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Landforms
and Resources
Main Ideas
• This region includes two
peninsulas of Asia, two
continents, and more than
20,000 islands.
• Its landforms include
mountains, plateaus, and
major river systems.
Places & Terms
A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE The Aeta (EE•duh) people of the Philippines
archipelago
low island
lived on the volcano Mount Pinatubo for generations. They knew this
volcano so well that they timed the planting and harvesting of their
crops by the amount of steam rising from a vent on its slope. In 1991,
the Aeta noticed changes in the mountain and concluded that it was
about to erupt. Tens of thousands of Aeta fled their homes as did countless other Filipinos. Pinatubo did erupt for the first time in 600 years,
spewing ash for miles. Since then, many of the Aeta have formed new
communities, but they still miss their homeland. As their story shows,
the geologic processes that destroy landforms also disrupt human lives.
Oceania
Great Barrier
Reef
high island
Connect to the Issues
industrialization
Some countries of this region
have used their resources to
develop industry, with mixed
results.
Southeast Asia: Mainland and Islands
Southeast Asian Mountains and Rivers
PENINSULAS AND ISLANDS The most notice-
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able feature of mainland Southeast Asia is that it
lies on two peninsulas. The Indochinese Peninsula,
located south of China, has a rectangular shape. In
contrast, the Malay Peninsula is a narrow strip of
land about 700 miles long, stretching south from
the mainland and then curving southeast. It serves
as a bridge between the mainland and islands.
Most of the islands of Southeast Asia are found
in archipelagoes. An archipelago is a set of closely
grouped islands, which sometimes form a curved
arc. The Philippines and the islands of Indonesia
are part of the Malay Archipelago. (See the map
on page 680.) A few Southeast Asian islands, such
as Borneo, are actually the high points of a submerged section of the Eurasian plate.
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Southeast Asia has two distinct subregions: the
southeastern corner of the Asian mainland and a
great number of islands. Both the mainland and
the islands have many high mountains.
105°E
right, you can see that the mainland has several
mountain ranges, such as the Annamese Cordillera,
running roughly north and south. These ranges fan
out from a mountainous area to the north.
SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps
PLACE Which mountain chain lies east of the Mekong River?
LOCATION How would you describe the relative location of
the Chao Phraya?
Landforms and Resources 689
SE ASIA & OCEANIA
MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES On the map at
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Island Formation in the Pacific
High (volcanic) Islands
1. Magma sometimes erupts through
cracks in the ocean floor.
2. Over time, layers of lava can build
up to form a volcanic cone.
3. Some volcanic cones rise above
sea level and become islands.
2. As the island erodes, the reef continues
to grow upward.
3. In time, only the low islands of
the reef remain.
Low (coral) Islands
1. Some corals form reefs on the sides
of volcanic islands.
On the islands, most of the mountains are of volcanic origin.
Southeast Asia is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that you read about in
Chapter 29. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are natural disasters
that frequently occur in this region. (See pages 710–711.)
RIVERS AND COASTLINES The mainland has several large rivers that
run from the north through the valleys between the mountain ranges.
Near the coast these rivers spread out into fertile deltas. For example,
the Mekong (MAY•KAWNG) River begins in China and crosses several
Southeast Asian nations before becoming a wide delta on Vietnam’s
coast. Millions of people rely on the Mekong for farming and fishing.
Southeast Asia’s peninsulas and islands give it a long, irregular coastline with many ports. As you can imagine, this has encouraged a great
deal of seagoing travel and trade.
Background
The Mekong River
forms part of the
boundary between
Myanmar and
Laos and between
Laos and Thailand.
RESOURCES Fertile soil is a valuable resource in Southeast Asia.
Volcanic activity and flooding rivers both add nutrients back to the soil
and keep it rich. Southeast Asians also have access to large numbers of
fish in the rivers and nearby seas. Parts of the region have mineral
resources, such as petroleum, tin, and gems, which industry can use.
Lands of the Pacific and Antarctica
No one knows how many islands exist in the Pacific Ocean, but some
geographers estimate that there are more than 20,000. As a group, the
Pacific Islands are called Oceania. (The Philippines, Indonesia, and
other islands near the mainland are not considered part of Oceania
because their people have cultural ties to Asia.) In the southwestern
690 CHAPTER 30
Background
Oceania’s islands
are also called the
South Sea Islands.
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The high island in the background
is Bora Bora, a volcanic island in
French Polynesia. (See the map
on page 681.) Many small coral
islands surround it.
Pacific lie New Zealand and Australia, which are often considered part
of Oceania, even though Australia is a continent, not an island.
