East Asia- Land of Contrasts

Natural Resources Compare resource “rich” and “poor”

Physical Geography - Mountains Mongolian Plateau – home of the Gobi Desert Kunlun Mtns. – source of the Huang He and Yangtze rivers Quinling Shandi – divide northern and southern China Plateau of Tibet – sandwiched between Himalayas and Kunlun Mtns. Himalayas – includes Mt. Everest & K2 (world’s highest mountains)

Physical Geography – Rivers & Plains Huang He – aka “Yellow River” for the heavy silt, called “China’s Sorrow” due to severe flooding Chang Jiang – literally “Long River” (over 3,900 miles), aka “Yangtze”, site of Three Gorges Dam Yalu Jiang – forms border between China and Korean Peninsula Xi Jiang – joins the Pearl River to empty into South China Sea at Hong Kong North China Plain - VERY fertile farmland, but high population density as well Amur River – forms border between Russia and eastern China

Physical Geography – Issues Yangtze River flooding and the Three Gorges Dam Japan’s bulging population problem and not enough space Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis are always a threat to Japan

Physical Geography – Issues Yangtze and Three Gorges The Yangtze River has a long history of intense flooding, including: 1998 – 3,000 dead, 14 million displaced, $24 Billion losses 1954 – 30,000 dead 1935 – 142,000 dead 1931 – 135,000 dead 1911 – 100,000+ dead 1887 – 1,000,000+ dead To prevent future flooding disasters, the Chinese built the Three Gorges Dam 330 feet tall, almost 1 ½ mile wide total project cost - $26 Billion` will create a reservoir 410 miles long video

Physical Geography – Issues Yangtze and Three Gorges Positive Effects Negative Effects 1.Reservoir creation will control or eliminate future flooding threats 2.22,500 MegaWatts of clean energy will be produced, reducing the need for coal burning power plants 3.Transportation by ocean-going ships will be possible to Chongqing, over 800 miles inland (Houston to El Paso) 1.Energy produced will only cover 3% of China’s needs, not 10% as predicted. 2.Dam will slow river traffic, restricted to available locks instead of the ½ mile-wide river. 3.Over 1 million people will have to be displaced from ancestral lands 4.Historical and religious sites will be flooded as reservoir rises 5.Destruction or modification of natural habitat may harm river species 6.Loss of free-flowing sediment may decrease farmland fertility

Physical Geography – Issues Population Density Japan’s population is about ½ of the U.S. (around 127,000,000 in 2008) but the country is smaller than California The average population density for the country is more than 871 people per square mile (U.S. avg. is 80 per sq. mi.) Tokyo is the world’s most populated urban area, with an estimated population of 35,676,000 in 2007, including Tokyo and suburban areas

Physical Geography – Issues Population Density By using land reclamation activities like landfill and dredging, Japan has “created” land to build three large airports in the waters surrounding the natural islands. Over 96 square miles of new land have been added in Tokyo Bay, and overall, Japan’s reclamation projects add 2-3 square miles of new land each year, making it possible to build new housing or park space for the people of Japan

Physical Geography – Issues Extreme Nature in Japan The Japanese islands were created by tectonic movement between the Pacific and Philippine Plates moving northwest and the Amur plate moving southeast, resulting in very active and unpredictable earthquake and volcanic activity Active volcanoes create a “spine” of Japan, so most of Japan’s population lives less than 75 miles from a volcano 1,000+ tremors or quakes/year in Japan Most are unnoticed, but they can be major: 1923 – Kanto - killed 100, – Hanshin (Kobe) – killed 6,400+, 100,000 homeless, $100+ Bil. to rebuild

Physical Geography – Issues Extreme Nature in Japan Japan’s location on the “Ring of Fire” also creates the potential for tsunamis Underwater earthquakes can start a wave of energy that can travel across the ocean and create a tsunami as it nears land Typhoons (called “hurricanes” in the Atlantic) can bring intense winds (100+ mph) and heavy rain (1-2 in./hour for 12+ hours) and can create intense flooding due to storm surge at the eye of the storm video

Physical Geography – Issues Emergency Preparedness Most major cities in Japan hold city-wide emergency disaster drills at least once per year Japanese Meteorological Agency makes predictions for weather and seismic activity Up-to-the-minute online earthquake reporting keeps people informed about potential problems Alert levels are announced on TV and radio stations to alert people of volcanic activity

China’s area is slightly smaller than the U.S. but their population is over 4 X bigger (US 300 M vs. China 1.3 B) China’s area is slightly smaller than the U.S. but their population is over 4 X bigger (US 300 M vs. China 1.3 B) In 1776, China’s population equaled U.S. population in 2000 In 1776, China’s population equaled U.S. population in 2000 China passed 1 billion in 1980 China passed 1 billion in 1980 Physical features (desert, mountains) limit suitable living space Physical features (desert, mountains) limit suitable living space East coast port draw people to the already crowded cities East coast port draw people to the already crowded cities Human & Physical Geography – Issues Overpopulation in China

Human & Physical - Issues China’s Population Density One Child Policy (since 1979) limits family size, in hopes of slowing and reversing population growth One Child Policy (since 1979) limits family size, in hopes of slowing and reversing population growth cultural preference for boys has led to selective abortions, spoiled “Little Emperors”, infanticide and increased numbers of orphans cultural preference for boys has led to selective abortions, spoiled “Little Emperors”, infanticide and increased numbers of orphans Fertility rate has fallen from more than 5 children per woman in China during the 1970’s to China to less than 2 per woman today Fertility rate has fallen from more than 5 children per woman in China during the 1970’s to China to less than 2 per woman today