Notes:East Asia’s Geography

LG: Analyze the geography of East Asia.

1. MountainsA. Many mountains border East Asia

B. Mountain Ranges in this region include:

“Kunlun Shan” and “Tian Shan” mountains

C. In the Southeastern region of East Asia are

the Himalayas.

2. Plateaus and PlainsA. The Plateau of Tibet in China is East Asia’s

highest plateau region.

B. In the North China Plain, agriculture is an

important industry.

3. DesertsA. The Taklimakan desert is found in Western

China and is known for its oil deposits

B. The Gobi desert is found in southern

Mongolia and stretches into north China

4. Yellow River (Huang He)A. Found in Northern China

B. It’s yellowish in color because it carries soil

that was blown into the river from the deserts

C. Allows the North China Plain to grow wheat

and soybeans

5. Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)A. Found in Central China and is Asia’s longest

river

B. It is an important transportation route

6. West River (Xi River)A. Southern China’s most important river

system

B. Soil deposits from the river provide fertile soil

to grow crops

7. Korean PeninsulaA. Sticks out from China

B. This peninsula separates the Sea of Japan

from the Yellow Sea

C. Home to the countries of North Korea and

South Korea

8. Japanese IslandsA. Four large, mountainous islands with

thousands of smaller surrounding islands.

B. Islands were created by volcanic and

seismic activity in the region

C. Mount Fuji is their largest mountain/volcano

9. Ring of FireA. Three different tectonic plates meet in this

region forming the ring of fire

B. Volcanos border the Pacific ocean

C. Frequent earthquakes, which can cause

tsunamis