1. The Physical Geography of Southern and Eastern Asia
Mrs. Gero’s World Studies Class
Spring Semester

2. Let’s look at South Asia first
This is South Asia.
The two countries you will need to focus on the most are #1 and #2.
#1 is Pakistan
#2 is India

3. Mountains and Rivers South Asia is has two major rivers.
The Indus River runs through Pakistan and empties into the Arabian Sea
The Ganges River runs through India, into Bangladesh and into the Bay of Bengal.
The Himalayan Mountains form the border between India and China.
Indus
Ganges

4. The Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayan Mountains are a 1500 mile mountain chain that stretches across the Northeast corner of India.
It creates a natural barrier between India and China.

5. The Roof of the World
The average height of the mountain chain is 24,000 feet tall.
You are looking at Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
It is over 29,000 feet high! (over 5 miles straight up!)

6. Where do people settle in South Asia?
Look at the patterns on the map.
India, the second largest country in population in the world is where most people settle
The majority of the people live along the Ganges River, but the really, they settle most anywhere.

7. Look at Afghanistan and Pakistan
There are not as many people living in Afghanistan and Pakistan because the climate is mainly arid.
The majority of Pakistan’s people live along the Indus River.

8. What are the climate patterns?
Most of the time, India stays relatively warm.
It is protected from the cold by the mountains that wrap around the north.
During the summer, it gets a lot of rain from the winds that come off of the ocean.

9. Monsoons!
Monsoons are seasonal winds that bring climate changes to Asia.
The summer monsoon comes off of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
This brings the rainy season to India.

10. Why no cold winters?
Look at the green arrows that are supposed to bring the winter monsoons.
Can you think of a major mountain range that might block those winds from coming to India?

11. Tropical Wet and Dry
This is why India is considered to be tropical wet and dry.
There is a warm and rainy season, then there is also a warm and dry season.

12. Floods and Mudslides
Because Nepal and Bangladesh are in the foothills of the Himalayas, they get a lot of floods from the monsoons.
If there is too much rain, it can trigger mudslides.

13. What do most do for a living?
With over 1.2 billion people, India still has the majority of their people working in agriculture.
They live in rural areas and they farm or herd livestock for a living.
Those that are lucky enough to be educated move to the cities to work in industry and services.

14. Southeast Asia
Peninsulas
Islands

15. Peninsulas and Islands
Southeast Asia is dominated by peninsulas and islands.
Your two major mainland peninsulas are the Malay and the Indochina.
Your two main archipelagos are Indonesia and the Philippines.
Indochina
Philippines
Malay
Indonesia

16. Surrounded by water
Because this area is surrounded by water, it doesn’t matter which way the monsoon winds blow.
The winds will always pick up water, so the climate will be tropical wet.
Pacific Ocean
South China Sea
Bay of Bengal

17. Vegetation
The majority of Southeast Asia will be covered with rainforests.
What do you think one of their major environmental issues will be?

18. One river you need to know…
This is the Mekong River.
This river essential to farming on the Indochina Peninsula.
The major exports from this peninsula is rice, rubber, and tea.
The majority of the people work as farmers.

19. East Asia

20. Deserts and a BIG Plateau
Look at China’s southwest corner. That brown area is called the Plateau of Tibet.
Just to its north and northeast are two major deserts, the Taklimakan and the Gobi.
This part of China does NOT have a high population density.
Gobi
Taklimakan
Plateau of Tibet

21. Two Rivers and the North China Plain
Huang He (Yellow River)
China is highly dependent on its two major rivers, the Yellow and the Yangtze.
People for thousands of years have depended on the flooding of these two rivers to fertilize the land.
The best farming area in the country is the North China Plain, where the population density is the highest.
Chang Jiang (Yangtze)

22. China’s Climate
China’s climate along the eastern seaboard is similar to the eastern coast of the U.S.
The farther north you go, the colder the winters are.
The farther south you go, the milder the winters are.
Summers are hot.

24. East Asian Population Density
The majority of China’s population is going to live on the eastern 1/3 of the country
This is because of the Plateau of Tibet and the Taklimakan Deserts.
The harsh climates make it difficult for people to farm.