EA - Physical Geography - East Asia Lesson

Physical Geography - East Asia

Mongolia

Mongolia shares similar geography with much of Kazakhstan, which is the world's largest landlocked nation; Mongolia is the second largest. Despite Mongolia's large land area, its population is only about three million, and the country is the least densely populated country in the world. Mongolia's modern capital city of Ulan Bator is home to about one-third of the people of Mongolia; it has the coldest average temperature of any world capital. Mountains, high plains, and grass-covered steppe cover much of Mongolia. As a result of being landlocked, Mongolia receives only between four and ten inches of precipitation per year. Due to its latitude and elevation, that precipitation usually comes in the form of snow. To the south, the Gobi Desert receives even less precipitation.  

Japan 

Map of Japan's four main islands: Shikoku, Kyushu, Hokkaido, and HonshuJapan consists of islands that lie along the Pacific Rim east of China and across the Sea of Japan from the Korean Peninsula. Most of the archipelago, which has more than three thousand islands, is just north of 30° latitude. The four main islands that make up most of the country are Shikoku, Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Honshu. Originating from volcanic activity, the islands are mountainous and home to many active volcanos, including the famous Mount Fuji. All but the northern region of Japan has a type C climate. The island of Hokkaido in northern Japan has a type D climate and receives enough snow for downhill skiing.

Japan is a mountainous region, and most of its large cities are in low-lying areas along the coast. Tokyo is located where three tectonic plates meet: the Eurasian Plate, the Philippine Plate, and the Pacific Plate. It is ironic that the world's largest metropolitan area is built in one of the worst earthquake-prone places imaginable. Earthquakes result when the tectonic plates shift, leading to the possibility of extensive damage and destruction. The second-largest urban area in Japan is in the Kansai District and includes the cities of Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto.

In March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck forty-three miles off the eastern coast of northern Japan. The earthquake itself caused extensive damage to the island of Honshu. A shockwave after the earthquake created a tsunami more than 130 feet high that crashed into the eastern coast of Japan causing enormous damage to infrastructure and loss of life. Hundreds of aftershocks were recorded; at least three registered over 7.0 in magnitude. This is the strongest earthquake to ever hit Japan in recorded history. It resulted in more than 15,500 deaths and wreaked severe damage across Japan in the value of billions of dollars. Nuclear power plants along the coast were hit hard by the tsunami, which knocked out their cooling systems and resulted in the meltdown of at least three reactors. The nuclear meltdowns created explosions that released a sizeable quantity of nuclear material into the atmosphere. This is considered the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 reactor meltdown at the Soviet plant at Chernobyl, located north of Kiev in present-day Ukraine. The next big earthquake could happen at any time since Japan is in an active tectonic plate zone.

Expanse of the Metropolitan Area of Tokyo, with Mount Fuji in the background

Korea 

The Korean Peninsula juts out into the Pacific Rim from northwestern Asia. To the west and north is China and to the far north along the coast in Russia. Korea is separated from China by the Yellow Sea and the natural borders created by the Yalu and Tumen Rivers. The Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea bind the peninsula. North and South Korea share the peninsula and have been separated by the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 38th parallel (line of latitude) since 1953. The topography of the Korean Peninsula is mountainous. The bedrock is composed of volcanic and granitic rocks that have been severely modified by glacial processes over the past twenty-five thousand years. The highest peak in North Korea rises more than nine thousand feet. The Korean Peninsula can be thought of as four general areas:

  1. Western Region with an extensive coastal plain, river basins, and small foothills
  2. Eastern Region with high mountain ranges and a narrow coastal plain
  3. Southeastern Basin
  4. Southwestern Region of mountains and valleys

Off the southern and western coasts of the Korean Peninsula are about three thousand small and mostly uninhabited islands, all within the territory of South Korea.

The Korean Peninsula between the North and the South

Map of the Korean peninsula and a photograph of the DMZ, showing a sign that says "You are now crossing 38th parallel".

The thirty-eighth parallel cuts across the peninsula in the DMZ farmland. The thirty-eighth parallel on or near the DMZ is the Cease-Fire Line between North and South Korea (right).

Complete the review activity below.

 

Map Activity IconEast Asia Map Activity

Identify the following key places on a map:

Countries:

East Asia: China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia

  • Landlocked Countries: Mongolia
  • Peninsular Countries: North and South Korea
  • Island Countries: Japan and Taiwan

Other Physical Locations to locate: Tibet, The Great Wall, Three Gorges region

Bodies of Water:

  • Pacific Ocean
  • Sea of Japan
  • South China Sea
  • Yellow Sea

Cities:

  • Beijing
  • Chongqing
  • Hong Kong
  • Pyongyang
  • Seoul
  • Shanghai
  • Taipei
  • Tianjin
  • Tokyo
  • Ulan Bator  

Mountains:

  • Altay
  • Himalayas
  • Karakoram
  • Pamirs
  • Tian Shan

Rivers:

  • Yangtze River (Chang Jiang River)
  • Yellow River (Huang He River)
  • Yalu
  • Tumen

Be sure to track the flow of the rivers through major cities. List the cities through which the rivers flow.

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.