Physical Description
East/Southeast Asia
SSWG5
The student will describe the interaction of physical and human
systems that have shaped contemporary South Asia,
Southeastern Asia, and Eastern Asia.
a. Describe the location of major physical features and their impact on the
regions of Asia.
b. Describe the major climates of each region and how they have affected
each region’s development.
c. Analyze the impact of the topography and climate on population
distribution in the regions.
e. Analyze the impact of population growth in the region on both the
region and on other regions of the world; include China, India, and Japan.
East Asia & SE Asia/Background
 Includes 4 major areas:
 China, Mongolia, Taiwan (1)
 Japan, North/South Korea
(2)
 Mainland SE Asia (3)
 Islands SE Asia (4)
Landforms /China, Mongolia, Taiwan
 China
 world’s 3rd largest country
 Mountains cover 40% of China’s
land area
 Himalayas located in SW with
Nepal and Bhutan
 Includes Mount Everest on border
Landforms/China, Mongolia, Taiwan
continued
 Mongolia
 Mongolian Plateau (1)
 makes up most of country
 elevation from 3,000-5,000 ft
 Gobi Desert (2)
 Extends from north-central China into
Mongolia—bare rock/gravel
 Gobi means “waterless place”
 Taiwan
 Eastern coast has high, steep mts
 Western coast flatter
 Located near tectonic
plates/earthquakes common
Bodies of Water/China
 Plains and river
valleys in eastern
China hold large
amount of
population
 Area receives most
rain
3 major rivers:
1. Huang (Yellow)
River
2. Chang (Yangtze)
River
3. Xi River
China, Mongolia, Taiwan/Climate
 Influenced by Asian monsoon
season
 Dry winter winds blow from the
Asian interior to the coast
 Winds can be bitterly cold
 Can cause typhoons in summer
 SE China/Taiwan --- mild
humid subtropical climate
 NE China --- humid continental
 Western China --- dry highland
climate
 Mongolia---high continental—
very cold, dry winters, mild
summers
China/Natural Resources
 Huge amounts of resources
 World’s leading producer of coal,
lead, tin, and tungsten
 Most important reserves are located in
north and northeast
 Oil and natural gas found in many
areas
 Only 10% of China has fertile land
 Chang River important for rice
fields
Japan/The Koreas/Landforms
 Japan
 4 main islands/thousands of
smaller ones
 70% is mountainous
 Longest mt range -- Japanese Alps
 Japan’s highest peak -- Mt. Fuji (12,
388 ft)
 Lies in the Ring of Fire
 1500 earthquakes can occur in Japan
every yr
 Almost 200 volcanoes and 1/3 are
active
Japan/The Koreas/Landforms
 Korean Peninsula
 600 miles long
 Same size as Utah
 Mostly hills/low mts
 Most people in the Koreas live
on a coastal plain on the west
coast
Japan’s Natural Resources
 Japan lacks many
mineral and energy
resources
 Have to import
most minerals and
resources
 Ex: oil, coal,
timber, iron, and
aluminum
Mainland SE Asia
 Includes Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam
 3 major landform regions:
 Rugged mountains in north
(Himalayas & Plateau of Tibet) (1)
 Plains & plateaus in Thailand and
Cambodia (2)
 River valleys & deltas (3)
Mainland SE Asia continued
 Mekong River is largest in
region
 Flows through Laos,
Cambodia, and
Vietnam
 Area holds tropical rain
forests
Island Southeast Asia
 Includes Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore
 Area contains more than 20,000 islands
 Shaped by tectonic activity
 Many seas/narrow straits separate
islands
 Strait of Malacca: lies between island
of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula
 Major shipping route for area
Climate of SE Asia
 Tropical climate
 80-100 inches of annual
rainfall
 Area affected by monsoons
 High precipitation
 Typhoons affect Philippines
 Area has many tropical
rainforests
Natural Resources SE Asia
 Tropical rainforests used for timber
 Mahogany, teak and ebony
 Iron, manganese, tin, and tungsten
 Export sapphires and rubies
 Large exporters of rice
 Opium is grown in mountains of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos
Tsunami
 Tsunami: catastrophic ocean wave
caused by an underwater earthquake,
coastal landslide, or volcanic
eruption
 Japanese for “harbor wave”
 Travels up to 500 mph in deep water
 Tsunami warning systems have been
created to detect hazards
 Begin warnings after underwater
earthquakes that register 7.0 or higher
 Estimates path, magnitude, and arrival
time of tsunami
Tsunami of 2004
 Most destructive tsunami ever recorded
 Hit (Sumatra) Indonesia, Thailand, India,
Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Bangladesh, Maldives, and Somalia
 Caused by 9.0 earthquake in Indian Ocean
off Sumatra’s coast
 Sumatra is largest island in Indonesia
 Waves that hit Sumatra were between 50-
100 feet high
 2 hrs after the earthquake, 30 foot waves
hit the shores of India and Sri Lanka
Tsunami of 2004 continued
 More than 225,000 people were
killed
 200,000 dead in Sumatra
 1000’s in Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka
 Deaths in Malaysia, Myanmar,
Bangladesh, Maldives, and Somalia
 1000’s dead were tourists to the
area
 Tsunami lasted 7 hours and spread
to Eastern Africa
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J8Feyr38Ss
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5fKvN-RwKs