GeoJournalAs you read this chapter, record details inyour journal that will allow you to compareand contrast the various countries of EastAsia. Organize details under the followingheads: population patterns, history and government, and cultures and lifestyles.

Chapter Overview Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at tx.geography.glencoe.comand click on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 27 to preview information about the cultural geography of the region.

Population Patterns

A Geographic ViewTorrent of CommutersThere seems to be no end to Tokyo’scongestion, no time of day when thecity slackens pace to catch its breath.By 8 a.m., three million commutersare coursing through train and sub-way stations, joining 12 millionresidents of Tokyo proper on theirpurposeful way to work. . . . One rush hour morning . . . I gotswept away in a pedestrian torrent . . . flowing in the opposite direction, and Iwas carried the distance of a city block. . . .

—Arthur Zich, “Japan’s Sun Rises Over thePacific,” National Geographic, November 1991

In Japan, as in other parts of East Asia, people arecrowded onto relatively small lowland areas along rivers or on sea-coasts. There, the largest cities are located. In this section you will learnwhat peoples make up East Asia’s population, where East Asians live,and why many of them are migrating from rural areas to cities.

Human CharacteristicsEast Asia has more than 1.5 billion people––about 25 percent of the

world’s population. East Asians form many different ethnic groups,each with its own language and cultural traditions. Among theregion’s major ethnic groups are the Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese,Korean, and Mongolian.

ChinaWhen people in China say someone is Chinese, they use the Chinese

word that means “a person of the Middle Kingdom.” About 92 percent

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowIn many parts of the world, peopleare migrating from rural areas tocities. What advantages and disad-vantages do you think this trendbrings?

Read to Find Out• What ethnic groups make up East

Asia’s population?

• In what country do the majority ofEast Asians live?

• How is population in East Asiadistributed?

Terms to Know• aborigine

• homogeneous

Places to Locate• Taipei

• Seoul

• Pyongyang

• Tokaido corridor

• Tokyo

C h a p t e r 2 7 661

Tokyo street at night

Tibetan dancers, Beijing, China

662 U n i t 9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base, 2000

80+

70–79

60–69

50–59

40–49

30–39

20–29

10–19

0–9

Male Female

Percentage of Population Percentage of Population

Male

China

Female

0

Japan

Age

10 3 2 19 8 7 5 46 107 8 91 2 3 5 64 010 3 2 19 8 7 5 46 107 8 91 2 3 5 64

GRAPH STUDY

Populations of China and Japan by Age and Gender

2. Applying Geography Skills What does theshape of each country’s population pyramid sayabout the structure of its population?

Population pyramids illustrate the demographic makeup of a country.

• From the 1950s to the 1990s, China’s population growth rateslowed in step with declining fertility and birthrates. Still,China’s population grew by millions each year.

• Although Japan is one of the world’s most populous coun-tries, it is also one of the slowest growing. Japan’s slow rateof population increase is partly the result of low birthrates.Birthrates are now less than one-third what they werebefore the 1950s.

• As a result, Japan has large numbers of people aged 50 andolder, which suggests an aging population. The number ofchildren as a percentage of the total population is muchsmaller in Japan than in China.

1. Interpreting Graphs Which country has a relatively young population?

of China’s 1.3 billion people belong to the Han, an ethnic group named for a powerful ancientChinese ruling family. From 206 B.C. to A.D. 220,Han rulers developed a culture whose influencehas lasted to the present.

The remaining 8 percent of China’s populationbelong to about 55 different ethnic groups, mostof whom live mainly in western and northernChina. Although ruled by China, non-Chinesepeoples such as the Tibetans have their own sepa-rate histories and cultures. For example, the Tibetanhomeland of Tibet, located on a high Himalayan

plateau, was once a Buddhist kingdom. SinceChina’s takeover of Tibet in 1950, the Tibetans haveresisted Chinese efforts to destroy their culture.

Off China’s southeastern coast lies the island ofTaiwan. Taiwan and China share a long history.Most of Taiwan’s people are descended from Chi-nese who migrated to the island several hundredyears ago. Another 15 percent of the Taiwanesepopulation descend from Chinese who fled fromChina to Taiwan in 1949, after the Communists inChina defeated the Nationalist government in a civilwar. Taiwan’s original inhabitants, or aborigines,

C h a p t e r 2 7 663

They have populations ranging from 6 million tomore than 13.5 million. By contrast, the ruggedwestern province of Xinjiang has a sparse popula-tion of farmers and herders living on scatteredoases. About 2.5 million people live in Mongolia’svast interior steppes, a population density of only 4people per square mile (2 people per sq. km).

Space is limited on Taiwan, where most of theisland’s 22 million people live in cities such as Taipei(TY•PAY) that lie on or close to the coast. In Northand South Korea, most people inhabit coastal plainsthat wrap around the Korean Peninsula’s mountain-ous interior. About two-thirds of the Korean popu-lation lives in rapidly growing cities, such as Seoul(SOHL) and Pyongyang.

Japan has limited land area for its large popula-tion. Forested mountains cover the central part ofthe country, leaving only valleys and coastal plainsfor settlement. About 78 percent of Japan’s 126.7million people live in coastal urban areas, such asthe Tokaido corridor––a series of cities crowdedtogether on the main island of Honshu. Oneof these cities, Tokyo, is the world’s most popu-lous urban area, with more than 28 million people.By contrast, Japan’s northernmost large island,Hokkaido, remains rural with few people.

Culture

Japan’s Urban LifestyleUrbanization shapes the physical surroundings

and lifestyles of the Japanese people. Hundreds ofskyscrapers tower over the busy streets of Japan’smodern cities. Glaring neon signs advertise cars,electronics, and watches. As in most of East Asia’scrowded cities, a childless couple might live in atiny one- or two-bedroom apartment. Because ofJapan’s high population density and costly land,suburban homes are small compared to those inother developed countries.

The Japanese have adapted to their crowded con-ditions with an efficient transportation system.Commuters board the Shinkansen express, orbullet train, to get to their destinations. As theelectric train pulls out of the station, its move-ment gently presses passengers back into theirseats. In a few moments, the train reaches speedsof up to 160 miles per hour (257 km per hour)along the Tokaido corridor. The westbound train cruises from Tokyo through the urban,

are related to peoples in Southeast Asia and thePacific area. They make up only about 2 percent ofTaiwan’s population.

Japan, Korea, and MongoliaThe populations of other East Asian countries

have distinct ethnic groups. Japan is ethnicallyhomogeneous (HOH•muh•JEE•nee•uhs)––havinga population belonging to the same ethnic group.About 99 percent of Japan’s population is ethnicJapanese, descendants of Asian migrants whocrossed the Korean Peninsula to reach Japan cen-turies ago. The migrants forced Japan’s earliest-known aboriginal people, the Ainu (EYE•noo), tomove gradually north. Small numbers of Ainu stilllive on the island of Hokkaido (hoh•KY•doh).

