereignty Post-war Japan Japan’s population Very homogeneous, with 99.5% ethnic Japanese Low birth rates, at 8 per 1,000 annually Japan’s shrinking population will cause an increase in taxes and family obligations to meet the needs of older citizens Karoshi – death by overwork Women still struggling for equality Maritime Conflict