SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ASIAGeography

Asian Geography

Physical Features Asia is the largest continent in the world. The Himalayas, the world's

highest mountain system, are one of the significant physical features found in Asia.

Indian Ocean— The Indian Ocean is located to the east of Africa, south of Asia, and west of Australia.

Bay of Bengal— Part of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal is located between India and the Malay Peninsula.

South China Sea— The South China Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean. China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines border the South China Sea.

Yellow Sea— The Yellow Sea is located between China and the Korean Peninsula.

Yangtze River— (Chang Jiang) The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia. It flows through China to the East China Sea near Shanghai.

Yellow River— (Huang He) The Yellow River flows east through China to the Yellow Sea.

Sea of Japan— The Sea of Japan is part of the Pacific Ocean and separates Japan from mainland China.

Physical Features Korean Peninsula— Bordered by the Yellow Sea and

the Sea of Japan, the Korean Peninsula is where North Korea and South Korea are located.

Himalayas— The Himalayas are the world's highest mountain range. Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain is in this mountain range.

Indus River— The Indus River flows from China through India and Pakistan before it reaches the Arabian Sea.

Mekong River— The Mekong River forms much of the border between Laos and Thailand. It also flows through Cambodia and Vietnam before flowing into the South China Sea.

Gobi Desert— The Gobi Desert is a large desert in Mongolia and northern China.

Taklimakan Desert— The Taklimakan Desert is a desert in western China.

Political Map of Asia

The environment in various places affects how people live in those areas. Climate, natural resources, environmental changes, and changes made by people all play into how humans interact with their environment.

Asian Environment

Climate and Natural Resources Climate

     Climate affects where people live and how they live. People have built homes and buildings out of different materials that work better with the climate they live in. Native Americans in Arizona and New Mexico built their homes out of adobe to keep out the sun and heat. Climate also affects the number of people that live in an area. In Australia, people live near the southern coasts because the weather is more temperate.

Natural Resources     Natural resources affect how people will interact with the land and what they will build homes and make tools with. If brick and clay are more abundant than thatch and mud in a region of the world, homes will be made of brick and clay. Natural resources also affect where people live. People live near water and food for basic necessities. Water also allows for transportation.

Changes Environmental Changes

     Changes in the environment force people to make a decision: stay and adapt to the change or move and adapt to a new environment. As sea levels change and natural disasters like hurricanes destroy coastal towns, more people have to find new places to live or risk losing their homes. Sudden changes like volcanoes and earthquakes can also devastate a population and cause people to move from one region to another.

Changes Humans Bring     People also change their environment by building and increasing the population. As pollution becomes a bigger problem, people have to adapt their transportation and water usage. Acid rain threatens forests, leaving entire habitats vulnerable. As natural resources become less abundant, people must find alternative sources for the same items, like oil. Today, people have to decide whether to continue to destroy natural resources and habitats or to protect them.

Overpopulation The environment of Asia faces many dangers, including overpopulation

and industrial pollution. The people and governments who live in these countries must find ways to resolve these issues, and they must handle other environmental threats that come from natural disasters.

Overpopulation China and India are the first and second largest countries in the world by

population, each nation having over a billion people. These nations are among those in Asia that are suffering from overpopulation. Overpopulation occurs when there are not enough resources in a place to support the population. Cities in China and India grow quickly, and many resources are needed to build the cities and take care of the people. The environment is harmed by so many people, and natural resources are decreasing.

The government of China has attempted to end overpopulation with a One-child Policy, which requires a tax for families that have more than one child. The practice is very controversial, and many people believe that the government's ways of controlling overpopulation are abusing human rights.

Industrial Pollution Industrial pollution

As industry increases, pollution in an area also increases. In India, the Ganges River has suffered a large amount of pollution from factories and other human effects. The river has been believed to heal sicknesses, but its current condition is not sanitary.

Air pollution has been so great in parts of Asia that an “Asian Brown Cloud” exists in Pakistan, India, and parts of China. It is caused by unregulated burning methods used by human industries.

Natural Disasters Natural disasters

Natural disasters are frequent in parts of Asia. A large earthquake caused major damage to Kobe, Japan in 1995. Plates in the Earth's crust rubbing together cause earthquakes. Earthquakes change physical geography, as well as human settlements.

Flooding has been a major concern in southern Asia, especially in India. One major cause of flooding is the monsoon season, a time that brings heavy wind and rains. People in India have controlled flooding by building dams in affected rivers. Dams help people control water produced by the monsoon season. This is an effective way of managing natural resources, improving the water supply to large regions of India.