Like Japan, Korea has long been ethnicallyhomogeneous. Koreans trace their origins to earlypeoples from northern China and Central Asia.They have maintained their common identitydespite long periods of foreign rule and today’sdivision of the Korean Peninsula into communistNorth Korea and democratic South Korea.

The people of Mongolia are mostly ethnic Mongolians. Centuries ago their Mongol ancestorsruled the world’s largest land empire, whichstretched from China to eastern Europe. Today theMongolians are divided into separate linguisticgroups, but about 90 percent of them speak theKhalkha Mongolian language.

Where East Asians LivePhysical geography influences where East Asians

live. Because much of East Asia is barren andmountainous, the region’s population is distributedunevenly. Most East Asians settle in coastal areasor in fertile areas along rivers. In these places,among the most densely populated on Earth, theland and climate are favorable for agriculture,industry, and urban growth.

Population Distribution and DensityDespite China’s large land area, more than 90

percent of Chinese live on only one-sixth of theland. Most inhabit the fertile valleys and plains ofChina’s three great rivers: the Yellow (Huang He),Yangtze (Chang Jiang), and Xi. Large urban cen-ters, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, andGuangzhou, lie in river valleys or coastal plains.

664 U n i t 9

industrial areas of Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe,to Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu, 604 miles(972 km) away. A trip that takes more than 11hours of hectic driving and delays by car takesonly about 5 hours by high-speed train.

MigrationIn recent decades many people in China and

South Korea have moved from rural, desert, ormountainous areas to cities. Although most Chi-nese still live and work on farms, millions of peo-ple continue to migrate to high-growth urbanareas. Many are especially drawn to southeasternChina, where China’s communist governmentallows privately owned businesses in Hong Kongand in special economic zones. For factories inthese special zones, the arrival of migrants meansplenty of available labor, as one observer notes:

“ These wailai gongren—literally, exter-nal coming workers—outnumber theDongguan population, with more

arriving all the time. ‘When I needworkers,’ a sweater factory manager said,‘I just put a sign outside the gate.’”Mike Edwards, “Boom Times

on the Gold Coast of China,”National Geographic, March 1997

In South Korea many people also have movedfrom rural areas, seeking industrial jobs in coastalcities. Politics, however, has affected migration onthe Korean Peninsula. To escape communism, manypeople in the mid-1900s fled from North Korea toSouth Korea or to other countries, especially theUnited States and Canada, seeking political and eco-nomic freedom. Today South Korea has 48.8 millionpeople, more than twice as many as North Korea,where the standard of living is much lower.

Traveling in Japan Japan’s high standard of living enables vaca-tioners to go abroad or to seaside and mountain resorts.

Place What form of public transportation is popular inJapan today?

Challenges of GrowthPopulation changes and increasing urbanization

have brought challenges to East Asia. In China andSouth Korea, for example, the steady migra-tion from rural villages to cities has led tourban overcrowding. This populationshift has contributed to farm labor short-ages in the countryside. To stem migra-tion from rural areas to alreadyovercrowded urban areas, China, forexample, has built dozens of newagricultural towns in remote areas.These towns are designed to providemore social services and a better qual-ity of life for rural people. The Chinesegovernment hopes that the benefits ofthe new towns will encourage peopleto stay on their farms.

Ever-growing populations in East Asia haveput a strain on limited resources and services.Some of East Asia’s governments see populationcontrol as another way to meet the challenges ofpopulation growth. In 1979 China began a policythat allowed each family to have no more thanone child. Although not followed by all Chinese,the “one-child” policy until recently had been afactor in slowing China’s population growth rate.Now that the policy is no longer strictly enforced,

Checking for Understanding1. Define aborigine, homogeneous.

2. Main Ideas Create a graphic orga-nizer like the one below, and fillin key points about populationdistribution and density, ethnicgroups, and migration. Summarizeone of the three topics in termsof population patterns in East Asia.

Critical Thinking3. Drawing Conclusions How does

high-speed transportation inJapan affect daily life and theeconomy?

4. Identifying Cause and EffectWhy has migration to urban areas increased in East Asia inrecent years?

5. Making Inferences How mightpopulation growth and the con-tinued migration of people fromrural to urban areas affect EastAsia’s agricultural future?

Analyzing Graphs6. Place Study the graph on page

662. How might China’s demo-graphic makeup affect therural/urban distribution of itspopulation?

7. Geography and CitiesStudy the physical andpolitical maps on pages636–637. Describe the typeof physical feature EastAsia’s major cities have incommon.

Applying Geography

C h a p t e r 2 7 665

East Asian Population Patterns

China’s population growth rate is increasing onceagain. Statistics presented in the population pyra-mid of China on page 662 suggest that a higherbirthrate is largely responsible for the increasedpopulation growth rate.

Population changes will continue to play animportant part in East Asia’s future. In the nextsection, you will learn about the values and tradi-tions that sustain East Asians as they face themany challenges of the future.

A family in Xi’an, China

WOULD YOU VOTE FOR A PRESI-DENTIAL CANDIDATE whooccasionally donned aSuperman costume? The citi-zens of Taiwan did when they

elected Chen Shui-bian as their president.Neighboring China was infuriated, though notjust because of the costume.

An Island Republic of China

Taiwan is a mountainous island located 90miles (145 km) off China’s coast. For most ofits history, Taiwan has belonged to China. In1949 the Chinese Nationalist Party, led byChiang Kai-shek, lost its civil war against MaoZedong’s Communists.The battered Nation-alist army fled to Taiwan with two millionrefugees. From Taipei, its capital-in-exile, theNationalist regime maintained that it was thelegitimate government of one China andvowed to recover control of the mainland.Taiwan called itself the Republic ofChina,while the Communist mainlandtook the name of the People’s Republicof China.

United States intervention in the1950s kept the more powerful Com-munists from conquering Taiwan. Instep with the mainland,Taiwan pur-sued a goal of “one China”—two partsof one nation moving toward reunifica-tion.Taiwan wanted China’s Commu-nist government to change and to negotiate with Taiwan as an equal.Communist leaders,however, said no.

A TALE OF TWO CHINASA TALE OF TWO CHINAS

PEOPLE'SREPUBLICOF CHINA

TAIWAN

Taipei

Ta

i wa

nS

t ra

i t

200

2000 mi.

0 km

N

Taiwan’s capital of Taipei bustleswith economic activity. ▲

AND

GEOGRAPHYHISTORY

666 U n i t 9

From Rice Fields to Computer Chips

As the two sides haggled,many nations shifted their allegiance fromTaiwan to China. The United States improved its relations with Chinain the 1970s and ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Meanwhile,life on the island was changing as dramatically as its alliances.

