The document provides an overview of the physical geography of East Asia, noting its rugged terrain of mountains, oceans, and harsh climate that isolate the region and present challenges. It covers the mountainous and plateau landforms, river systems, climate and vegetation zones, and human adaptations to the environment. Specifically, it discusses China's Three Gorges Dam project to control flooding and Japan's development of dense urban areas and creative land use due to its mountainous and limited land area.

1. Physical Geography of East Asia:
A Rugged Terrain
The mountainous landscape, open ocean, and
harsh climate of East Asia isolate the region and
present challenges for the people living there.
NEXT

2. SECTION 1 Landforms and Resources
SECTION 2 Climate and Vegetation
NEXT
SECTION 3 Human-Environment Interaction
Physical Geography of East Asia:
A Rugged Terrain

3. NEXT
Section 1
Landforms and
Resources
• East Asia has a huge mainland area that
includes rugged terrain.
• East Asia has a number of important islands
off its eastern coast.

4. Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus
A Survey of the Region
• East Asia stretches from western China to the east
coast of Japan
- also includes Mongolia, Taiwan, North Korea,
South Korea
• Landscape has high mountains, deserts, cold
climate, Pacific waters
• Rugged terrain created by tectonic plates colliding
- natural barriers limit human movement, increase
isolation
Landforms and Resources
SECTION
1
NEXT
Continued . . .

5. SECTION
1
NEXT
Mountain Ranges of the Region
• High mountains limited China’s contact with rest of
Asia
- world’s highest mountains located on western
edge of region
• Kunlun Mountains are located in west China
- source of Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang
(Yangtze) rivers
• Qinling Shandi Mountains divide northern China
from the south
continued Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus
Continued . . .

6. SECTION
1
NEXT
Plateaus and Plains
• Mountainous area includes some sparsely
populated basins, deserts
- includes Plateau of Tibet (Xizang Plateau)
- western China’s Tarim Pendi Basin and
Taklimakan Desert
• Gobi Desert stretches from northwest China into
Mongolia
- covers 500,000 square miles
• Mongolian Plateau is in northeastern China
• Northern China includes Manchurian Plain, North
China Plain
continued Landforms: Mountains and Plateaus

7. Peninsulas and Islands
The Coast of China
• Eastern coast of China has several peninsulas
- Shandong, Leizhou, and Macao Peninsulas
- Portugal owned Macao; returned it to Chinese
control in 1999
• China’s long coastline has several major port cities
like Shanghai
• Korean Peninsula is on eastern border of China
- contains independent nations of North Korea and
South Korea
SECTION
1
NEXT
Continued . . .

8. SECTION
1
NEXT
The Islands of East Asia
• East of China is continental shelf—the submerged
border of continent
• Isolation of shelf islands allows them to develop in
peace, security
• Chinese islands include Hainan and part of Hong
Kong
- Hong Kong was Britain’s; returned to China’s
control in 1997
• Japan is a small island nation with large economic
power
• Taiwan once belonged to mainland China, which still
claims it today
continued Peninsulas and Islands

9. River Systems
The Huang He
• Huang He (Yellow River)—northern China river
- starts in Kunlun Mountains in west, winds east for
3,000 miles
- empties into Yellow Sea, named for yellow silt the
river carries
SECTION
1
NEXT
Continued . . .
The Chang Jiang
• Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)—longest river in Asia
- flows 3,900 miles from Xizang (Tibet) to East
China Sea
- major trade route; floods often causing great
damage

10. SECTION
1
NEXT
The Xi Jiang
• Xi Jiang (West River) flows southeast through south
China
- joins Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) to flow into South
China Sea
- Xi Jiang, three other rivers form estuary between
Hong Kong, Macao
continued River Systems
Other Rivers of the Region
• Yalu Jiang river flows 500 miles along North Korea,
China border
- Chinese troops cross it in 1950
- attack UN forces, enter Korean War

11. Resources of East Asia
Uneven Distribution
• China, Mongolia, North Korea have natural, mineral
resources
• Japan, South Korea, Taiwan have limited natural
resources
SECTION
1
NEXT
Continued . . .
Land and Forests
• Limited farmland in sparsely populated,
mountainous, western areas
• Most Chinese are in fertile eastern river basins
where rice is grown
• Abundant forests in China, Japan, Taiwan, North
and South Korea
- Japan reserves forests by buying timber from
other regions

12. SECTION
1
NEXT
Mineral and Energy Resources
• China has large petroleum, coal, natural gas
reserves
- energy resources make China self-sufficient
• China’s mineral resources include iron ore,
tungsten, manganese
- also molybdenum, magnesite, lead, zinc, copper
• North and South Korea have coal, tungsten, gold,
silver reserves
• Japan has lead, silver, coal, but must trade for most
resources
continued Resources of East Asia
Continued . . .

13. SECTION
1
Water Resources
• China’s long river systems are important to its
economy
- provide crop irrigation, hydroelectric power,
transportation
- Three Gorges Dam on Chang Jiang will control
floods, create power
- Huang He and Xi Jiang provide hydroelectric
power, transportation
• Sea is important food source for East Asia
- Japan has one of world’s largest fishing industries
continued Resources of East Asia
NEXT

14. NEXT
Section 2
Climate and Vegetation
• East Asia has a dry highland climate in the
west.
• The region has a humid climate in the east.