In China, the government built the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in order to control flooding and to provide hydroelectric power. While providing some benefits, the dam has also caused unintended negative consequences. The Three Gorges Dam has altered the environment upstream by flooding populated areas and destroying the habitats of wildlife.

Asia faces the threat of tsunamis, which are tidal waves that occur after an earthquake takes place in the ocean. A devastating tsunami hit southeast Asia on December 26, 2004.

Interdependence Interdependence

Interdependence is when two groups rely on each other. This term is usually used when describing different people or governments. However, people and the environment are also interdependent with each other. Nature relies on people to help conserve it, and a healthy environment helps the people who depend on it.

Cultural expressions are ways to show culture through art, music, and literature. These cultural expressions can preserve, influence, and even change culture.

Asian Cultures

Cultural Expressions Cultural Expressions: art: sculpture, painting,

architecture, and folk art (masks, baskets, pottery, jewelry).

music: chants, religious songs, and popular music. literature: poetry, plays, novels, non-fiction,

essays, and short stories. Effects of Cultural Expressions on Culture:

     Cultures change and evolve partly because of cultural expressions, and cultural expressions change partly because of culture. It is a cycle, and it continues throughout the world today. As each culture is preserved, influenced, or changed, so are the expressions of that culture.

Cultural Expressions preserve culture: writing stories, playing songs, or creating

art about ways of life or events is a way to ensure the culture of a people. It helps to record their history and keep people aware of their ancestors, as well as to keep traditions current.

influence culture: music, literature, and art, as they move from one culture to another, can influence events in a new culture. They can bring a type of art to popularity or show a new style of music. They can also bring parts of one culture into another, so that more people can learn of different cultures. Some cultures will adapt things from others. For example, the Greeks influenced much of the Western world, and African masks are now in historical museums.

change culture: in addition to cultures adapting parts of a culture and making it their own, cultural expressions can change how a culture deals with an event or way of life. New techniques in art, along with technology, can change the way materials are made. As music has changed, so have how many holidays, including Cinco de Mayo, are celebrated. The Harlem Renaissance brought African American culture to new cultural groups and dramatically changed the music scene in the United States.

Religion Affects Culture Asia is home to many diverse cultures. Several of the

world's major religions have their origin in Asia. The people of Asia have a variety of customs and traditions.

China: Confucianism and Taoism originated in China and influenced the religious beliefs of many Chinese people. Buddhism was brought to China from India during the 2nd century B.C. The Chinese writing system in use today evolved out of the character writing system used over 3,000 years ago.

India: Buddhism and Hinduism started in India. Most Indians today are Hindus, but other religions are practiced as well. The Mogul Empire, which ruled India from early sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, brought many Islamic influences to India. The Taj Mahal shows the influences of Islamic architecture.

Religion Affects Culture Indonesia: Indonesia is home to more than 300 ethnic

groups. Because of its location on trade routes to the Far East, Indonesian culture has been influenced by the Arabs, Chinese, Indians, Malay, and Europeans. It has also been influenced by the religions of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Indonesia is the world's largest country with a Muslim majority.

Japan: The culture of Japan has been influenced by the cultures of China and Korea. The Shinto religion is the traditional religion of Japan. Kabuki, a form dramatic theater in which the actors wear elaborate makeup, and Bunraku, a form of puppet theater, both have been a part of Japanese culture since the 17th century. Haiku, a form of poetry that has 17 syllables and three lines, is an art form that was developed in Japan.

Government systems have different ways of distributing power and determining citizen participation. Even within democracies, different forms of government exist.

Asian Governments

Parliament

Diet Building in Japan

Distribution of PowerUnitary

Power is in the hands of one person or group National government has more power than local

governments Example: Japan

ConfederationLocal governments have more power than national governmentEach region governs most of its own affairs Regions sometimes consider themselves independent

Federal Power is divided between national and local governments Local governments control local affairs but also obey the

national government Usually it is the government of large democracies Example: India

Citizen Participation Autocratic

Citizens have little control over the government Power is in the hands of one person

Oligarchic A small group of people control the government Most people are not able to affect the government Example: China

Democratic Citizens have more ability to participate than they do

in other governments Government leaders are elected into power, directly

or indirectly Citizens often participate in voting on laws Examples: India, Japan

Forms of Democracy Parliamentary

Citizens vote for members of the legislative branch The executive leader (or prime minister) is

appointed from the legislature Head of government and head of state are two

different people Examples: India, Japan

Presidential Citizens usually vote for members of the executive

and legislative branch A single person is elected as chief executive (or

president) The president is both head of government (chief

executive) and head of state

Government Types Asia has a wide variety of government

types, from communist states to constitutional monarchies. Some countries in the region started with very little democracy but have gone through reforms to become more democratic. Others still need more reforms before they can be truly representative governments. Below are some quick facts about the governments of China, India, and Japan.