OCEANIA’S MANY ISLANDS One reason geographers don’t know the
number of islands in Oceania is that it changes. Erosion causes some
islands to vanish, while other forces create new islands. Most Pacific
islands fall into two categories: high islands are created by volcanoes,
and low islands are made of coral reefs. Although a few of Oceania’s
islands are large, most are small. If you added the land area of all the
islands together, the total would be smaller than the area of Alaska.
Oceania is not rich in resources. The low islands have poor soil, and
most of the islands lack minerals. But New Caledonia has nickel,
chromium, and iron; New Guinea has copper, gold, and oil; Nauru has
phosphate; and both Fiji and the Solomon Islands have gold. The general scarcity of resources has made it difficult to develop industry.
A. Answer farm
products, lumber
Seeing Patterns
Judging from
the information in
this paragraph,
what products do
you think New
Zealand exports?
Island and South Island. Running down the center of South Island is a
300-mile-long mountain range, the Southern Alps. This range has 16
peaks over 10,000 feet high and more than 360 glaciers. Several rivers
flow down the eastern slopes to the ocean.
North Island has hilly ranges and a volcanic plateau, but it is much
less mountainous than South Island. North Island has fertile farmland
and forest that support the lumber industry. In addition, its coastline
has natural harbors that are used for seaports. Like South Island, North
Island has many rivers running from the mountains to the sea.
New Zealand has few mineral resources. However, its swift-flowing
rivers have allowed its people to build dams that generate electricity.
Landforms and Resources 691
SE ASIA & OCEANIA
MAJESTIC NEW ZEALAND New Zealand has two main islands, North
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Also, North Island has a volcanic area with underground steam.
Engineers have found ways to use this steam to power generators.
FLAT AUSTRALIA The land mass known as Australia is the smallest
continent on earth. It is also the flattest. Near the eastern coast, running
roughly parallel to it, is a chain of highlands called the Great Dividing
Range. Unlike New Zealand’s mountains, few of these peaks rise higher than 5,000 feet. To the west of this range stretches a vast expanse of
plains and plateaus, broken by only a few mountains.
Many other differences exist between Australia and New Zealand.
For example, Australia has very few rivers. The largest is the Murray
River, which flows into the Southern Ocean. Forestry is not a major
industry in Australia, but the country is rich in minerals. It is the
world’s leading supplier of bauxite, diamonds, opals, lead, and coal.
Along Australia’s northeast coast lies one of the wonders of nature.
The Great Barrier Reef is often called the world’s largest coral reef,
although it is really a 1,250-mile chain of more than 2,500 reefs and
islands. Some 400 species of coral are found there.
ICY ANTARCTICA Antarctica is the fifth largest continent. Generally
circular in shape, it is centered on the South Pole. Its topography is hidden by a thick ice sheet, but under the ice lies a varied landscape. The
Transantarctic Mountains divide the continent in two. East Antarctica
is a plateau surrounded by mountains and valleys. West Antarctica is a
group of separate islands linked only by the ice that covers them.
Antarctica’s ice sheet is the largest supply of fresh water in the world.
Geologists believe that resources such as coal, minerals, and perhaps
even petroleum may lie beneath the ice. But in 1991, 26 nations agreed
not to mine Antarctica for 50 years. In the next section, you will read
about Antarctica’s harsh climate as well as the climates of Southeast
Asia, Oceania, Australia, and New Zealand.
Places & Terms
Identify these terms and
explain their importance
in the region’s physical
geography.
• archipelago
• Oceania
• high island
• low island
• Great Barrier Reef
Taking Notes
PLACE Review the notes you took
for this section.
Landforms
Resources
• What river begins in China and
flows to the Vietnamese coast?
Main Ideas
a. What are the main
resources of Southeast
Asia?
b. What different resources
do Australia and New
Zealand have?
c. What landform divides the
continent of Antarctica?
B. Answer
Similarities—They
are the two smallest continents;
both are roughly
circular. Differences—Australia
is very flat, while
Antarctica has a
varied landscape;
Antarctica is covered by ice.
Background
People in Australia
and New Zealand
call the waters
around Antarctica
the Southern
Ocean.
Making
Comparisons
What are
similarities and
differences
between the physical geographies
of Australia and
Antarctica?
Geographic Thinking
Seeing Patterns By what
processes do low islands
replace high islands? Think
about:
• the process that causes
some islands to disappear
• the diagrams on page 690
• What are the two main islands of
New Zealand?
RESEARCH LINKS
CL ASSZONE .COM
SEEING PATTERNS Do research to learn about the ways that humans have damaged the Great
Barrier Reef. Write the script for a public service announcement, telling visitors to Australia
what behaviors to avoid. You might also include visuals of the Great Barrier Reef. Use standard
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure in your script.
692 CHAPTER 30