Geography of Asia

Geography of Asia

1. P hysical and H uman G eography of A sia By: Group 4

2. Group Members Sana Bakht Kainat Safdar Syeda Maheen Ali Adil Fayyaz Hunain Munir 15051561-034 15051561-002 15051561-023 15051561-035 15051561-028

3. INTRODUCTION Planet earth: Home to 7.3 billion people and over 1.5 million species of animals The continental drift: It’s a theory that explains the sifting of the continents which was set forth by A lfred Wegener. Geography: The key subject that made us to lift our eyes to see the complex and magnificent world

4. What is a Continent? Several very large land masses on earth The numbers of continent: always under discussion 5 continents: Africa, America, Asia, Australia & Europe 6 continents: America, Antarctica, Africa, Oceania, Europe & Asia 7 continents: North America, South America, Africa, Antarctica, Oceania, Europe &Asia

5. ASIA Land Area of Asia: 17,210,000 (mi²) / 44,029,797 (km²) Population of Asia: 4,494,302,221 (2016) Largest City in Asia: Tokyo, Japan (37,126,000 (2012) Largest religion :ISLAM with 1.1 billion people Most spoken language: Chinese

6. Continued….. Boundaries: The borders of Asia

7. ASIA Outline History: Empires and civilizations in the south west Nomadic tribes of the central Asia Wars : korean war, communism vs capitalism, western power aliences , World wars, Japanese occupations, nations with powerful military Asian geology:

8. ASIA Asian geology: Great peninsulas extend out from the mainland, dividing the oceans into seas and bays, many of them protected by Asia's numerous offshore islands Asia's rivers, among the longest in the world. the Amur- Argun , Huang He, Chang (Yangtze), Xi, of E and SE Asia.Ganges -Brahmaputra , Indus, and Tigris-Euphrates of S and SW Asia. Central Asia has vast areas of interior drainage, including the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Ili, and Tarim rivers. Lake Baykal and Lake Balkash are among the world's largest lakes Climatically, the continent ranges through all extremes, from torrid heat to arctic cold and from torrential rains

9. ASIA Population, culture, politics and economy Southwest Asia:is characterized by an arid climate and irrigated agriculture, great petroleum reserves, and the predominance of Islam . South Asia : monsoon climate, maritime orientation, the fusion of Indian and Chinese cultures, and a great diversity of ethnic groups, languages, religions, and politics East Asia: Russian Asia: Central Asia

10. Continued……. Flora-vegetation cover: far north of the continent (Siberia) tundra and taiga vegetation predominate South of the taiga S + SE + E Asia = predominating equatorial rainforest Farther north of the equator lies a more open tropical forest Fauna-animal life The northern regions = brown bear, otter, lynx, ermine and wolf, in addition to a vast amount of bird species . Freshwater fish are found in all parts of the continent = Lake Baikal is notable for its distinctive fauna. Highlands = Wild sheep and goats and Tibet is the home of the wild yak. Hot desert regions of SW and S Asia = wildlife is scarcer (rare ).

11. Continued……. E and SE Asia = notably of loss of habitat and hunting . S and SE Asia =Birdlife, snakes, and lizards abound (occur often) and various types of crocodiles are widely distributed. Wild apes such as the gibbon and the scarce orang- utan are found in SE Asia. Many types of deer and antelope also live in well-populated areas (Borneo), where flying squirrels and tree rats are numerous

12. Geographical Divisions Of Asia

13. South East Asia Subregion of asia , consisting of the countries that are geographically south of china, east of india , west of new guinea and north of australia . Southeast asia together with the indian subcontinent and lowland southern china forms the indomalaya ecozone , one of the eight great ecozones that cover the earth's land surface. Divided into two subregions , namely mainland southeast asia (or indochina ) and maritime southeast asia Mainland south east asia includes vietnam , laos , cambodia ,thailand,myanmar ( burma ) and peninsular malaysia . Maritime southeast asia includes indonesia , philippines , east malaysia , brunei , singapore , east timor . Is bounded to the southeast by the australian continent, a boundary which runs through indonesia .

14. Physical Geography (climatology) Climate in southeast asia is mainly tropical–hot and humid all year roundwith plentiful rainfall. Northern vietnam and the myanmar himalayas are the only regions in southeast asia that feature a subtropical climate, which has a cold winter with snow. Majority of southeast asia has a wet and dry season caused by seasonal shift in winds or monsoon due to rainforest.