Government of China Type of Government: one-party state (communist) Leaders: president and premier (the general secretary

of the Communist Party also has power) Legislature: unicameral (one-chambered), called the

National People's Congress Citizen's Role: Citizens age 18 or older may only vote

for low-level, local leaders. The leaders of provinces select members of the Congress. Congress elects the president, and the president appoints the premier. The Communist Party has great control over the entire process. Still, the Congress is meant to represent the people of China.

Special considerations: "One country, two systems": Hong Kong and Macau were once European colonies and have only recently been returned to China. Even though the rest of China is communist, Hong Kong and Macau are allowed their own political and economic systems.

Government of India Type of Government: Federal republic (states are

able to govern their own parts of the country while still being led by the national government)

Leaders: President and Prime minister Legislature: Bicameral (two-chambered)

Parliament, with the Council of States and the People's Assembly. Legislation must pass through both chambers before it becomes law.

Citizen's Role: Citizens age 18 or older may vote to elect most members of the Parliament. Parliament and state legislatures elect the president, who appoints the prime minister. The prime minister is always the leader of parliament's majority party, and he or she is the head of India's government.

Government of Japan Type of Government: Constitutional

monarchy Leaders: Emperor and Prime Minister (the

emperor is a symbolic position, while the prime minister is the head of government)

Legislature: Bicameral Diet (congress), with House of Councilors and House of Representatives

Citizen's Role: Citizens age 20 or older may vote for members of the Diet. The Diet elects a prime minister from its majority party.

Civic Participation Civic affairs are the ways citizens interact with

their society and government. You can participate in civic affairs through politics, education, and public service.

Political civic participation: includes voting, serving jury duty, and political protesting. People who participate in political affairs are trying to influence the government.

Educational civic participation: includes public awareness campaigns and organizations that teach useful skills to individuals. People who participate in educational affairs are trying to help others get educated on various topics.

Civic Participation Public service civic participation: includes

volunteer work and nonprofit organizations. People who participate in public service affairs are trying to help those less fortunate and increase awareness of various social problems.

Examples of civic participation are joining a nonprofit organization like the Red Cross, creating a public awareness program for a social problem like child labor, protesting a political topic like segregation, and volunteering to tutor at a local elementary school.

The type of economy is determined by the extent of government involvement in economic decision-making.

Asian Economics

Characteristics of Economic Systems Free market

     Private ownership of property/resources      Business decisions are driven by the desire to earn a profit      There is a great deal of competition      Consumers have many choices     Examples: Japan, Hong Kong

Command economy     Central ownership of property/resources     Centrally planned economy     Lack of consumer choice     Example: China

Characteristics of Economic Systems Mixed economy

     Individuals and businesses as decision makers for the private sector     Government as decision maker for the public sector     A greater government role than in a free market economy     Most common economic system today     Example: India

Traditional Economy     Allocation of resources is based on rituals, habits, or customs     Family defines roles     People work together for the common good     Little individual choice

Barriers of Trade Trade is very important to the Asian economy. Japan,

India, and China are all very involved in international trade.

Physical barriers: geographical features of a location that prevent transportation from more easily reaching that location. Land-locked countries, countries that have no ocean coastline, have difficulty trading because many important goods are shipped by way of the world's oceans.

Economic barriers: economic features that prevent trade between two locations. Tariffs, taxes on imported goods, make trade more difficult because it raises the price of imported goods. Since 1991, India has lowered many of its tariffs in order to increase trade.

International Trade and Currencies Countries all over the world have different

currencies, or monetary units. In the United States, we have the U.S. dollar. China has the yuan, India has the rupee, and Japan has the yen. How can these countries trade with each other if they do not have the same currency? The answer is exchange rates. An exchange rate is how much one currency is worth when compared to another.

  Because Japan has little land on which it can grow crops and few natural resources, Japan must rely on imports for many necessities. Japan has a highly industrialized economy that allows it to export many goods to other countries. By being involved in international trade, Japan has enough money to buy what it needs.

Economic Resources There are three kinds of resources: human

resources, capital goods, and natural resources. It is very important for the human resources of a company or country to have a high human capital. These resources help to make goods and services. An entrepreneur is a person that takes a risk to start a new business or put a new idea to use.

