Human Characteristics East Asia has about 1.5 billion people 25% of the worlds population Major ethnic groups are: Han Chinese Tibetan Japanese Korean Mongolian
Human Characteristics China 92 percent of China’s population belongs to Han ethnic group Remaining 8 percent belongs to 55 different ethnic groups
Human Characteristics Japan, Korea, and Mongolia 99 percent of Japan’s population is ethnic Japanese Descendants of Asian migrants who crossed the Korean peninsula to Japan centauries ago. Koreans trace decent to Northern China and Central Asia People living in Mongolia are mostly ethnic Mongolians
Where East Asians Live Because much of East Asia is barren or mountainous, the region’s population is unevenly distributed. Population Distribution and Density 90 percent of China’s population lives on less then 20 percent of the land People live on coastal plains and in river valleys
Where East Asians Live Interior of Mongolia is home to 4 people per square mile Taiwan is crowded because space is limited Taiwanese and Koreans live in cities In Japan, most people are crowded into valleys and coastal plains More then 26 million people live in Tokyo
Where East Asians Live Japan’s Urban Lifestyle Space is limited As a result, Japanese in cities, live in small houses or apartments Traffic congestion has been eased thanks to an efficient mass transit system
Mirgration Recently, many Chinese and South Koreans have moved from the country to the city. In South Korea, people migrate to coastal cities In the 90’s, many North Koreans migrated south to escape communism. South Korea’s population is twice as large as North Korea’s
Challenges of Growth In China and South Korea, migration to cities has led to overcrowding and a shortage of farmers. China is trying to encourage people to stay in the rural areas Since 1979, the Chinese government has allowed only one child per couple Not followed by all Chinese Helped slow population growth
Ancient East Asia China’s Dynasties Began in Wei River Valley – 5,000 years ago Ruling dynasties faced invasions from Central Asia, natural disasters, and rebellious local lords Failure to address these problems collapse Loss of Mandate of Heaven or divine approval New Ruling family takes over
Ancient East Asia Chinese culture spread and trade grew during Zhou Dynasty Confucius and Laozi influenced life: Discipline Moral Conduct Harmony with Nature Zhou Dynasty followed by rullers who expanded territories 200s BC, China was united and the Great wall was built
Ancient East China Korea and Japan Buddhism spread from China Korea’s chief religion In 1300, Chinese take control of Korea Korean government and school system based on teachings of Confucius
Ancient East China China and Korea had major impact on Japan’s civilization In 400’s Japan is united under the Yamato Dynasty Adopted China’s writing system, philosophy, and government structure 1100’s to 1800’s – Shoguns ruled Japan
Contact with the West By 1600’s, western Europe developed shipping routes to Asia Wanted a part of tea and silk trade China, Japan, Korea rejected Western efforts
Contact With the West Under western pressure, China opened the port of Guangzhou to limited trade in 1834 Europe and Japan claimed large areas of China as “spheres of influence” In 1899, USA brokered an agreement to open China to trade with all nations
Contact With the West US worked to open Japan for trade 1854, Mathew Perry forced the country to end centuries of isolation to trade with the US Rule by Shoguns soon ends Emperor regained full authority Japan modernized its economy, government, and military forces
Modern East Asia Revolutionary China 1911, Revolution ended rule of Dynasties Communists won power in 1949, led by Mao Zedong Set up People’s Republic of China Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established Republic of China Recently, China has opened to free-market influences Taiwan has prospered economically
Modern East Asia Japan’s Transformation 1890’s to 1940, Japan used diplomacy and military force to create an empire After defeat in WWII, Japan lost all their acquisitions, Rebuilt their economy and play a major role in the world economy today
Modern East Asia A Divided Korea 1950, Communist ruled North Korea invaded South Korea Korean War – UN forces led by the US rushed to South Korea’s defense 1953 – Truce ended the fighting 38 th Parallel still separates North and South Korea Life in North Korea is oppressive Life in South Korea is free and prosperous
Modern East Asia A Free Mongolia 1924 to 1991, Mongolia was a communist state under the influence of the Soviet Union After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mongolians adopted a democratic constitution
East Asia’s Languages China’s Languages Han Chinese – most widely spoken language in China Mandarin is official language Cantonese – another major language, spoken in southeastern China. Use ideograms – pictures or symbols that stand for ideas
East Asia’s Languages Japanese and Korean Languages Japanese language developed in isolation Distantly related to Korean and Mongolian First writing system based on Chinese characters Recent times – Western languages such as English, have influenced Korean and Japanese Languages
Religion and Philosophy Traditional religions and philosophies in East Asia include: Buddhism Daoism Confucianism Shintoism – ancient Japanese religion that emphasizes reverences for nature Christianity is widespread in Korea Western China has many muslims
Religion and Philosophy Communist governments in China and North Korea discourage all religious practices. In Tibet – harsh restrictions on Buddhist population Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, leads a movement for Tibetan rights from exile in India.
Standard of Living Japan’s Downturn and Recovery Valued individual loyalty to society in return for protection and support People expected to work long hours – in return employment has been secure High wages and benefits In 1997, Japan suffered an economic downturn Forced companies to lay off workers Fewer rewards are now offered – workers have less loyalty to employers.
Standard of Living China’s New Direction Economic course changed in 1970s Deng Xiaoping came to power Allowed limited free enterprise and private ownership in business Welcomed foreign investment Standard of living has been raised Most people still work in agriculture
Education and Health Literacy and Learning Japan, Taiwan, and the Koreas have literacy rates of 95% or higher China and Mongolia have rates of 82% South Koreans are among the regions best educated students
Education and Healthcare Healthcare Communist countries generally provide free health care As China moves towards a market economy, they no longer guarantee equal access to health care Growing gap in the quality of care between urban areas and rural areas Many East Asians rely on both Western medicine and traditional herbal medicines
Leisure Activities Prefer staple foods such as wheat, millet and rice Many have vegetarian diets or get protein from fish Recently, beef and dairy products have become popular Sports and Festivals Sports that are popular include martial arts and baseball Home to many Olympic champions Holidays celebrate religious beliefs, seasonal changes, and historical events Parades and ceremonies are common