When the Nationalists first arrived in Taiwan, they found farmerscultivating rice fields in fertile valleys and a small population of nativepeople living in the mountains.Taipei was an overgrown shantytown.The Nationalists quickly and brutally seized power. They allowed nolocal representation, and freedoms were limited.

In 1975 President Chiang Kai-shek died. When his son ChiangChing-kuo was elected president in 1978, he began to institute demo-cratic reforms.He ended martial law and legalized opposition politicalparties.By the 1990s Taiwan was a shining example of democracy inAsia.Prosperity transformed the island into an economic powerhouse.By comparison,China’s communist economy was stagnant.

In 2000 Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Partybecame the first ethnic Taiwanese and the first non-Nationalist to beelected president.Chen supports Taiwanese independence from themainland—a stance that evokes angry reactions and military threatsfrom China.Ever mindful of China’s threats of war,Chen is working toimprove ties with the mainland.

Today the economies of China and Taiwan are intertwined.Taiwanhas invested billions of dollars in factories on the mainland.China, andthe rest of the world, relies on Taiwan for key computer parts. With itsstrategic location and hardworking population,Taiwan is an importantplayer in the global economy.

President Chen Shui-bianand Taiwan’s first femalevice president, AnnetteLu, celebrate their win.

▲

Looking Ahead

China advocates a “one country, two systems” approach to reunifi-cation with Taiwan. Most Taiwanese, however, would prefer toremain separate from China. How might China and Taiwan recon-cile their differences for a better future for both countries?

1949 Chinese Nationalists,defeated by ChineseCommunists, flee toTaiwan and establishgovernment

1975 Nationalist leaderChiang Kai-shek(photo above) dies

1978 Chiang Ching-kuoelected president ofTaiwan

1980s Taiwan institutes democratic reforms

1990s Taiwanese demonstra-tors (backgroundphoto) call for inde-pendence from China

1996 Taiwan holds firstpresidential elections;tensions with Chinaescalate

2000 Chen Shui-bian winspresidential election;China threatens warunless Taiwan resumesreunification talks

U n i t 9 667

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowMany of the inventions we take for granted, such as printing, gun-powder, paper money, the compass,and the wheelbarrow, originated inancient East Asia. Why do you thinkthese ideas did not spread to theWest until many centuries later?

Read to Find Out• Where did East Asia’s ideas and

traditions originate?

• How did East Asia first react tocontact with the West?

• What major wars and revolutionsoccurred in East Asia?

Terms to Know• culture hearth

• dynasty

• clan

• shogun

• samurai

Places to Locate• Great Wall of China

• Guangzhou

668 U n i t 9

History andGovernment

A Geographic ViewChina’s Buried Army“A creation of awesome scale and accomplishment—an unforgettable symbol of the power of China’s firstemperor . . . Qin Shi Huang [Di] wantedan army with him after he died,” saysmuseum director Yuan. “His under-ground empire was a miniature of his real one.” More than 700,000laborers toiled 36 years building his monument.

—O. Louis Mazzatenta, “China’s Warriors Rise From the Earth,” National Geographic, October 1996

In the Chinese city of Xi’an, archaeologists haveunearthed thousands of life-size clay statues of soldiers and horsespositioned as an army ready for battle. These burial statues were toprotect the ancient Chinese ruler Qin Shi Huang Di (CHIHN SHIHRHWAHNG DEE) from threats in the afterlife. During the 200s B.C.,Qin Huang Di ordered the building of the Great Wall of China to pro-tect his empire. Archaeological finds, such as that of Qin Huang Di’stomb, reveal much about East Asia’s long history and political heritage.

Ancient East AsiaEast Asia is home to some of the world’s oldest continuous civi-

lizations. China, where the earliest East Asian civilization emerged,became the region’s culture hearth, or a center from which ideas andpractices spread to surrounding areas. Throughout history, China’sinfluence helped shape East Asia’s cultures. The Koreans and theJapanese, for example, blended Chinese ways with their own to formdistinct cultural traditions.

Army of clay soldiers, China

C h a p t e r 2 7 669

N

Guangzhou

Xi'an(Changan)

Beijing

Turpan

Luoyang

KashiG O B I

P L A T E A UO F T I B E T

Tarim Basin

YellowSea

EastChina

Sea

SouthChina

Sea

Xi R.

Yangtze R.

Yellow R.

110° E 130° E90° E70° E40°N

30°N

20°N

TROPIC OF CANCER

Two-Point Equidistant projection1,000

1,0000

0 km

mi.

2. Applying Geography Skills Why do you thinkthe Chinese built the Grand Canal?

Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

Qin Empire 221–210 B.C.

Han Empire 202 B.C.–A.D. 220Tang Empire A.D. 618–907Great Wall (Qin and Han times)Great Wall (Tang times)Grand Canal (Tang times)Present-day national boundary

Chinese Empires

MAP STUDY

Chinese Empires, 200s B.C.–A.D. 900s

Government

China’s DynastiesAlthough China’s culture began more than 5,000

years ago in the valley of the Wei River, a tributaryof the Yellow River, historical records were firstkept under the Shang dynasty. The dynasty, or rul-ing family, took power about 1600 B.C. in the NorthChina Plain. Like all succeeding dynasties, theShang faced rebellions by local lords, attacks byCentral Asian nomads, and natural disasters suchas floods. When the government was stable,it could defend its people against some of theseproblems. Eventually, however, the dynasty weak-ened and fell. According to the Chinese, a fallen

dynasty had lost “the mandate of heaven,” theapproval of the gods and goddesses.

After the Shang, the Zhou (JOH) dynasty ruled for900 years, beginning about 1122 B.C. During the era ofthe Zhou dynasty, Chinese culture spread, trade grew,and the Chinese began making iron tools. China’s best-known philosopher, Confucius (or Kongfuzi), livedduring this time. He founded a system of thoughtbased on discipline and moral conduct that for cen-turies influenced East Asian life. Another thinker,Laozi (or Lao-tzu), helped found Daoism, a philoso-phy of living in simplicity and harmony with nature.

After the Zhou, powerful dynasties expandedChina’s territory. In the 200s B.C., Qin Shi Huang Di

1. Interpreting Maps Which Chinese empiresextended northwest of the Plateau of Tibet?

Japanese History A Japanese man performs as a samurai in a historical reenactment.

Region Why were samurai important to Japanesehistory?

670 U n i t 9

on Japan’s civilization. In the A.D. 400s Japan, onceruled by many clans, or family groups, united underthe Yamato dynasty. Yamato rulers adoptedChina’s philosophy, writing system, art, sciences,and governmental structure. The Japanese alsowere influenced by the works of Korean scholars.