Human Capital: the technical knowledge and skills that a laborer (human resource) has. Some companies and countries invest in more education and training for their workers. Health care is also important, and some companies or countries provide health care, usually at a fee, for the worker. People who do not have access to education or health care can be put at a disadvantage when they apply for jobs. Lowering the unemployment rate improves the living conditions for all people in a country.

Economic Resources Capital Goods: resources that are human-made

materials used to create a product. Examples of capital goods include factories, machinery, tools, and new technology. Capital goods can help increase production for a business or country.

Natural Resources: resources that are supplied by nature, such as land, air, water, minerals, and time. Companies that learn to work with the surrounding natural resources, like air and water, are better for the environment. Companies that learn to manage time well can be more productive in the long run.

Entrepreneur: a person who organizes the use of resources to produce goods or services. He or she thinks of new ideas and is willing to take risks to start a business. Entrepreneurs are decision-makers, and most are interesting in making a profit.

In the 20th century, many nations in Asia underwent massive changes. The end of World War II and beginning of the Cold War caused much of this. Some existing countries changed their government systems while other countries fought civil wars. Still other countries gained their independence and created new nations.

Asia in the 20th Century

Japan Japan was a military ally of Nazi Germany

during World War II, but it was defeated with the rest of the Axis Powers in 1945. The war left much of Japan's country devastated. The United States military occupied Japan after the war and forced Japan to create a new government. Instead of punishing Japan, however, the United States was trying to rebuild the country and give it a peaceful, democratic system. The U.S. did this in order to make Japan a U.S. ally against the Soviet Union and China, both of which were communist countries.

China China fought a civil war from 1926-1949. The two main

groups involved in fighting the Chinese Civil War were the Nationalists and the Communists. The Nationals were led by a man named Chiang Kai-shek who opposed the communists because he wanted the country to have a republican form of government. The communists, led by a man named Mao Zedong, wanted to make China a communist country.

Because of the Cold War, the United States and other democratic governments supported the Chinese Nationalists, while the Soviet Union supported the Chinese Communists. The Communists defeated the Nationalists in 1949, taking over China. The Nationalist government escaped to the island of Taiwan. Many events happened in China after the Communists took control:

China – Communist Events Great Leap Forward: Mao began the Great Leap

Forward in 1958. It was an economic plan meant to modernize China by giving the government control of farming and industry. By the time it ended in 1960, the Great Leap Forward had caused millions of people to die of starvation.

Cultural Revolution: Mao began the Cultural Revolution in 1966 to remove enemy political leaders in China. It strengthened Mao's power, but it destroyed much of China's cultural heritage.

Tiananmen Square Protest: In 1989, protestors in Beijing's Tiananmen Square gathered and demanded democratic reforms in the Chinese government. The Chinese government viewed them as a threat and used violent force to stop them.

Korea Korea had been a part of the Japanese Empire from

1910 until the end of World War II. In 1949, the Allied Powers tried to help Korea make a new government, but differences between the Soviet Union and the United States caused a civil war in the country. As a result, Korea was divided into two countries: North Korea, which was communist, and South Korea, which was democratic.

The Korean War was a civil war that began when Communist North Korea invaded Democratic South Korea on June 25, 1950. The United States military was part of the United Nations forces that aided South Korea. The Soviet Union and China both aided North Korea. The Korean War lasted until 1953, when it ended with no clear winner. There is still tension between North Korea and South Korea today.

India India became a colony of Great Britain in 1776. A

rise in Indian nationalism led to its people wanting independence for their country. One of these individuals was Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi. Gandhi brought worldwide attention to the Indian independence movement by practicing satyagraha, which means using nonviolence to achieve change.

In 1947, British India was divided into two independent countries: India and Pakistan. Part of Pakistan was to the west of India while another part was to the east. In 1971, political and military pressure from people in eastern Pakistan caused it to declare independence, becoming the nation of Bangladesh (western Pakistan remained the nation of Pakistan).

Pakistan Divided - Bangladesh

Vietnam The colonies of French Indo-China also gained independence

in the 20th century. The leader of the Indochinese Communist Party, Ho Chi Minh, began an independence movement in Vietnam in 1941. In 1945, Ho Chi Minh issued the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Vietnamese fought the French for independence until 1954.

After Vietnam fought France for its independence, a civil war started between Communist North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam. This civil war sparked a large conflict: the Vietnam War. The United States did not want to see a new communist country made, so it sent soldiers to help protect South Vietnam. However, the United States underestimated the determination and organization of the North Vietnamese, and the U.S. was not willing to have so many soldiers killed and remain in the war. In 1973, the U.S. and North Vietnam agreed to stop fighting. The U.S. left, but the fighting started again, and South Vietnam was defeated in 1975.