ATLAS of East Asia

explain how "LAME COWS" influence the distribution of climate regions in East Asia using maps.

analyze how the character of a place is related to political elements using maps.

identify physical and/or human factors such as climate, vegetation, language, trade networks, political units, river systems, and religion that constitute East Asia using maps.

Where is the Gobi Desert?

What historically has been a barrier to transportation, trade, and migration?

Which two rivers have a source in the Kunlun Mountains?

What is China's longest river?

Why is the Huang He (Yellow River) called "China's Sorrow?"

Why is the Yangtze River so useful for modern trade?

CLIMATE ZONES OF EAST ASIA

(use this reading to complete chart)

HIGH LATITUDE CLIMATE ZONES

Typhoons occur in parts of East Asia. A typhoon is a tropical storm that occurs in the western Pacific. But aside from typhoons, the weather in East Asia is similar to that of the United States. Both are at the same latitude. Both have similar climate zones.

There are subarctic climate zones along Mongolia’s and China’s northern borders with Russia. The summers in these areas range from cool to cold. The winters are brutally cold. They test the survival skills of the inhabitants. The climate is generally dry.

The typical vegetation in this area is northern evergreen forest. Varieties of mosses and lichens also grow in the subarctic zone. They grow on rocks and tree trunks.

Highland climates are found mostly in western China. The temperature in the highland zones varies. The farther north the latitude and the higher the elevation, the colder the climate. The western highlands are sparsely populated. This is due to the severe climate and topography.

The vegetation in the highlands also varies with elevation. Forest and alpine tundra are the typical vegetation regions. Tundra biomes have no trees. The soil a few feet below the surface is permanently frozen. In this environment, only mosses, lichens, and shrubs can grow. Because of the cold and the difficulty of growing crops, few people live here.

MID-LATITUDE ZONES

Mid-latitude zones are more comfortable to live in. They have moderate climates. The land is productive. The rainfall is sufficient for agriculture. An important resource of these zones is their forests.

Northeastern China, North Korea, northern South Korea, and northern Japan have humid continental climates. The forests in this climate zone are mainly coniferous. Over the years, agriculture has transformed the landscape. Farms have replaced many of the forests. Temperate grasslands are also found in this region. The grasslands are ideal for grazing.

Southeastern China, southern South Korea, southern Japan, and northern Taiwan are in a humid subtropical climate. The forests in humid subtropical zones are both deciduous and coniferous. The broad-leafed deciduous trees are usually found in the north. The coniferous forests are mainly found in areas of the south with sandy soil. Loggers and farmers have greatly reduced the forests in the southeast.

DRY ZONES

Dry zones of the region include both steppes and deserts. There is relatively little vegetation. These zones are not good for agriculture. Because of this, they have not been settled much by people. Instead, nomads have used the semiarid areas to graze livestock.

Parts of the Mongolian Plateau make up the semiarid climate zones of the region. The vegetation of semiarid zones consists mainly of short grasses. These grasses provide food for grazing animals and livestock.

Most of the desert climates in the region are found in the west central area of the mainland. The Taklimakan Desert is located in western China. It lies between the Tian Shan and Kunlun mountains. The Gobi Desert is located in northern China and southeast Mongolia. The Gobi is a prime area for finding dinosaur fossils. Thousands of dinosaurs roamed through the region millions of years ago.

TROPICAL ZONES

The tropical zones of East Asia contain mainly wet climates. The primary vegetation region is rain forest.

The tropical climate zone in East Asia is fairly small. It includes a small strip of land along China’s southeastern shore, the island of Hainan, and the southern tip of Taiwan. These areas have high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and high humidity every month of the year. The tropical rain forest in these places is made up of tall broadleaf trees. The trees grow densely in the rain forests.

Political Map

Physical Map

Population Pyramid of China

East Asia Demographic Indicators