By the 1100s the armies of local nobles had begunfighting for control of Japan. Yoritomo Minamotobecame Japan’s first shogun, or military ruler, in1192. Supporting the shogun were professionalwarriors, or samurai. Although an emperor offi-cially ruled Japan, the samurai helped powerfulshoguns govern the country until the late 1800s.

Contact With the WestBy the 1600s Western countries had set up ship-

ping routes to East Asia, hoping to share in theregion’s rich trade in silk and tea. China, Japan,and Korea, however, all rejected foreign efforts topenetrate their markets. Under Western pressure,China finally opened the port of Guangzhou to lim-ited trade in 1834. Dissatisfied, Europeans usedpowerful warships to force China to open moreports. By the 1890s, European governments andJapan had claimed large areas of China as spheres ofinfluence—areas in which they had exclusive trad-ing rights. Deadlocked by rivalries, these powersreluctantly agreed in 1899 to a U.S. proposal toopen China to all countries for trade.

During the 1800s the United States also worked toopen Japan for trade. In 1854 U.S. naval officerMatthew C. Perry pressured the Japanese to changetheir policy. He and Japanese officials negotiated atreaty that ended centuries of Japanese isolation andopened Japan to trade with the United States. Notlong afterward, rebel samurai forced shoguns toreturn full authority to the emperor. Japan’s newgovernment rapidly modernized the country’s econ-omy, government, and military forces.

Modern East AsiaDuring the 1900s East Asia as a whole was

involved in two world wars. Meanwhile, each EastAsian country faced its own internal upheavals.

Revolutionary ChinaIn 1911 a revolution led by Sun Yat-sen ended

the rule of emperors in China. By 1927 a military

united all of China and built the first section of theGreat Wall to ward off attacks from Central Asia.Under the Han and Tang dynasties, traders andmissionaries took Chinese culture to all of EastAsia. In the early 1400s, under the Ming dynasty,the naval explorer Zheng He (JUNG HUH) reachedas far as the coast of East Africa. The last dynasty,the Qing, ruled China from the mid-1600s to theearly 1900s.

Korea and JapanAbout 1200 B.C. Chinese settlers brought their cul-

ture to the neighboring Koreans. Buddhism laterspread from China to Korea and became Korea’smajor religion. In the centuries that followed, aseries of Korean dynasties, including the Silla andthe Koryo, united the Korean Peninsula. AboutA.D. 1300 the Chinese seized control of Korea andintroduced the philosophy of Confucius, whichbecame the model for Korea’s government, educa-tion, and family life.

The Korean Peninsula was for centuries a culturalbridge between the Asian mainland and Japan.As a result, China and Korea had a major impact

C h a p t e r 2 7 671

leader, Chiang Kai-shek, had formed the Nation-alist government. Meanwhile, Chiang’s commu-nist rival, Mao Zedong, gained support fromChina’s farmers. After years of civil war, theCommunists won power in 1949 and set up thePeople’s Republic of China on the Chinese main-land. The Nationalists fled to Taiwan and set upa government called the Republic of China.

In the late 1900s, the People’s Republic of Chinamaintained strict communist political rule. How-ever, pressures to modernize gradually openedChina’s economy to free-market influences. Mean-while, Taiwan built a powerful, export-basedeconomy and carried out democratic reforms.

Japan’s TransformationFrom the 1890s to the 1940s, Japan used diplo-

macy and military force to build an empire thatincluded Taiwan (then called Formosa), Korea,other parts of mainland Asia, and numerous Pacificislands. This expansion was one factor that ledJapan to fight the United States and other Alliedcountries in World War II. After its defeat in 1945,Japan became a democracy. Stripped of its overseasterritories and military might, Japan rebuilt itsshattered economy and society. By the late 1900s, ithad emerged as a global economic power withworldwide trading and business links. One retiredofficial described the change this way:

N

Beijing

Shanghai

Saigon

Nagasaki

Tokyo

HongKong

Guangzhou

Singapore

Hiroshima

Aleutian Islands

Hokkaido

Sakhalin

Honshu

Shikoku

RyukyuIslands

HawaiianIslands

MalayPeninsula

BorneoCelebes

NewGuineaJava

Kyushu

Hainan Wake I.

MarshallIslands Gilbert

IslandsSolomonIslands

Caroline Islands

MarianaIslands

Sumatra

PhilippineIslands

1931

1910

1895

1919

S O V I E T U N I O N

C H I N A

SIAM

A U S T R A L I A

JAPAN

MANCHURIA

FRENCHINDOCHINA

TAIWAN

JA PA N E S EM A N DAT E

DUTCH EAST INDIES

OUTER MONGOLIA

BURMABRITISHINDIA

MALAYA

KOREASea ofJapan

SouthChina

Sea

P a c i f i c

O c e a n

I n d i a n

O c e a n

90°E

45°N

30°N

15°N

15°S

0°

120°E 150°E 180°

TROPIC OF CANCER

EQUATOR

Mercator projection1,000

1,0000

0 km

mi.

2. Applying Geography Skills Why was Japan’sconquest of Manchuria an important step inexpanding its empire?

Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

MAP STUDY

Japanese Expansion, 1895–1942

Greatest extent ofJapanese control, 1942Date of acquisition ofterritory

1895

Japanese Expansion

1. Interpreting Maps What areas of mainland EastAsia were ruled by Japan during World War II?

672 U n i t 9

Checking for Understanding1. Define culture hearth, dynasty,

clan, shogun, samurai.

2. Main Ideas On tables like the onebelow, summarize each East Asiancountry’s history and governmentduring each time period.

Critical Thinking3. Drawing Conclusions Why were

European powers dissatisfied with China’s opening of the port of Guangzhou?

4. Comparing and Contrasting Howwere economic developments inTaiwan and South Korea duringthe 1900s similar and different?

5. Making Inferences Why do youthink the Chinese Nationalistswho fled to Taiwan called theirgovernment the Republic of China?

Analyzing Maps6. Human-Environment Interaction

Study the map of Chinese empireson page 669. Which rivers arelinked by the Grand Canal?

7. Spread of Culture Draw amap of East Asia to showthe spread of Chinese cul-ture in the region. Usearrows to show key move-ments. Then write anexplanation of your map.

Applying Geography

“ After the war, Japan was in chaos. Therewas regret, suffering. There were no richthen, only poor. We pulled together,worked hard, geared our economy forexport. . . . Now we’re prosperous, andwe’re bringing that prosperity to others.”Arthur Zich, “Japan’s Sun Rises

Over the Pacific,” National Geographic,November 1991

A Divided KoreaAfter World War II ended, Korea was divided into

American-backed South Korea and communist-ruled North Korea. Wanting to unite Korea, NorthKorea invaded South Korea in 1950. During theKorean War, United Nations forces, led by the UnitedStates, rushed to South Korea’s defense. By June1951, each army had dug in along the thirty-eighthparallel. The stalemate ended with a truce in 1953.Millions of Koreans had died and both countrieswere devastated. Today, North Korea and SouthKorea are still separated by the cease-fire line alongthe thirty-eighth parallel.

