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Asia
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- 5. CONTENT Introduction Sizeand Extent Location Political Divisions Physical Features Northern Lowlands Central Lowlands Southern plateaus Great River Valleys Island Groups Key factors controlling the climate of Asia Annual Rainfall Climatic Regions Conclusion Bibliography
- 6. INTRODUCTION Asia isa continent of diverse cultures and ancient civilizations. It is a land of economical, political and socio-cultural contrast. The geographical diversities present in the Asian landmass are truly remarkable.
- 8. SIZE AND EXTENT Asia is the largest of the seven continents. It is home to nearly 60% of the world’s population. Area of 44.4 million sq km, Asia occupies about one – third of the world’s total land area. It extends from 10 S to 80 N latitude and from 25 E to 170 W longitude. Its north – south distance is 8560 km while from east and west it stretches for about
- 10. LOCATION Asia isbordered by oceans on three sides – the Arctic ocean to the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east and the Indian ocean in the south. It is separated from Europe in the west by the Ural Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea. In the south west, it is linked with Africa through the Sinai Peninsula. The narrow Bering Strait separates Asia from North America in the north east.
- 12. POLITICAL DIVISIONS EastAsia: Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, Taiwan South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives South-East Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam South-West Asia: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey Countries of USSR: Azerbaijan. Armenia,
- 14. PHYSICAL FEATURES Asiacan be divided into five major physical divisions The Northern Lowlands The Central Mountains The Southern Plateaus The Great River Valleys The Island Groups
- 15. THE NORTHERN LOWLANDS Located to the north of Asia, bordering the Arctic Ocean. Northern part of these lowlands is called the Siberian Plain. It forms the greatest continuous plain in the world. It is drained by three major rivers: Ob, Yenisey and Lena. In the south of the Siberian Plain lies the lowland surrounding the Aral Sea known as
- 17. THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS They are extensive system of young fold mountains that lie to the south of northern lowlands. Almost all the mountain ranges in Asia radiate from a nodal in the centre called the Pamir Knot. Two mountain ranges lie to the west of the Pamir Knot. the Himalayas tun south-eastwars into northern India and Nepal. They are the highest mountain ranges in the
- 19. THE SOUTHERN PLATEAUS They are three vast plateaus located to the south of the Central Mountains. They comprise old stable blocks made up of hard crystalline rocks. The Plateau of Peninsular India has a steep range along the Arabian Seas coast and gently slopes towards the Bay of Bengal in the east. Many rivers flow through the plateau such as the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Kaveri, and the Godavari.
- 21. THE GREAT RIVERVALLEYS Several large rivers arise from the snow covered peaks and the plateaus of the Central highlands of Asia and have deposited large quantities of alluvium. These river valleys are located in between the Central Highlands and Southern Plateaus. The Indus valley is formed by the Indus and its five tributaries and Tigris-Euphrates valley is situated in Iraq. The Ganga-Brahmaputra valley occupies
- 23. THE ISLAND GROUPS To the east and south east of Asia, there are number of island countries. The largest archipelago in the world is the Indonesian Archipelago. It includes the islands f Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Bali and Timor. The Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Seas the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal belong to India.
- 25. KEY FACTORS CONTROLLINGTHE CLIMATE OF ASIA Size and Latitudinal Extent : The continent has a vast size and latitudinal extent, covering all the three heat zones. Thus, it has all varieties of climate, ranging from the hot and wet equatorial to the cold arctic type. Distance from the Sea: the interior of Asia lies far away from the sea. In the absence of the moderating influence of the sea, these areas experience extreme climate. Relief : Most of the mountain ranges of Asia run in and east – west direction. They obstruct the rain – bearing winds coming from the south. They also check the cold northern winds from reaching the south.
- 26. Winds: themonsoon winds, which are characterized by the seasonal reversal of wind direction, affect the distribution of rainfall over large parts of Asia. Ocean Currents: the ocean currents, like the warm Kuro Shio and the cold Oya Shio, also influence the climate of Asia, particularly along the eastern coastal margins.
- 28. ANNUAL RAINFALL HeavyRainfall more 200cm per year : The Equatorial region, coastal areas of south-east Asia, foothills of the Himalayas, north-east India and the western coast of India experience very heavy rainfall. Moderate rainfall 100-200cm per year : Parts of India, south – east Asia, central and southern China, North and South Korea and parts of Japan. Low Rainfall of less than 50cm per year: South-west Asia, Central Asia and Northern
- 30. CLIMATIC REGIONS Asiais a vast continent with a variety of temperature and rainfall conditions. Each climatic region has its own characteristic natural vegetation and Wildlife. The Equatorial Region The Monsoon Region The Desert Region The Mediterranean Region The Steppes The Temperate Region The Taiga Region The Tundra Region
- 32. CONCLUSION With itsdiverse physical features and the climatic conditions they are subjected to clearly, no two places in Asia experience quit the same weather. It is a land of skyward mountains, colossal plains, murky swamps and unforgiving deserts. All these features truly justify Asia as a land of contrasts.
- 33. BIBLIOGRAPHY Internet: GoogleImages Books: Earth Our Planet by Sampa Mukherjee