Chapter 27 - Physical Geography of East Asia: A Rugged Terrain

Section 1: Landforms and

Resources

The landscape of East Asia is

among the roughest in the

world, including; Kunlun

Mountains, Qinling Shandi

Mountains, Tibetan Plateau,

Gobi desert, etc.

Peninsulas:

Macau

Korean

Islands:

Hong Kong

Taiwan

Japan

Rivers: Huang He (Yellow River)

Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)

Xi Jiang (West River)

Section 2 Climate and Vegetation

East Asia climate and vegetation varies from

the extremes of subarctic and highland in

parts of China and Mongolia to tropical in

parts of Taiwan

Mid-latitude zones include large forest

and agricultural areas while the dry

regions include steppes and deserts

Section 3 Human-Environment Interaction

Three Gorges Dam: (world’s biggest) Pros:

Control flooding, generate

electricity, allow trade

Cons:

Millions relocated, huge costs,

environmental concerns

Japan and Taiwan

have limited space and

have built up more

than out, but are trying

to gain more land

through processes like

landfill reclamation

(Tokyo has 35 million people)

Chapter 28 Human Geography of East Asia:

Shared Cultural Traditions

Section 1: China

China is the

world’s oldest

continuous

civilization

dating back

more than

4,000 years

tradition of

dynasty:

Shang

Qin (chihn)

Han

Mao Zedong (Communist Party)

1934: Mao’s “long march”

1 year = 6,000 miles

18 mountain ranges and 20 rivers

100,000 started and 8,000 finished

Chiang Kai-shek (Republic) 1925

Pro Western regime supported by the

United States and other Western

countries

vs.

Republic of China

(Taiwan) People’s Republic of

China (mainland)

1 out of every 5 people in

the world live in China

China is a mix of agriculture and

industry leading to a rise in the

gap between rich and poor

China has 3 major religions or ethical

traditions

Buddhism

Taoism

Confucianism

Section 2 Mongolia and Taiwan

Genghis Khan 1206 begins

Mongolian empire

1600s China conquers area

1924 communist rule

1990 first free democratic

elections held

cultures:

Mongolia own people

and customs but

highly influenced by

centuries of rule by

and over China

Taiwan’s population

almost exclusively

Chinese – speak

Mandarin, mostly

Buddhist, etc.

economies:

Mongolian still has a large

population of herding and

livestock ranching

Developing other industries from

large deposits of coal and oil

Taiwan is one of world’s

most successful economies

due to highly trained and

motivated workforce – is one

of the economic tigers of

Asia

Section 3: The Koreas –

North and South

Korean peninsula has

been a buffer between

China and Japan for

centuries

1392 – 1910 Korea

ruled as a single

country until

captured by the

Japanese

after WWII Korea separates

into North (Democratic

People’s Republic of

Korea) and South (Republic

of Korea)

Korean culture has been

influenced by many

factures

Korean language, art, and religion

have been influenced by China

North Korea has

adopted communist

ideals while South

Korea has followed

western culture

North and South Korea

both have large armies

separated by the DMZ and

North Korea has nukes

North Korea is lead by Kim

Jong Un in Pyongyang, while

South Korea is a democracy

with Seoul as it’s capital

North Korea is poor while

South Korea is rich so in

spite of some improvements

reunification seems

unlikely until politics and

economies can be better

merged

Section 4: Japan

Japan has a

history of clan

warfare including

samurai and

shoguns

1868 - Meiji

Restoration gave

power back to the

emperor

Japan dominates Pacific until end

of WWII when emperor is replaced

with democratic diet

Japan is now an

economic

powerhouse – 2nd

to U.S.

Japan has a large

homogenous

population with most

people living in cities

and working in

business or

manufacturing

Japanese culture is a mix of traditional

and modern:

bow instead of shaking hands

others more than self

Shintoism, Buddhism, and

Christianity

Japan has a strong

educational system

including jukus as well

as a dedicated work

force enabling the

country to achieve

prosperity

The shinkansen is

Japan’s bullet trains

that are among the

fastest in the world at

around 186 miles per

hour

Mt. Fuji - 12,388 ft.

Ch. 29 Today’s Issues:

East Asia

Section 1: The Ring of Fire

many cities in Japan are subject to frequent

tectonic activity including volcanos,

earthquakes, and tsunami’s (what’s being done to prepare for future events? Is it working?)

Section 2 Trade and Prosperity

East Asia countries have a huge

impact on the global economy (what does “made in China” mean to you?)

(What about “made in Japan”?)

East Asian economies are based primarily on manufacturing and trade and have a

history of being the source of cheap labor, but that is starting to change as more

companies are moving production facilities to Southeast Asian countries

August 1945 the U.S. drops atomic

bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

becoming the only country in the

world to use those types of weapons

right or wrong?