North Korea’s communist society often cannotmeet the basic needs of its people. South Korea hasbecome a democracy with a prosperous marketeconomy. In 2000, relations between North Koreaand South Korea began to improve after the leadersof the two countries held talks. That same year,South Korea’s president, Kim Dae Jung, won theNobel Peace Prize for his peacemaking efforts.

A Historic Meeting A monk reads about thehistoric meeting of North Korea’s Kim Jong Il andSouth Korea’s Kim Dae Jung in June 2000.

Place Why was the meeting between the twoleaders considered historic?

Country: ________________

Ancient Times: (3000 B.C. to A.D. 1600)

Contact With the West (1600s–1900s)

Modern Times (1900s to present)

A Free MongoliaUnder the Soviet Union’s influence, Mongolia

was a communist state from 1924 to 1991. After thecollapse of Soviet communism, the Mongoliansadopted a democratic constitution that opened theway for free elections and a market economy, reflect-ing a growing openness to new ideas in East Asia.

Cultures andLifestyles

A Geographic ViewA Spiritual JourneyAs early as the [A.D. 400s], caveswere carved into the sandstonecliffs of the Tian Shan range asshrines and places of worship for[Buddhists]. . . . Worshipers builtthese shrines in hopes of . . . personal well-being, a safe and prosperous journey,advancement in the next life, or perhaps the birth of manyhealthy sons. . . .

—Reza, “Pilgrimage to China’s Bud-dhist Caves,” National Geographic,April 1996

The peoples of East Asia have a long and rich culturalheritage. Since ancient times the ideas and practices of three religioustraditions––Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism—have pro-foundly influenced the region. In the modern era, communism alsohas had a major impact on the peoples and cultures of China, NorthKorea, and Mongolia. East Asians also have adopted many aspects ofWestern culture. In this section you will learn about the variety of cul-tures and lifestyles found in East Asia today.

East Asia’s LanguagesBecause of their diverse backgrounds, people in East Asia speak

languages from several different language families. The largest,Sino-Tibetan, which includes Chinese and Tibetan, comprises lan-guages spoken by more than 1.2 billion people. Other principallanguages of East Asia include Japanese, Korean, Khalkha Mongolian,and Uygur––spoken in western China.

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowEast Asian food, art, pottery, andsports have become popular aroundthe world. What foods and otherproducts from East Asia are found in your community?

Read to Find Out• What languages do the peoples

of East Asia speak?

• What religions and philosophiesdo many people of East Asia follow?

• How do the standards of living of East Asians compare with one another?

• How does education in East Asia compare with education in North America?

• What traditional arts make East Asia unique?

Terms to Know• ideogram

• shamanism

• lama

• acupuncture

• haiku

• calligraphy

• pagoda

Places to Locate• Mongolia

• Tibet

C h a p t e r 2 7 673

Worshipers at Buddhist shrine, China

674 U n i t 9

China’s LanguagesHan Chinese, the most widely spoken language

of China, has many dialects. Mandarin, the north-ern dialect, has become China’s official language.It is taught in schools and used in business andgovernment. Cantonese, another major dialect, iswidely spoken in southeastern China. Other lan-guages of China include Tibetan, Manchu, Uygur,and Mongolian dialects.

Unlike Western languages that use lettersto stand for sounds in spoken language, Chineselanguages use ideograms, pictures or symbols thatstand for ideas. Chinese has thousands of ideo-grams. Each ideogram has one meaning, but com-bining it with other ideograms gives it a newmeaning. For example, the ideogram for “man”next to the ideogram for “word” means standingby one’s word, or “sincerity.” Spoken Chinese lan-guages also depend on tone, or pitch. Similar syl-lables, pronounced with different tones orinflections, take on different meanings.

Nonreligious47%

Buddhist

14%

Christian6%

Muslim1.3%

Other religionsless than 1%

Confucian/Daoist23%

Shintoist8%

*Many Japanese practice both Shintoism and Buddhism. Sources: World Almanac, 2001; Britannica Book of the Year, 2000

Confucian/Daoist

Buddhist

Shintoist*

Christian

350,000,000

215,000,000

120,000,000

Nonreligious 700,000,000

90,000,000

Muslim

Other religions

20,000,000

12,000,000

Religion Number of Followers

GRAPH STUDY

East Asia: Religions

2. Applying Geography Skills How have com-munist governments influenced religion in Chinaand North Korea?1. Interpreting Graphs Which two religions have

the largest number of followers in East Asia?

Japanese and Korean Languages Although the Japanese language developed in

isolation, experts believe it may be distantlyrelated to Korean and Mongolian. Over centuries,both Japanese and Korean languages borrowedwords from Chinese. Japanese had no writtenform until the A.D. 400s, when Chinese writing andliterature were introduced into Japan. Japan’s firstwriting system was based on Chinese characters.Western languages, especially English, have alsoinfluenced Japanese and Korean languages.

Religion and PhilosophyEast Asians hold a variety of philosophical

and religious beliefs, including Confucianism,Buddhism, and Daoism. They also may followmore than one religion. Many Japanese, for example,practice both Buddhism and Shintoism, an ancientJapanese religion that stresses reverence for nature.Other religions of East Asia include Christianity,

Economy

Japan’s Downturn and RecoveryThe Japanese traditionally have valued individ-

ual loyalty to society in return for society’s protec-tion and support. Japanese businesses often ran on

the principles of teamwork and cooperation.White-collar workers had secure life-

time jobs with benefits, such asinsurance programs, leave-of-

absence policies, and opportu-nities to buy company stock.

In 1997 many of these tradi-tions were pushed aside whenJapan, along with other Asiancountries, suffered a severeeconomic downturn. Thou-

sands of companies went bank-rupt, and financial pressures

forced the companies that sur-vived to operate more efficiently.

For the first time, companies had to layoff large numbers of workers.

Since 2000, Japan’s economy has stillbeen faltering. Declining sales continue to forcecompanies to lay off workers, and huge debtsthreaten to cripple the banking industry. Hesitant tospend, many Japanese consumers face housingshortages because of higher costs and lack of confi-dence in the economy. Meanwhile, Japan’s businesspractices have changed. As companies focus moreon profits and less on workers’ job security, workers,in turn, have less loyalty to their companies.

