A region is an area of the world that is grouped together because of shared characteristics. One region of the world is East Asia. Although not everyone agrees about which countries are part of East Asia, many people include these six countries in the region.

• • • China is the largest country in East Asia.

    • Mongolia is north of China. It does not border the Pacific Ocean.

    • The countries of North Korea and South Korea are in an area called the Korean Peninsula. A peninsula is a landform with water on three sides. North Korea borders China, and South Korea borders North Korea.

    • The country of Japan is made up of four main islands. These islands are east of China and the Korean Peninsula.

    • Taiwan is an island off the southeast coast of China.

China and Taiwan: two separate countries?

Many governments treat China and Taiwan as two separate countries. But the government of China claims that Taiwan is actually part of China. The government of China asks international organizations, such as the United Nations or the International Olympic Committee, to not recognize Taiwan as an independent country.

People in East Asia speak many different languages. Read the information about languages in East Asia. Then follow the instructions below.

• • • The most commonly spoken language in China is Mandarin Chinese.

    • The most commonly spoken language in Japan is Japanese.

    • The most commonly spoken language in North and South Korea is Korean.

    • The most commonly spoken language in Mongolia is Mongolian.

    • Each of these languages is different. For example, a Korean speaker could not understand Mongolian unless he or she had learned Mongolian.

What do high and low population density areas look like?

Hong Kong, a city in China, is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. People in Hong Kong live close to one another. They also have access to many restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions.

The northern island of Japan, called Hokkaido, is one of the least densely populated parts of East Asia. Because there are fewer people there, people have space to farm and live further away from one another.

Most people in East Asia have lived near coasts and rivers. These locations have lots of fresh water and arable land, or land that is good for growing crops. Most of these locations also have moderate and cold climates.

Areas with moderate and cold climates have warm summers, which is when farmers grow most of their crops. In addition to arable land and warm summers, those areas also have other characteristics that help farmers grow crops.

What foods do people grow and eat?

Today, all different kinds of food are available in East Asia. But many East Asian dishes include a wide variety of grains, vegetables, and spices. The picture below shows a Korean meal of bibimbap, a dish made with rice, meat, and vegetables. It also shows soup made with kimchi, a kind of pickled and spiced cabbage. There are also other pickled and cooked vegetables.

In East Asia, high-altitude and desert regions have less arable land. Two major high-altitude and desert parts of East Asia are the Gobi Desert and Tibetan Plateau.

The Gobi Desert covers parts of northern China and Mongolia, and the Tibetan Plateau is in western China. People can learn about these regions by looking at photographs taken by satellites high above the earth. Read the information about how to understand satellite photographs:

• • • White areas are often areas with snow, clouds, or salt.

    • Brown areas are areas with bare ground, meaning there are few plants.

    • Green areas are areas with plants and trees.

    • Bodies of water, such as lakes, are often blue.

In certain parts of East Asia, many people live in cities. In fact, many of the world's largest cities are in East Asia. Read the passage about East Asian cities.

Many parts of East Asia are urban, meaning they are areas where people live in cities. For example, in 2016, more than 56% of China's population lived in cities. There are about 150 cities in China with more than one million people! Many people in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also live in large cities. As of 2016, Japan had ten cities with more than one million people, South Korea had nine, Taiwan had six, and Mongolia had one. North Korea had no cities with more than one million people.

Many cities in East Asia have more than 10 million people. Cities with more than 10 million people are often called megacities. Megacities usually include the urban center and their surrounding regions, called suburbs. The capitals of China, Japan, and South Korea are all megacities. Look at the information about these capitals.

This apartment building is in Beijing, China. More than 25 million people live in the Beijing area. Most of them live in apartment buildings like this.

These houses are in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan. More than 38 million people live in the Tokyo area. Suburbs usually have more space than cities, so more people live in houses.

These apartment buildings are in Seoul, South Korea. Most of Seoul's more than 25 million people live in buildings like these.

Building homes for millions of people

Before the 20th century, many people in East Asian cities lived in one- or two-story houses. Though many people in East Asian cities now live in apartment buildings, some of these older homes have been preserved.

This older building in a hutong in Beijing was scheduled for destruction. The character for "tear down" has been painted on its wall.

But as populations of East Asian cities have grown, governments have torn down many older buildings. In China, the government will often paint the character for "tear down" on a building before destroying it.

What do you think? Should governments preserve older homes, or should they quickly build as much housing as people need?

People from around the world live in East Asian cities. These people immigrate, or come to, East Asia for many reasons. People from East Asia also emigrate, or leave, East Asia to live in other regions.

Have people always immigrated to and emigrated from East Asia?

Yes! People have traveled to and from this region for thousands of years. For example, in the 1500s, Matteo Ricci, a Catholic priest from Italy, immigrated to China. In China, he learned Chinese and exchanged ideas about science and philosophy with his Chinese peers. Matteo Ricci lived in China for almost 30 years and never moved back to Italy.

People have also been emigrating from East Asia to other places for a long time. For example, in the 1800s and 1900s, many people from East Asia moved to the United States. In the 1830s, many people first moved from East Asia to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. The California Gold Rush in the 1850s brought even more East Asian immigrants to California. Today, people continue to come from East Asia to the United States.

"Made in China" or "Made in America"?

Some East Asian companies make their products in East Asia. But some of them also make their products in other countries, such as the United States. For example, many Toyota cars are designed in Japan but are made in the United States. Products that are designed in America are also sometimes made in East Asia.

Read about the Apple iPad below. Do you think the iPad is made in China, made in America, or both? Why?

The Apple iPad states that it's "Designed by Apple in California" but "Assembled in China."

The Foxconn factory in China makes many electronic parts used in Apple products.

Would you like to visit East Asia?

East Asia is a thriving region of the world. More than 1.5 billion people live in East Asia, and many of the world's largest cities and strongest economies are there.