15. Hydrology More than 150,000 cubic metres of available water per square kilometre . Water utilization In all subregions of asia and the pacific, between 60% and 90% of water withdrawal is used for agriculture. Within south- east asia , water use for agriculture in myanmar and cambodia is above 90% of the total use, whereas in malaysia agriculture accounts for just over 60% of water use.

16. Metrology Area of southeast asia is 4,500,000 km2 (1,700,000 sq mi). Homo sapiens, austronesian people from indonesia , malaysia , brunei , east timor , and the philippines , taiwan reached the region by around 45,000 years ago. Geomorphology : Dominate landscape, island mountains form part of ring of fire. Soil geography On balance, has a higher proportion of relatively fertile soils than most tropical regions, and soil erosion is less severe than elsewhere. Landscape ecology: The physiography of southeast asia has been formed to a large extent by the convergence of three of the earth’s major crustal units: the eurasian , indian-australian , and pacific plates. Potamology : Mainland southeast asia is drained by five major river systems, which from west to east are the irrawaddy , salween , chao phraya , mekong , and red rivers.

17. Temperatures Regional temperatures at or near sea level remain fairly constant throughout the year, although monthly averages tend to vary with increasing latitude.E.G . Northern vietnam , annual average temperatures are close to 80 °F (27 °C). Human geography; population : Population of this region is 623,000,000 and density is 135.6/km2 (351/ sq mi). Settlement patterns: Southeast asia is predominantly rural: three-fourths of the people live in nonurban areas. Population is heavily clustered in fertile river valleys and especially in delta areas, such as those of the mekong and irrawaddy rivers. Developmental geography: The annual rate of natural increase in southeast asia averages slightly higher than the annual world rate.

18. CONTI….. Philippines, laos , malaysia , vietnam , and brunei are characterized by higher growth; singapore , thailand , and indonesia , on the other hand, have considerably lower rates. Economy: The keppel container terminal in the port of singapore,which is the busiest transshipment and container port in the world. Especially important things were spices such as pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg,the rubber plantations of malaysia , java, vietnam and cambodia , the tin mining of malaya , the rice fields of the mekong delta in vietnam and irrawaddy river delta in burma . Chinese community has played a large role in the development of the economies in the region. Historical geography: 45,000 years ago,people came here and established it. Migration or transportation: Population change also is directly related to internal and external migration, movements between rural areas ( e.G. , Thailand) and mobility between urban areas ( indonesia ).

19. S outh W est A sia

20. Hydrology There are parts of this area that actually get reliable rainfall and have adequate springs for fresh water. Running parallel across Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, the Tigris and Euphrates are the dominant rivers of the region . Climatology: The climate of the Middle East ranges from the warm summers and cold winters of highland Turkey and Iran, through hotter summers and cool winters of northern Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean coast, to the extreme temperatures of the Arabian desert. The climatic regions are identified as 1. Tropical desert type . 2. Interior plateau Type . 3. Modified Mediterranean type.

21. Southwest Asia Other name is ‘ Middle East’ The  Middle East  is a transcontinental region centered on Western Asia and Egypt. Arabs, Turks, Persians,  Azeris  , Kurds , Armenians, Assyrians,  Circassians , Copts, Greeks, Jews, Somalis,  Shabaks ,  Mandaeans  lies in this region . Physical geography Landforms: Southwest Asia gets a negative image as a place of endless deserts, but it is dominated not just by deserts but by two major peninsulas, surrounded by water . The Anatolian Peninsula, basically what we call the modern nation of Turkey, is situated right in between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Arabian Peninsula is further south, separating the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea.

22. Topography Western Asia contains large areas of mountainous terrain. The Anatolian Plateau is sandwiched between the Pontus Mountains and Taurus Mountains in Turkey. The Zagros Mountains are located in Iran, in areas along its border with Iraq. The Central Plateau of Iran is divided into two drainage basins. The northern basin is Dasht -e Kavir (Great Salt Desert), and Dasht -e- Lut is the southern basin. Geology: Three major tectonic plates converge on Western Asia, including the African, Eurasian, and Arabian plates. The boundaries between the tectonic plates make up the Azores-Gibraltar Ridge, extending across North Africa, the Red Sea, and into Iran . Human Geography: Borders : The countries that make up boundry of Southwest Asia include Turley, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.