China’s New DirectionDuring the 1970s a new communist leadership

came to power in China after the death of MaoZedong. The most prominent leader, Deng Xiaoping(DUHNG SHOW•PIHNG), took China in a neweconomic direction, summed up in his phrase, “Toget rich is glorious.” After years of strict control

C h a p t e r 2 7 675

Student Web Activity Visit the Glencoe World GeographyWeb site at tx.geography.glencoe.com and click on Student WebActivities—Chapter 27 for an activity about cultures and traditions of China, Japan, and the Koreas.

widely practiced in Korea, and Islam, which hasmany followers among the Uygur people of westernChina. Some East Asians also practice shamanism,faith in leaders believed to have powers to heal thesick and to communicate with spirits.

Communist governments in China andNorth Korea strongly discourage all reli-gious practices, but many people stillhold to their traditional faiths.Before communism, Buddhistreligious leaders called lamasruled in Mongolia and Tibet.When communist govern-ments came to power, theybegan to persecute Buddhists.Mongolia is now a democracy,and Mongolian citizens areagain free to engage in religiouspractices.

In Tibet, however, the Chinesegovernment continues to place harshrestrictions on the Buddhist popula-tion. For example, Tibetans risk arrestjust for owning photographs of the Dalai Lama,Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader. The Dalai Lamacurrently leads a worldwide movement in sup-port of Tibetan rights from his place of exile inneighboring India.

Standard of LivingDuring the late 1900s, booming economies in

East Asia improved standards of living for manyof the region’s peoples. In wealthy countries, suchas Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, lifestyles haveimproved dramatically in the last few decades. Yetlarge gaps remain between the rich and the poor.In economically developing countries, such asChina, glittering steel-and-glass skyscrapers in thecities stand in sharp contrast to the mud houses inthe surrounding rural areas.

One indicator of a country’s standard of livingis gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, orthe value of goods and services each person pro-duces. By 2000, for example, Japan’s GDP percapita was $32,350, the highest in the region. Bycomparison, China’s GDP, at $750 per capita, wasone of the lowest.

The Dalai Lama

over China’s economy, China’s communist leadersbegan allowing some free enterprise as a result ofeconomic and political setbacks during the 1950sand 1960s.

During the “Great Leap Forward” campaign ofthe 1950s, large government-owned farms hadreplaced the small-scale farm cooperatives. Thenew farms, however, failed to produce enoughfood for the country. About 20 million Chinesedied of starvation, and the economy crumbled.

To move China forward, Deng Xiaoping allowedprivate ownership of businesses and farms.Chinese officials welcomed foreign businesses andtechnology to China. Foreign investment flowedinto special economic zones where foreignerscould own and operate businesses with little gov-ernment interference. The resulting economicgrowth raised the standards of living of someChinese. Despite progress, China’s economy is stillagricultural, and the majority of Chinese have alower standard of living than do other East Asians.

Education and HealthMost East Asians highly value learning. Today

elementary education is free throughout the region,and opportunities for higher education haveexpanded greatly. Better education and higherstandards of living have also improved the region’shealth care.

Literacy and LearningIn the several East Asian countries that spend the

most money for education, the literacy rate is high.Nearly all Japanese can read and write, and SouthKorea has a literacy rate of 98 percent. The literacyrate for Taiwanese and North Koreans is 95 percent.China and Mongolia, however, have a lower liter-acy rate of about 82 percent.

In the past only the wealthiest Chinese learned toread and write, but China’s communist governmenthas pushed to increase literacy. During the CulturalRevolution, a period of upheaval in the late 1960s,

Chinese Life The sharp con-trasts of Chinese life can be seen in the bustling city of Chengdu in SichuanProvince and in the quiet rural landscape that surrounds the city.

Place Why do the majority of Chinese have a lower standard of living thando other East Asians?

676 U n i t 9

the growth of literacy, however,suffered a brief setback. Duringthis time, schools and factoriesclosed and people believed tobe enemies of Mao Zedong’sform of communism were per-secuted. After Mao’s death theChinese government againemphasized education, and lit-eracy has steadily risen.

Young South Koreans spendan average of 14 years in schooland are among East Asia’sbest-educated students. SouthKorea and Taiwan believe thateducational excellence sup-ports the high performance oftheir economies.

Health CareBetter health care has raised

life expectancies, and infant mortality has declinedin East Asia. The average life expectancy is about74 years for women and 70 years for men. Com-munist governments generally pay for medicaltreatment. As China moves toward a market econ-omy, however, its government no longer guaran-tees equal access to health care. As a result, the gapin the quality of health care between urban areasand rural areas is widening.

Many East Asians rely on both Western and tra-ditional medical care, including herbal medicines.Acupuncture, an ancient practice that involvesinserting fine needles into the body at specificpoints in order to cure disease or relieve pain, ispopular in China. Both herbal medicine andacupuncture are widely accepted around the world.

Leisure ActivitiesEast Asians engage in a variety of leisure activi-

ties, ranging from music to sports. Recreation fre-quently involves family activities. Because ofsmall living quarters in many urban areas, peopleoften socialize in public parks and restaurants.

FoodAlthough cooking styles vary throughout the

region, East Asians prefer staple foods, such as rice,

C h a p t e r 2 7 677

Chinese New Year celebrations (above)and Japanese professional baseball (right)

wheat, and millet. Many East Asians maintainvegetarian diets or get protein from fish. Westernfoods, such as beef, chicken, and dairy products,recently have become popular. As a result, moreEast Asians now have health problems associatedwith a Western diet.

Sports and FestivalsEast Asians of all ages practice traditional

exercises and martial arts, such as tai chi, tae kwondo, gongfu (kung fu), or karate. Japan’s ancientsport of sumo wrestling draws thousands of fansto several tournaments each year. East Asians alsoenjoy many Western sports, such as baseball, soc-cer, and volleyball. Olympic champions in skiing,swimming, gymnastics, table tennis, and othersports have come from East Asia.

Colorful celebrations mark the seasons of theyear, national holidays, and religious ideas orevents in East Asia. Many people participate inparades and ceremonies related to the Confu-cian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Shintoist religions.People in East Asia also commemorate theLunar New Year, which begins in late January orearly February. The Lunar New Year reflects thelunar calendar, which is based on the phases ofthe moon instead of Earth’s movements aroundthe sun.

678 U n i t 9

only 3 lines and 17 syllables but now is written inmany line and syllable combinations. A majortheme is the fragile beauty of nature, as this exam-ple of haiku from the 1600s reveals:

“ The red maple leaves shine so bright The wings of flying birds are scorched.”“In a Japanese Garden,” National

Geographic, November 1989

East Asia still produces notable writers. In 1994Japanese writer Kenzaburo Oe won the NobelPrize in literature for his works that connect themyths of traditional Japanese village life with lifein the modern era. Exiled Chinese writer GaoXingjian also won the Nobel Prize in literaturein 2000.

