East Asia- Land of ContrastsEast Asia- Land of Contrasts

Natural ResourcesNatural Resources

Compare resource “rich” and Compare resource “rich” and “poor”“poor”

Physical Geography - Physical Geography - MountainsMountains

Mongolian Plateau – home of the Gobi DesertKunlun Mtns. – source of the Huang He and Yangtze rivers

Quinling Shandi – divide northern and southern ChinaPlateau of Tibet – sandwiched between Himalayas and Kunlun Mtns.Himalayas – includes Mt. Everest & K2 (world’s highest mountains)

Physical Geography – Rivers & Physical Geography – Rivers & PlainsPlains

Huang He – aka “Yellow River” for

the heavy silt, called “China’s Sorrow” due to severe flooding

Chang Jiang – literally “Long

River” (over 3,900 miles), aka

“Yangtze”, site of Three Gorges Dam

Yalu Jiang – forms border

between China and

Korean Peninsula

Xi Jiang – joins the Pearl River to empty into South China Sea at Hong

Kong

North China Plain - VERY fertile

farmland, but high population density

as well

Amur River – forms border

between Russia and

eastern China

Physical Geography – IssuesPhysical Geography – Issues

Yangtze River flooding and

the Three Gorges Dam

Japan’s bulging population

problem and not enough

space

Volcanoes, earthquakes and

tsunamis are always a threat to

Japan

Physical Geography – IssuesPhysical Geography – IssuesYangtze and Three GorgesYangtze and Three Gorges

• The Yangtze River has a long history of intense flooding, including:

• 1998 – 3,000 dead, 14 million displaced, $24 Billion losses• 1954 – 30,000 dead• 1935 – 142,000 dead• 1931 – 135,000 dead• 1911 – 100,000+ dead• 1887 – 1,000,000+ dead

•To prevent future flooding disasters, the Chinese built the Three Gorges Dam

• 330 feet tall, almost 1 ½ mile wide• total project cost - $26 Billion`• will create a reservoir 410 miles long

video

Physical Geography – IssuesPhysical Geography – IssuesYangtze and Three GorgesYangtze and Three Gorges

Positive Effects Negative Effects1. Reservoir creation will

control or eliminate future flooding threats

2. 22,500 MegaWatts of clean energy will be produced, reducing the need for coal burning power plants

3. Transportation by ocean-going ships will be possible to Chongqing, over 800 miles inland (Houston to El Paso)

1. Energy produced will only cover 3% of China’s needs, not 10% as predicted.

2. Dam will slow river traffic, restricted to available locks instead of the ½ mile-wide river.

3. Over 1 million people will have to be displaced from ancestral lands

4. Historical and religious sites will be flooded as reservoir rises

5. Destruction or modification of natural habitat may harm river species

6. Loss of free-flowing sediment may decrease farmland fertility

Physical Geography – Issues Physical Geography – Issues

Population DensityPopulation Density• Japan’s population is about ½ of the U.S. (around 127,000,000 in 2008) but the country is smaller than California• The average population density for the country is more than 871 people per square mile (U.S. avg. is 80 per sq. mi.)• Tokyo is the world’s most populated urban area, with an estimated population of 35,676,000 in 2007, including Tokyo and suburban areas

Physical Geography – Issues Physical Geography – Issues Population DensityPopulation Density

• By using land reclamation activities like landfill and dredging, Japan has “created” land to build three large airports in the waters surrounding the natural islands.

• Over 96 square miles of new land have been added in Tokyo Bay, and overall, Japan’s reclamation projects add 2-3 square miles of new land each year, making it possible to build new housing or park space for the people of Japan

Physical Geography – IssuesPhysical Geography – IssuesExtreme Nature in JapanExtreme Nature in Japan

• The Japanese islands were created by tectonic movement between the Pacific and Philippine Plates moving northwest and the Amur plate moving southeast, resulting in very active and unpredictable earthquake and volcanic activity

• Active volcanoes create a “spine” of Japan, so most of Japan’s population lives less than 75 miles from a volcano

• 1,000+ tremors or quakes/year in Japan• Most are unnoticed, but they can be

major:• 1923 – Kanto - killed 100,000+• 1995 – Hanshin (Kobe) – killed

6,400+, 100,000 homeless, $100+ Bil. to rebuild

Physical Geography – IssuesPhysical Geography – IssuesExtreme Nature in JapanExtreme Nature in Japan

• Japan’s location on the “Ring of Fire” also creates the potential for tsunamis

• Underwater earthquakes can start a wave of energythat can travel across theocean and create a tsunami as it nears land

• Typhoons (called “hurricanes” in the Atlantic) can bring intense winds (100+ mph) and heavy rain (1-2 in./hour for 12+ hours) and can create intense flooding due to storm surge at the eye of the storm

video

Physical Geography – IssuesPhysical Geography – IssuesEmergency PreparednessEmergency Preparedness

• Most major cities in Japan hold city-wide emergency disaster drills at least once per year

• Japanese Meteorological Agency makes predictions for weather and seismic activity

• Up-to-the-minute online earthquake reporting keeps people informed about potential problems

• Alert levels are announced on TV and radio stations to alert people of volcanic activity

• China’s area is slightly smaller than China’s area is slightly smaller than the U.S. but their population is over 4 the U.S. but their population is over 4 X bigger (US 300 M vs. China 1.3 B)X bigger (US 300 M vs. China 1.3 B)• In 1776, China’s population In 1776, China’s population

equaled U.S. population equaled U.S. population in 2000in 2000• China passed 1 billion in 1980China passed 1 billion in 1980

• Physical features (desert, mountains) Physical features (desert, mountains) limit suitable living spacelimit suitable living space

• East coast port draw people to the East coast port draw people to the already crowded citiesalready crowded cities

Human & Physical Geography – Human & Physical Geography – IssuesIssues

Overpopulation in ChinaOverpopulation in China

Human & Physical - Issues Human & Physical - Issues China’s Population DensityChina’s Population Density

• One Child Policy (since One Child Policy (since 1979) limits family size, in 1979) limits family size, in hopes of slowing and hopes of slowing and reversing population growthreversing population growth

• cultural preference for boys cultural preference for boys has led to selective has led to selective abortions, spoiled “Little abortions, spoiled “Little Emperors”, infanticide and Emperors”, infanticide and increased numbers of increased numbers of orphansorphans

• Fertility rate has fallen from Fertility rate has fallen from more than 5 children per more than 5 children per woman in China during the woman in China during the 1970’s to China to less than 1970’s to China to less than 2 per woman today2 per woman today