Australia in Asia and the Pacific Physical Geography

Definitions Relief Landform Topography

Plains  Areas of lowlands with gentle slopes and low hills  Sometimes associated with river systems  Alluvial soil deposited during flooding of rivers over centuries produces rich, fertile soil  Majority of people live here  Support intensive agriculture

Examples Indo-Gangetic PlainKanto Plain

Structural Plains Example: Inner China  No deposits of alluvial soil  Severe climate  No potential for agriculture

Hill Lands/Uplands  Moderate elevation  India and China hill lands are plateaus  Most productive agricultural land consists of pockets of alluvium along the valley floors  China south of Yangtze River mainly hill lands

Example India

Mountains and Plateaus  Main areas are around Pakistan and India  Ranges radiate from Pamir Mountains in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan  Continue south easterly direction through SE Asia, Indonesia and PNG  World’s highest mountain: Everest 8848m, 93 other mountains over 7300m

Mountains and Plateaus  Soil is shallow and will not grow enough crops to support a lot of people  Scattered, isolated villages  Broken by deep river valleys  Mountains act as a barrier to movement and communication, divide countries from each other and form a natural line of defence

Examples

Rivers  Focus of human settlement  Deposits of alluvium created favourable conditions for intensive agriculture  Outside of main rivers catchments are generally too small to create extensive flood plains  Rivers act as international boundaries, transport routes, irrigation water

Examples MekongCambodia

Deltas  Triangular shaped area of land at the mouth of a river with large deposits of alluvium

Examples Ganges River Delta - Bangladesh

Islands  Many countries that consist solely of islands, eg: Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, New Zealand, Pacific islands  Travelling between islands difficult  Goods and people transported by boat  Isolation

Examples

Pacific Islands Melanesia o Islands lie along edge of Australian tectonic plate o Made from fragments of land that were once part of Gondwana Polynesia o Islands are result of volcanoes that have risen from a hot spot on the sea floor o Surrounded by coral reefs

Example Bora French Polynesia