Music and TheaterEast Asian music is based on a five-tone scale

with a melody line but no harmony. Over the cen-turies, instruments such as flutes, drums, andgongs accompanied dancers in temple rituals.Stringed instruments included the lute, the guitar,and the koto, a type of zither.

music of EAST ASIA

The ArtsOver the centuries East Asians have excelled in

the arts. Their artistic and literary achievementsare deeply rooted in the long history of the region.During ancient times Chinese styles in art andarchitecture influenced all of East Asia. Religionssuch as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, andShintoism also have inspired great art in theregion. In modern times Mao Zedong’s CulturalRevolution tried to wipe out the traditional arts ofChina in favor of communist-inspired art forms.After Mao’s death, however, Chinese artistsreturned to their traditions.

LiteratureIn ancient China and Japan, poetry flourished

among the educated members of society. Li Bo andDu Fu, for example, created some of China’s bestpoetry. In their works these poets describedhuman relationships and the beauty of nature. InA.D. 1010 a Japanese noblewoman, Lady MurasakiShikibu, wrote one of the world’s first novels, TheTale of Genji, about the life and loves of a prince atthe emperor’s court. The Japanese also developeda form of poetry called haiku that originally had

World Music: A Cultural Legacy Hear music of this region on Disc 2, Tracks 14–18.

Under Chinese influence, music in East Asia has evolved over thousands of years. Used for both spiritual and entertainment pur-poses, music of the region is characterizedby the use of strings, wind instruments, and percussion.

Instrument SpotlightThe shakuhachi is a bamboo flute fromJapan with five finger holes. This uniquewind instrument arrived in Japan throughChina during the A.D. 600s and 700s.Unlike other instruments, the shakuhachideveloped a strong collection of solopieces and was used by Zen Buddhistmonks as a form of spiritual practice andfor meditation. This music usually has apeaceful effect on both the player andthe listener.

Checking for Understanding1. Define ideogram, shamanism,

lama, acupuncture, haiku, callig-raphy, pagoda.

2. Main Ideas On a table like the one below, fill in details abouteach country’s languages, reli-gions, education, health, standardof living, leisure, and arts.

Critical Thinking3. Comparing and Contrasting

Describe health care in East Asia.How is it different from healthcare in the United States?

4. Making Generalizations Howhave rising standards of livingchanged the lives of people inEast Asia?

5. Drawing Conclusions How do East Asia’s religions influence itsart forms?

Analyzing Graphs6. Region Study the graph on East

Asia’s religions on page 674.Christianity accounts for aboutwhat percentage of religious fol-lowers in East Asia?

C h a p t e r 2 7 679

7. Chinese Culture Write aparagraph explaining theimpact of the “Great LeapForward” and the CulturalRevolution on Chinese culture.

Applying Geography

East Asians have many forms ofdrama. Chinese traditional operauses elaborate costumes, music,and acrobatics or martial artsdisplays. Japan’s lively Kabukitheater uses costumes, song,and dance. By contrast, theJapanese Noh drama hasactors who tell stories onlythrough precise movements.Traditional art in Korea may involvegroup folk dances. Most East Asiancountries produce movies.

Visual ArtsThroughout history, East Asians have devel-

oped their own unique art forms. In China, Korea,and Japan, artists have painted the rugged land-scapes of their countries. These paintings ofteninclude a verse made in elegant brush-strokecalligraphy, the art of beautiful writing. TheJapanese also created vivid prints using carvedwood blocks. Influential print artists includeHiroshige and Hokusai. Other Japanese art formsinclude origami, in which paper is folded into theshapes of animals and birds; the tea ceremony;formal landscaping; and ikebana, or flowerarranging. In East Asia elegant Chinese potterydeveloped into a fine art over thousands of years.During the Tang dynasty, Chinese potters createdthe fine, thin porcelain known today as china. In

China Japan N. Korea S. Korea

Korea, during the Koryo dynasty, artists made grace-ful vases with a pale green glaze called celadon stillhighly valued all over the world. Buddhist templesin China, Korea, and Japan contain many statues andsculptures in stone, bronze, or jade.

ArchitectureExcept for skyscrapers, most East Asian architec-

ture uses wood, brick, and stone. Bamboo is impor-tant in the architecture of Japan and southern China.Traditional East Asian buildings often have grace-fully curved tile roofs in the pagoda, or tower, style.

Despite the changes and pressures brought bymodernization, East Asians have kept alive theirancient art forms. These traditions help unite EastAsia’s diverse peoples into a cultural region.

The ancient art of making porcelain is still practiced in China today.

Reading an Economic Activity MapGeographers and researchers use economic activity maps

as well as other specialized maps to help them understand a region. An economic activity map gives a quick overview of economic resources and activities.

680 U n i t 9

The Glencoe Skillbuilder Interactive Workbook,

Level 2 provides instruction andpractice in key social studies skills.

Learning the SkillBy comparing activities on an

economic activity map with infor-mation on other types of maps,such as political, climate, or popu-lation density maps, geographerscan quickly see the distribution ofeconomic resources. Geographerscan also get an idea about acountry’s economic potential andthe people’s standard of living.

Economic activity maps usecolors to represent dominanteconomic activities. Other mapsmay use patterns or symbolsinstead of colors. In all eco-nomic activity maps, the key orlegend defines the colors andsymbols.

To read an economic activitymap, follow these steps:

• Identify the geographicregion shown on the map.

• Study the map key to under-stand all colors, symbols, andpatterns used on the map.

• Study the map to determinewhat resources and economicactivities are predominant ineach area.

• Compare the map with othermaps showing landforms, climate, and natural vegeta-tion of the region. Draw conclusions about the inter-action of humans with theenvironment.

Practicing the SkillUse the economic activity map

above to answer the followingquestions.

1. Which color on the map rep-resents subsistence farming?

2. Which country has more coaldeposits?

3. Which area has little or noeconomic activity?

4. Which part of the regionprobably has the lowest stan-dard of living? The highest?Explain your answer.

Coal

Hydroelectricpower

Tungsten

Resources

Subsistence farmingManufacturing areaCommercial fishingLittle or no activity

Land Use

200

2000

0

mi.

kmLambert ConformalConic projection

Rice

N

40°N

130°E

Sea ofJapan

YellowSea

NORTH KOREA

CHINARUSSIA

SOUTH

KOREA

Seoul

Pyongyang

Chongjin

Wonsan

Pusan

Taegu

The Two Koreas: Economic Activity

Use a reference book or Internetsources to create an economic activ-ity map for your city or county. Drawan outline map of your region, andcreate symbols and colors to repre-sent economic activities in yourarea. Be sure to include a map key.

C h a p t e r 2 7 681

Key Points• East Asia’s 1.5 billion people are made up of

many different ethnic groups with a variety of religions, languages, and cultures.

