1. ASIA  3 parts of Asia-South Asia (India), SE Asia (Vietnam, Thailand), East Asia (Japan, China)  Most people live in urban areas, river valleys and on coastal plains  The population is not evenly distributed  Farming-main job for people

2. South Asia  Because of the Western Ghats Mts. block the monsoon winds, the interior of the subcontinent of India has a hot and dry climate  Heavy rains in S. Asia are due to the monsoons that pick up moisture in the warm Indian Ocean  Many south Asians move to cities because of lack of farm land  Challenge for South Asia- growing enough food for their people  B/C of the Tsunami, India has actually moved

3. India/Pakistan  India- 2 nd most populated country in the world  Britain controlled India until 1947: they pulled out of India but it was also divided, Pakistan came from this (Muslims moved to Pakistan, Hindus-India)  1971-War between India and Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh

4. More on India/Pakistan  Hinduism and Islam have the most followers in the area  Hinduism- polytheistic & belief in reincarnation  Caste System- social classes in Hindu India, broken down into 4 classes, only way to move up is to die

5. China  The world’s most populous country (1 billion)  Most people live in the East China  main energy source- coal  Three Gorges Dam in China on Yangtze River controls flooding and supplies power (world’s biggest dam)  1 Of 4 Communist countries in Asia (N. Korea, Vietnam, Laos)  3 major products in China- rice, tea, silk

6. Japan  Asia’s major economic leader  Mostly one ethnic group  Isolated for most of its history, Japan became an imperial power in the early 20 th century  Shintoism-main religion in Japan  Only 13% of Japan’s land is suitable for farming because of steep mountains (they don’t have a lot of resources)

7. Korea  Korea is separated by a DMZ (demilitarized zone- it divides Communist North & Non- Communist South)  Korea is also mostly one ethnic group  South Korea is highly industrialized; North Korea is not

8. East Asia  Singapore & Taiwan- newly industrialized island countries off of the coast of Asia (China still thinks that Taiwan is theirs)  Asia’s hope for the future- untapped energy resources  Terracing-stair step farming  basic food-rice, loess-yellow soil  Fishing- job of many who live near water

9. Some Asian Religious Facts  Homeland for Buddhists- Tibet  Dalai Lama- spiritual leader for Buddhists  Ganges- holy river for Hindus  Philippines-mostly Christian  Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh- Mostly Muslim

10. Final Facts  Sri Lanka- island nation off of the coast of India (Tsunami hit the hardest there)  Ring of Fire- chain of volcanoes that line the Pacific Rim (Mt. Fuji in Japan is one)  Many people in SE Asia purchase food at floating markets  Myanmar, Vietnam & Cambodia have oil reserves  Two more facts about China- Beijing is the capital & the Great Wall was built to keep out invaders