23. Economics The economy of Western Asia is diverse and the region experiences high economic growth. Turkey has the largest economy in the region, followed by Saudi Arabia and Iran. Petroleum is the major industry in the regional economy, as more than half of the world's oil reserves and around 40 percent of the world's natural gas reserves are located in the region. Demographics: The population of Western Asia was estimated at 272 million as of 2008, projected to reach 370 million by 2030 by Maddison . This corresponds to an annual growth rate of 1.4% The most populous countries in the region are Turkey and Iran and, each with around 75 million people, followed by Iraq and Saudi Arabia with around 32 million people each. Religion: Arabs, Turks, Persians,  Azeris  and Kurds constitute the largest ethnic groups in the region by population,  while  Armenians, Assyrians,  Circassians , Copts, Greeks, Jews, Somalis,  Shabaks ,  Mandaeans  and other ethnic and  ethnoreligious groups form significant minorities

24. Political Geography West Asia is an area which is strategically situated at the junction of the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa. So,it commands the approaches of these continents . Because of its tricontinental location and its central position in the world island, the region has historically been cross road of the world. During the 19th century West Asia became one of the important regions for European diplomacy . Two obvious routes for such a communication presented themselves: the Persian Gulf route and the Red sea route.

25. Central asia  is the core region of all the  asian   continent . Stretches from the  caspian sea  in the west to  china  in the east and from  afghanistan  in the south to  russia  in the north. Referred to as "the  ' stans " The  persian  suffix "- stan ", meaning "land of, homeland") (As the six countries generally considered to be within the region all have names ending with… Area: 4,003,451 km 2 (1,545,741 sq mi) Central Asia

26. Countries in Central Asia

27.  Include these five republics of the former soviet union:-   Kazakhstan  (pop. 17 million), (from its beginning in 1917, the soviet state never included  Kazakhstan  in Muslim central Asia, preferring to give it a non- asian identity by linking it closely to  Russia  and Siberia.) The second largest republic in the former soviet union (U.S.S.R.).  Kyrgyzstan (5.7 million),  Tajikistan (8.0 million),  Turkmenistan (5.2 million), And Uzbekistan (30 million), for a total population of about 66 million as of 2013–2014.  Afghanistan (pop. 31.1 million) is also sometimes included. Countries in Central Asia

28. Religion Includes muslim countries. Most central asian   muslims  are sunni , although there are sizable shia minorities in afghanistan & tajikistan . Buddhism  and  zoroastrianism  were the major faiths in central asia prior to the arrival of  islam .

29. Conti…

30. Central Asia Central Asia,extending from the Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east. It is bounded on the north by Russia and on the south by Iran, Afghanistan, and China. The region consists of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan , and Turkmenistan. Physical geography : Landscape: Central Asia’s landscape can be divided into the vast grassy steppes of Kazakhstan in the north and the Aral Sea drainage basin in the south. About 60 percent of the region consists of desert land, the principal deserts being the Karakum , occupying most of Turkmenistan, and the Kyzylkum , covering much of western Uzbekistan. Climatology : Central Asia experiences very dry climatic conditions, and inadequate precipitation has led to heavy dependence on the Syr Darya and Amu Darya for irrigation.

31. The region as a whole experiences hot summers and cool winters, with much sunshine and very little precipitation. Distribution of regions on the basis of climate: Mid-Latitude Desert: The southern third of Kazakhstan, western two-thirds of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and both the eastern and western thirds of Kyrgyzstan, is a true desert, with low relative humidity and mean annual precipitation not exceeding 10 inches . it's a cool desert,Annual temperatures average below 64 degrees Fahrenheit . the mercury drops below freezing in winter, although it can soar in the summer . Steppe: The middle third of Kazakhstan, the western third of Turkmenistan and most of the western third of Uzbekistan are considered a steppe climate . This semi-arid grassland receives slightly more precipitation than its neighbor, the mid-latitude desert, with annual totals ranging from 10 to 20 inches per year.

32. Humid Continental Central and northern Kazakhstan, eastern Uzbekistan, central Kyrgyzstan and nearly all of Tajikistan. This area receives more precipitation on average than the rest of central Asia, at least 20 inches per year, Hydrology: Lake Baikal, located in southern Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, reaching a depth of 1,620 meters ( 5,315 feet) contains 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, making it the largest reservoir on Earth. The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world reaching 6,300 kilometers (3,915 miles ). Saltwater: The Persian Gulf has an area of more than 234,000 square kilometers (90,000 square miles). The Sea of Okhotsk covers 1.5 million square kilometers (611,000 square miles) and The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2 million square kilometers also lies in this region.

