East Asia Lesson 1

Welcome to China

It is not surprising that China is the central culture of Eastern Asia because it is massively larger than its neighbors, such as the Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese cultural regions. China’s diverse geographical landscapes covers about 85% of East Asia and is separated from the rest of the continent by mountains, deserts, seas, and rivers. Mongolia borders the northern boundaries of China and is landlocked between China and Russia. The Mongolian region is made up of deserts, plateaus and some tracts of land used for grassland. Japan is made up of four main islands that create an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The Korean Peninsula is south of northeast China. Mountain ranges separate North Korea from China and take up the northern part of the peninsula. South Korea covers the southern part of the peninsula. The landforms of the Korean Peninsula consist of lowlands along the coastline, rugged mountains, and fertile river valleys. Only about 20 percent of the land is used for farming. Countries in East Asia

Remember those physical processes?? Throughout history, the people of East Asia have found ways to adapt to the physical environment. Natural disasters such as typhoons, monsoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, sand storms, tsunamis and floods and historical and contemporary conflicts and invasions from outsiders have changed the infrastructure of the physical and cultural regions. The Chinese civilization has had one of the longest lasting cultures in the world. Remember those physical processes??

One of China’s contributions to its neighbors and the world was in architectural design. An example is the Great Wall; it was constructed over 2,000 years ago in northern and central China. This historical wall presents a variety of appearances as it zigzags like a dragon for 4,500 miles through different terrain. Numerous emperors or rulers added to the fortified walls in sections. Some of the wall has been restored, while other parts have deteriorated. The Great Wall of China

A little bit about the Wall.. http://safari.lampasas.k12.tx.us/?a=4918 1&ch=1&d=00861AA Pictures~ http://conversion.nerdeveloper.net/hando uts/1875219993WhatAmI.pdf A little bit about the Wall..

Recreate the route of the Great Wall of China Use map pencils. Make sure to include a legend and a compass rose.      Locate and plot the nine provinces of the Great Wall of China’s route from the Jiayuguan Pass in the west to Shanhaiguan Pass in the east as follows: ·         Provinces: Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Tianjin, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu    Also include major bodies of water, countries, and the Gobi Desert. ·         Pacific Ocean, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Gobi Desert, North Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, East China Sea ·         Suggested colors: Based on the data you will be locating and plotting on a map, use the following guidelines for common colors used on maps: light yellow is for desert regions; blue is for rivers, lakes, seas and oceans; green is for lower elevations; brown or orange indicate higher elevations. Recreate the route of the Great Wall of China

Let’s see what the map looks like http://conversion.nerdeveloper.net/handouts/1875219993EastAsiaTheGreatWallofChinaKey.pdf

What do you think??? What do you notice about the Great Wall of China?   Why do you think that it was built where it was?    Do you think that its purpose changed over time? Why? What do you think???