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MODULE I
GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA
MODULE I
INTRODUCTION
GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA
☝ DIRECTIONS/ MODULEORGANIZER
Lesson 1
🕮 INTRODUCTION OF ASIA
THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING ASIA
Asia is home to half the world's
population. Studying the culturally and
historically diverse areas of Asia provides
opportunities for students to discover new global
perspectives.
In being so populous, Asia is also home to
diverse societies, each with their own creativity
and technological prowess. The challenges of resource scarcity, ecological
degradation, climate change, as well as social challenges of non
communicable and infectious disease, mean that we need to draw upon the
ingenuity of all the world’s peoples. Commercially, Asia is no longer simply a
region where resources and human labour can be sourced more cheaply than
elsewhere. Instead, it is a place where engineers, scientists, programmers,
and entrepreneurs are pushing the boundaries of their professions.
Another reason for the importance of Asia to global well-being, arises
from its reach around the world. Companies from China, India, Indonesia and
Malaysia, are investing in business across the world, in Asia, Africa and Latin
America, as well as the West. For example, bilateral trade between China
and Africa exceeded US$100 billion in 2008 (see Beyond the Western
financial crisis). This trade and investment presents many opportunities for
everyone concerned, but also problems in terms of negative impacts on
certain stakeholders and the environment, as we discuss next.
ETYMOLOGY OF ASIA
⚫ Western Viewpoint
Eurocentrism refers to a discursive
tendency to interpret the histories and
cultures of non-European societies from a
European (or Western) perspective..
⚫ Asian Viewpoint
Asiacentrism (also Asiacentricity) is
an ethnocentric and economic perspective
that regards Asia to be either superior, central, or unique relative to
other regions. This ideological stance may take the form of ascribing to
Asia significance or supremacy at the cost of the rest of the world.
🗐 LESSON SUMMARY
❖ There are geographical, cultural, and historical features of Asia that are
worthy of our appreciation.
❖ As Asian, we must study our history and culture based from an Asian
centric point of view instead of referring to European models, so we can
appreciate more our heritage and be able to contribute to the benefits
of our fellow Asians.
2. The word Asia was first used by the Chine and Japanese scholars
to refer to the rising sun.
6. The terms Near East, Middle East, and Far East denotes an Asian
centric point of view referring tot he regions of Asia.
🕮 GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA
Lesson 2
Asia is the largest continent in the world in terms of both land area and
population. It covers around 17 million square miles and is home to over four billion
individuals. Asia is divided into 48 countries, three of them are trans-continental.
Given its large size, Asia has been subdivided on the basis of many factors including
cultural, political, etc. Physiographically, there are five major regions of Asia.
These are Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Asia.
Another region can be defined as North Asia to include the bulk of Siberia of Russia
and the northeastern parts of Asia. The five main divisions of Asia have been
mentioned in detail below.
4. East Asia (China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Macau)
The geography of East Asia is varied depending on the zone. The inner
continental area experiences a temperate climate, while Mongolia is covered
by the arid Gobi desert. China, the largest country in the region, is home to
both mountains and plateaus, while Japan is characterized by thousands of
islands and coastlines. Today, East Asia is believed to have some of the most
advanced technologies in the world, which fosters economic development.
Southeast Asia covers a total area of 1,735,121 square miles and has a
population size of more than 641 million individuals. The geography of
Southeast Asia is characterized by a large number of archipelagos. The
Indonesian Archipelago is the biggest in the world and is home to the largest
number of active volcanoes in the world. The region's importance in global
trade began during the spice trade, which started before European
exploration. Today, the economy of Southeast Asia is rapidly developing.
Indonesia is considered the largest economy in the region and is East Asia's
only member of the G20.
Asia can be divided into five major physical regions: mountain systems;
plateaus; plains, steppes, and deserts; freshwater environments; and
saltwater environments.
1. Mountain Systems
The Tien Shan mountain system stretches for about 2,400 kilometers
(1,500 miles), straddling the border between Kyrgyzstan and China. The
name Tien Shan means “Celestial Mountains” in Chinese. The two highest
peaks in the Tien Shan are Victory Peak, which stands at 7,439 meters
(24,406 feet), and Khan Tängiri Peak, which stands at 6,995 meters (22,949
feet). Tien Shan also has more than 10,100 square kilometers (3,900 square
miles) of glaciers. The largest glacier is Engil'chek Glacier, which is about 60
kilometers (37 miles) long.
to 4,000 feet). The highest peak is Mount Narodnaya at 1,895 meters (6,217
feet).
2. Plateaus
The Deccan Plateau makes up most of the southern part of India. The
plateau’s average elevation is about 600 meters (2,000 feet). It is bordered
by three mountain ranges: the Satpura Range in the north, and the Eastern
and Western Ghats on either side. The plateau and its main waterways—the
Godavari and Krishna rivers—gently slope toward the Eastern Ghats and the
Bay of Bengal.
The Tibetan Plateau is usually considered the largest and highest area
ever to exist in the history of Earth. Known as the “Rooftop of the World,”
the plateau covers an area about half the size of the contiguous United
States and averages more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level.
The Tibetan Plateau is extremely important to the world’s water cycle
because of its tremendous number of glaciers. These glaciers contain the
largest volume of ice outside the poles. The ice and snow from these glaciers
feed Asia’s largest rivers. Approximately 2 billion people depend on the
rivers fed by the plateau’s glaciers.
The Rub’ al Khali desert, considered the world’s largest sand sea,
covers an area larger than France across Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United
Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It holds roughly half as much sand as Africa’s
Sahara desert, even though it is 15 times smaller in size. The desert is known
as the Empty Quarter because it is virtually inhospitable to humans except
for Bedouin tribes that live on its edges.
4. Freshwater
The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the
world (behind the Amazon of South America and the Nile of Africa).
Reaching 6,300 kilometers (3,915 miles) in length, the Yangtze moves east
from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to the river’s mouth on the East
China Sea. The Yangtze is considered the lifeblood of China. It drains one
fifth of the country’s land area, is home to one-third of its population, and
contributes greatly to China’s economy.
5. Saltwater
The Persian Gulf has an area of more than 234,000 square kilometers
(90,000 square miles). It borders Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. The gulf is subject to high rates of
evaporation, making it shallow and extremely salty. The seabed beneath the
Persian Gulf contains an estimated 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves.
The countries that border the gulf have engaged in a number of disputes
over this rich resource.
The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2
million square kilometers (839,000 square miles) and bordering Bangladesh,
India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. Many large rivers, including the Ganges and
Brahmaputra, empty into the bay. The briny wetlands formed by the
Ganges-Brahmaputra on the Bay of Bengal is the largest delta in the world.
Climates in Asia
SESS 102 – Asian Studies Module I
14
SESS 102 –
❖ Asia is the largest continent in the world and cover 1/3 of the worlds
total land area.
Directions: Choose two Asian counties (from the same or different region)
and compare their physical characteristics and climate. Write your entries
on the comparative chart below.
Characteristics Country A Country B
1. Physical Characteristics
2. Climate
3. Population
4. Natural Resources
5. Major industries
CONCLUSION