33. Paleogeography The Cretaceous and Paleocene sediments of the Central Asian basins include remnants of the easternmost extent of a large epi -continental sea . Natural Resources: Rich in oil ,natural gas,gold,silver,copper,machinery,cotton,fruits and corn. Human Geography: Cultural and social geography: Flamboyant silk dress of a Central Asian bride, soaring minarets against an azure sky, geometric patterns on a red, hand-loomed carpet, ceramic tessellations on monuments to the past and bustling sights and sounds of an exotic bazaar . Traditional and everyday artifacts, music, costuming and handicrafts; Silks, carpets, embroidery, and jewelry, along with photographs of stunning mountain ranges, glittering alpine lakes and vast stretches of steppe and desert.

34. Historical Geography Starting with the Alexander the Great’s conquests in the 4th century B.C. then The ancient Greeks and later, the Arabs were familiar with the area . Islam came to the region with the Arab conquest in the mid-7th century and became firmly rooted by the 11th century when the Turks were ruling. Population geography: Combined population of the Uzbek, Kirgiz, Tajik, and Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republics totals more than 30 million people, one tenth of the population of the Soviet Union. Military geography : From 1813 to 1907 Great Britain and Tsarist Russia were engaged in a strategic competition for domination of Central Asia, known in Britain as "The Great Game", and in Russia as the "Tournament of Shadows .“so,This region has a high military force

35. Medical and health geography :

36. Transcontinental Countries

37. Transcontinental countries Transcontinental countries are the countries which covered land on two or more continents, including islands associated with a continent other than the one where the country was based.

38. Asia and Europe There are some how believe that Europe and Asia are not actually separate continents. Instead , the European and Asian continents should be treated as one mega-continent called Eurasia.  If Eurasia existed, it would be the largest single continent in the world, with a population of around 4 billion people – almost a half of the world’s population.

39. Russia B ecause the Ural Mountains form the boundary between the two continents and mark the unofficial border between Asia and Europe, Russia is a part of two continents –  Russia is in both Europe and Asia Anything to the west of the Urals is considered to be in Europe and everywhere on the Eastern side of the range is considered to be in Asia.

40. Russia Russia is a massive country – 17,098,242 square kilometres in size. But only about 4 million square kilometres of Russia are in Europe, west of the Urals. The remaining 13 million square kilometers, including Siberia and the Russian Far East are in Asian Russia.

41. Azerbaijan

42. Azerbaijan Continents:  Asia and Europe  Azerbaijan is officially called the Republic of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is the land of beautiful landscapes. This country has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and hold membership in 38 International Organizations. Azerbaijan is divided into 10 economic regions, 66 districts and 77 cities, of which 11 are under the direct control of the republic.

43. Georgia

44. Georgia Continents :  Asia and Europe  Georgia considers a sovereign territory under the Russian military occupation. The name of the Georgia is refers to St. George, Georgia’s patron saint. The Georgian railway is an important link between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, as well as the shortest route between Europe and Central Asia.  Georgia's economy is based on Services, Agriculture, Transport and Truism. 

45. Greece

46. Greece Continents:  Europe and Asia  Greece is officially called the Hellenic Republic or Hellas, located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. It is a developed country with a very high standard of living. Greek is a founding member of United Nation. The name of Greece came from Latin word Graecia, which means "The Land of the Greeks". 

47. Indonesia

48. Indonesia Continents:  Asia and Australia  Indonesia is officially called the Republic of Indonesia, located in South Asia and Oceania. The name of Indonesia drives from the Greek word Nesos , which means “Island”. The country has 17,508 islands. Indonesia is the sixteen largest economies in the world. It is the founding member of ASEAN and also the member of G-20. 

49. Kazakhstan

50. Kazakhstan Continents:  Asia and Europe  Kazakhstan is officially called the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is a country in Central Asia, and the smaller part is in Europe. Kazakhstan is landlocked country and Share 5 borders with China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan makes it the ninth largest country in the world. 

51. Turkey

52. Turkey Continents:  Asia and Europe  Turkey is officially called the Republic of Turkey. It is a democratic and secular country with diversified culture and traditions. Turkey is located at the junction of Europe and Asia and is bordered by eight countries. The larger area of Turkey is located in Western Asia, and Eastern Thrace located in South Eastern Europe. 

53. Egypt

54. Egypt Continents:  Africa and Asia  Egypt is officially called the Arab Republic of Egypt. This is one of the most ancient places on earth. Most of its territory lies in the North Africa, and from the north east it lies in the Middle East. Egypt's economy depends on tourism, agriculture, industry and services.

55. CONCLUSION Asia is the largest continent of the world so it have the most diverse human and physical geography ,the knowledge is so vast that even mega size books cannot help to show everything. M.Augestine says the world is abook and those do not travel have read only a page. So going out there and learning geography is far more important to find the true ‘why’s’. why is the culture, economy, politics etc of a country as it is.