• Population in East Asia is unevenly distributed.It is concentrated in urban areas, in river valleys,and on coastal plains.

• Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea are highlyurbanized countries. Mongolia is predominantlyrural. In China most people live in rural areas.

• Massive migration from rural to urban areashas caused farm labor shortages in parts of East Asia.

Organizing Your NotesCreate a chart like the one belowto help you organize your notesfor this section. Fill in details forethnic groups found in eachcountry.

Terms to Know• culture hearth• dynasty• clan• shogun• samurai

Key Points• Confucianism and Daoism developed in China

about 500 B.C. Buddhism spread from Indiathroughout East Asia.

• China was ruled by a succession of dynastiesuntil the early 1900s.

• Contact with the West forced East Asians tomodernize.

• Revolutions and wars transformed East Asia inthe 1900s.

• By the end of the 1900s, East Asian countrieshad important roles in the global economy.

Organizing Your NotesOn a web diagram like the onebelow, fill in important events inEast Asia’s history, including itsvarious forms of governmentsystems.

Terms to Know• aborigine• homogeneous

SECTION 1 Population Patterns (pp. 661–665)

SECTION 2 History and Government (pp. 668–672)

SUMMARY & STUDY GUIDE

China

Ethnic Chief Population Largest AreaGroup Distribution of Concentration

Terms to Know• ideogram• shamanism• lama• acupuncture• haiku• calligraphy• pagoda

Organizing Your NotesCreate an outline using the for-mat below to help you organizeyour notes for this section.

SECTION 3 Cultures and Lifestyles (pp. 673–679)

Key Points• Sino-Tibetan languages and Korean and

Japanese are the region’s main languages.

• East Asians often adopt practices from morethan one religious tradition.

• Rising standards of living since 1945 havebrought dramatic improvements in educationand health care for some countries.

• East Asians have a long history of traditionalarts and activities.

I. LanguagesA. China

1. Mandarin2. Cantonese

East Asia’s Languages and Religions

East Asia’s Historyand Government

Ancient East Asia Modern East Asia

Contact With West

Critical Thinking1. Comparing and Contrasting How do

the standards of living vary among East Asiancountries and between rural and urban areas?

2. Making Inferences Why are farmlandsand the food supply of critical importance toChina?

3. Analyzing Consequences Create a webdiagram like the one below to show theeffects of migration to urban areas in EastAsian countries. Then write a paragraphexplaining those effects.

Reviewing Key TermsWrite the key term that best completes each ofthe following sentences. Refer to the Terms toKnow in the Summary & Study Guide on page 681.

1. A _____ was a professional soldier in earlyJapan.

2. Soldiers of ancient Japan were loyal to a mil-itary ruler known as a(n) _____.

3. _____ is the art of beautiful writing.

4. China was East Asia’s _____, the center fromwhich ideas spread.

5. A ruling family known as a(n) _____ formedChina’s early government.

6. Before ruling families, tribalgroups, or _____, ruled in China.

Reviewing Facts

SECTION 11. Which countries in the region of

East Asia are the most ethnicallyhomogeneous?

2. What portions of East Asia arerelatively unpopulated? Why?

3. What is Japan’s most populousregion? Why?

SECTION 24. During which dynasty did the

philosophies of Confucius andLaozi emerge?

5. How did Japan build an empirein the early 1900s, and how didthe empire come to an end?

6. How did the Communists in Chinacome to power?

SECTION 37. Name four religious or philoso-

phical traditions of East Asia.

8. Why is education a high priorityin Taiwan and South Korea?

9. Name five art forms important inEast Asia.

Locating PlacesEast Asia: Physical-Political Geography

Match the letters on the map with the places and physical features of East Asia. Write your answers on a sheet of paper.

90°E 100°E 110°E 120°E 130°E 140°E80°E50°N

40°N

30°N

20°N

10°N

TROPIC OF CANCER

A

D

E

F

G

HI

JB

C

N

Two-Point Equidistant projection1,000

1,0000

0

mi.

km

ASSESSMENT & ACTIVITIES

682 U n i t 9

1. Wuhan2. Shanghai3. Taipei4. Yangtze

5. Tokyo6. Beijing7. Guangzhou

8. Ulaanbaatar9. Seoul

10. Kyoto

Effects of Urbanization

C h a p t e r 2 7 683

Charts and tables may reveal patternsor trends. Look for similarities ingroups of numbers before you draw

conclusions. In addition, numbers need not be exactlyalike in a question such as this one. For example,although both China and South Korea have the samepercentage for Services under Economic Activity, theother figures vary widely.

Self-Check Quiz Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at tx.geography.glencoe.comand click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 27 toprepare for the Chapter Test.

Using the Regional AtlasRefer to the Regional Atlas on pages 636–639.

1. Place Which East Asian cities have popula-tions over 5,000,000?

2. Human-Environment Interaction Whatnatural resource may account for the areas ofhigh population density in western China?

Thinking Like a GeographerThink about the thousands of migrant workerssettling in China’s special economic zones. Whatare some of the problems created by this influxof people? As a geographer, what strategieswould you suggest to help solve these problems?Explain your answer.

Problem-Solving ActivityGroup Research Project Work with a groupto research and evaluate the Chinese government’sinternational reputation on human rights. Issuesinclude the treatment of religious dissidents, polit-ical prisoners, ethnic Tibetans and exiled leaders,and students during the 1989 pro-democracydemonstrations at Tiananmen Square. Considerthe following: What is China’s current status onhuman rights? How will the Internet and commu-nications technology affect this issue? Prepare areport stating your opinions and predicting futuredevelopments.

GeoJournalCompare and Contrast Use the informationyou noted in your GeoJournal to write an essaycomparing cultural aspects of two East Asiancountries. Include specific examples.

Technology ActivityCreating an Electronic Database

Create a database of the population densitiesof several East Asian countries, regions, orcities. Then use the database to help you drawan outline map to show population distributionusing color codes, and include a map key.

Study the table. Then choose the best answerfor the following multiple-choice question. Ifyou have trouble answering the question, usethe process of elimination to narrow yourchoices.

1. Based on the chart, which two countrieshave economic activities that are themost similar in all areas?

A South Korea and TaiwanB Taiwan and JapanC Taiwan and ChinaD China and Japan

Source: The Economist Pocket World in Figures, 2001

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

SouthTaiwan China Japan Korea

Economic Activity % % % %Agriculture 2.9 18.4 1.7 4.9Industry 34.0 48.7 36.0 43.5Services 63.1 32.9 62.3 51.6

Labor ForceAgriculture 8.0 50.0 5.0 12.0Mining & Manufacturing 37.0 23.0 32.0 27.0Services &Other 55.0 27.0 63.0 61.0

Economic Activities in East Asia