15. High Latitude Climate Zones
Subarctic
• Small subarctic zones on Mongolia’s and China’s
Russian borders
• Summers are cool or cold; winters are brutally cold;
climate is dry
• Vegetation is northern evergreen forest, mosses,
lichens
Climate and Vegetation
SECTION
2
NEXT
Highland
• Western China’s highland zone temps vary with
latitude, elevation
• Vegetation also varies; forests, alpine tundra are
typical
• Tundras have no trees, frozen soil a few feet below
surface
- only mosses, lichens, shrubs grow on tundras

16. Mid-Latitude Zones
Humid Continental
• Climate zone includes northeastern China, northern
Japan
- also North Korea, northern South Korea
• Forests are coniferous; temperate grasslands
provide grazing
- agriculture has replaced many forests
SECTION
2
NEXT
Humid Subtropical
• Southeastern China, southern South Korea, south
Japan, north Taiwan
• Deciduous forests in north, coniferous in southern,
sandy soil

17. Dry Zones
Semiarid
• Includes parts of Mongolian Plateau
• Vegetation is mostly short grasses, food for grazing
animals
SECTION
2
NEXT
Desert
• Most of region’s deserts are in west central mainland
• Taklimakan Desert—in west China, between Tian
Shan, Kunlun mountains
• Gobi Desert—in north China, southeast Mongolia
- prime area for dinosaur fossils

18. Tropical Zones
Tropical Wet
• Typhoon—tropical storm that occurs in western
Pacific
• Tropical climate zone in East Asia is small
- strip of land along China’s southeastern coast
- island of Hainan, southern tip of Taiwan
• High temperatures, heavy rainfall, high humidity all
year
• Tropical rain forest has tall, dense forests of
broadleaf trees
SECTION
2
NEXT

19. NEXT
Section 3
Human-Environment
Interaction
• The Chinese are building the Three Gorges
Dam to control flooding.
• The Japanese have developed creative
ways to use their limited amounts of land.

20. The Three Gorges Dam
An Engineering Feat
• In 1993, China began construction of the Three
Gorges Dam
- being built on China’s Chang Jiang river
- should reduce flooding, generate power
• China’s largest construction project will be world’s
biggest dam
- will be 600 feet high, spanning a mile-wide valley
- will create 400-mile-long reservoir, covering 1,000
towns
Human-Environment Interaction
SECTION
3
NEXT
Continued . . .

21. SECTION
3
NEXT
Positive Effects
• Government believes dam will control Chang Jiang
flooding
- river irrigates half of China’s crops, drains one-fifth
of land
• Giant turbines should generate 10% of China’s
electrical power
• Will make it easier for ships to reach China’s interior
through locks
- river carries more than half the goods moved on
China’s waterways
- dam, locks will increase shipping capacity,
decrease costs
continued The Three Gorges Dam
Continued . . .

22. SECTION
3
NEXT
Negative Effects
• Most observers feel dam will also have negative
effects
- negative environmental impact may outweigh any
benefits
• One to two million people will have to move
- hundreds of historical sites, scenic spots will be
submerged
• Dam could cost $75 billion rather than original $11
billion estimate
- costs scare away many potential investors
continued The Three Gorges Dam
Continued . . .

23. SECTION
3
Negative Effects
• In building dam, government has not protected the
environment
• New reservoir will flood land, reduce animal habitats
- submerged factories could leak chemicals into
water
- region’s climate, temperature will be affected
- some species (alligator, river dolphin, others) may
vanish
• International groups slow to invest due to
environmental concerns
continued The Three Gorges Dam
NEXT

24. Use of Space in Urban Japan
Crowded Living and Working Spaces
• 60% of 127 million people live on 3% of land along
coastal plains
- 80% live in largest cities: Tokyo, Yokohama,
Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo
- 25 million in Tokyo, one of world’s largest
cities
• Cities poisoned with mercury, PCBs—factory
pollutants—in 1950s, ’60s
- PCBs build up in animal tissue; cause disease,
birth defects
- PCBs banned in 1977
SECTION
3
NEXT
Continued . . .

25. SECTION
3
NEXT
Adapting to Limited Space
• Houses are small, sparsely furnished
• Many in cities live in apartments
- family of four in a one-bedroom apartment is
common
• Some move to suburbs, but must commute several
hours to work
• Coastal cities reclaim land with landfill
- landfill is solid waste buried in layers of dirt
- Tokyo puts factories, refineries on landfill
continued Use of Space in Urban Japan

26. NEXT
This is the end of the chapter presentation of
lecture notes. Click the HOME or EXIT button.

27. Print Slide Show
1. On the File menu, select Print
2. In the pop-up menu, select Microsoft PowerPoint
If the dialog box does not include this pop-up, continue
to step 4
3. In the Print what box, choose the presentation format
you want to print: slides, notes, handouts, or outline
4. Click the Print button to print the PowerPoint
presentation
CONTINUE