Climate/Topography of Southeastern Asia

1
Climate/Topography of Southeastern Asia

• India, China, Japan

2

• INDIA
• Indias climate ranges from alpine to temperate,
  and even to subtropical monsoon.
• An alpine climate is very cold and exists in the
  high mountains such as the Himalayas.
• Plants can grow there, but they are limited.
• Few people live in alpine climates.
• A temperate climate is much milder.
• It is easier to grow crops and to sustain
  populations in temperate climates.
• A monsoon is a pattern of seasonal winds that
  return every year.
• The people of South Asia depend on such winds for
  their crops.
• Hot, dry winds blow from the northeast of India
  from December to March.
• Then, from June to September, monsoons blow from
  the southwest, brining 80 of South Asias yearly
  rains.
• Since so much of the population is depended on
  agriculture, these summer monsoons are essential
  to a good growing season.
• 7th in size, 2nd in pop.
• since it covers a vast area it is called a
  subcontinent

3
China

• China has a varied climate also.
• It ranges from a subarctic climate in the north,
  to a tropical climate in the south.
• Most of Chinas population is concentrated in the
  east and southeast, where the climate is milder.
• China, like most regions, has been influenced by
  geography.
• Probably the most important of these geographic
  facts has been isolation (separation).
• Chinese civilization began and grew in east Asia
  which was far from other centers of civilization.
• High mountains (Himalayan) and wide deserts
  (Gobi) isolated this area from other parts of
  Asia.
• These natural and protective barriers allowed the
  Chinese to develop their culture without constant
  interruption from the outside.

4

• China also enjoyed conditions favorable for the
  development of a great culture as they had wide
  plains, fertile soil, great rivers, and coastal
  harbors.
• Geography explains why Chinese civilization
  turned out to be unique (one of a kind)
• It developed with only minor contacts with other
  major cultures, and therefore, only minor
  instances of cultural diffusion occurred.
• Where cultural diffusion occurred, Chinese
  culture was diffused into Vietnam, Korea, and
  Japan.
• China is the third largest country on earth and
  has the highest population.
• It is in the coastal plain, river valleys, and
  hills of the eastern one-third of China, known as
  China proper, that most of Chinas population is
  located.

5
Rivers

• Chinese civilization began on the banks of one of
  its major rivers the Yellow river (Huang He)
• It was develop there because of the rich soil
  called loess.
• The other river that Chinese civilization
  developed around was the Chang (Yangtze)
• While the rivers serve as a source of life, it
  also brings death and destruction.
• The rivers often overflow their banks, flooding
  large areas of the surrounding countryside.
• Because of these floods, the Chinese people call
  the Yellow river Chinas sorrow.

6
Japan - Effects of Climate

• Climatic conditions have a major effect on
  population distribution, agriculture, and
  industrial development in Asia.
• Climate conditions in Japan, for instance, vary
  widely geographically. In northern Japan, Sapporo
  has warm summers, but the winters are long, very
  cold, and have plenty of snowfall.
• The central and western portions of Honshu have
  mild winters without much or any snow.
• There, summers are hot and humid.
• Many of Japans largest cities Tokyo, Kyoto,
  and Osaka, for example, are located in this area.
• Where weather is milder, the population is
  usually larger.

7
Topography

• Japan is a rugged, mountainous group of islands.
• Mt. Fuji reaches 12,500 feet into the sky
• The distance from coast to coast is less than 200
  miles anywhere in the islands
• Almost 80 percent of the land surface is
  mountainous
• 20 percent of the land is arable (good for
  farming)
• Japan has many short and swift rivers
• Because most of the rivers are navigable (able to
  be sailed on) for only a few miles, the streams
  have little importance for transportation
• However, throughout Japans history the rivers
  have provided water for irrigating the rice
  fields and hydroelectric power.

8

• Japan is called the Land of the Rising Sun.
• Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire which is a
  great chain of volcanoes lying along the west
  coast of the Americas and then curving down the
  eastern shores of Asia
• There are about 3,400 islands in Japan
• The main ones are called Hokkaido, Honshu,
  Kyushu, and Shikoku

9
Overall Effects of Geography

• In general, geography affects where people live,
  what they do there, and how they move around.
• The Indo-Gangetic Plain offers an example to
  demonstrate this.

10

• This large plain area lies between the Himalayan
  mountain ranges and the Deccan Plateau, within
  India.
• Much of this area benefits from the three large
  rivers of South Asia the Ganges, the Indus, and
  the Brahmaputra.
• These rivers have their sources in the Himalayas.
• These rivers and their many tributaries carry
  silt from the mountains that fertilizes farmlands
  on the plains.
• These rivers also provide a reliable source of
  irrigation.
• As a result of its steady sources of water, its
  fertile soil, and its long growing season, the
  Indo- Gangetic Plain is densely
  populated.
• Throughout this region, farmers raise rice,
  wheat, and jute.

11

• Transportation in the Indo-Gangetic Plain is
  easier than in mountain areas.
• The land is relatively level, so its possible to
  build and maintain roads.
• The rivers among the plains can be used for
  transportation, too.
• In mountainous areas, travel is much more
  difficult. Mountain passes are important in these
  areas because they allow people to travel through
  or over mountains.
• The Khyber Pass has been used for centuries, and
  has been the way that invading armies took over
  South Asia from the northwest.
• Presently, the Khyber Pass connects
  Afghanistan to Pakistan.
• India has a high population density.
• It has 898 people per square mile compared
  to 354 for China and 79 for the US.