South, Southeast, and
East Asia
Physical Geography
Mountains

A.
B.
C.
Mountains are important in Asia because
they influence:
Population patterns
Movement of people and goods
Climate
Mountains

The most important mountain range in Asia
is the Himalaya Mountains.
The Himalayas separate India from China.
The Himalayas block clouds that are formed
by monsoons from entering Western China.
The Himalayas isolate Tibet and make
transportation difficult.
Mount Everest

The highest point in the Himalayas
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–
–
–
Everest is 29,035 feet high
Over 60 million years old
There are 18 different climbing routes
It takes 40 days to reach the summit – to allow
your body to adjust to the high altitude.
Mountains

A.
B.
C.
D.
Some other mountains in Asia are:
The Hindu-Kush
The Eastern and Western Ghats in India
The Tian Shan Mountains
Mount Fuji in Japan
Hindu Kush Mountains
The name Kush, which means death, was
probably given to the mountains because of
the dangerous passes between the peaks.
 Some of these high-altitude passes were
used by Alexander the Great and others in
their invasions of India.
 The mountains have permanently glaciated
peaks and little vegetation.

The Eastern and Western Ghats
in India

Two mountain ranges forming the eastern
and western edges, respectively, of the
peninsula of India.
– Eastern Ghats have a gentle slope
– Western Ghats have steeper elevations with
many swiftly flowing rivers and waterfalls.
Tian Shan Mountains
Also called Tien Shan, Celestial Mountains
or Heavenly Mountains
 Length of 1,553 miles from east to west
 Stretches through 4 countries

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–
–
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China,
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and
Uzbekistan
Fuji Mountains
Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan
at 12,388 ft.
 The mountain is located on the island of
Honshu and it is considered sacred by
Shintos.
 An active stratovolcano that last erupted in
1707–08

Plateaus and Uplands
Most of Western China is on a plateau
called the Plateau of Tibet.
 Farther north is the Mongolian Plateau.
 The Korean Peninsula and the Japanese
Islands are both very mountainous.

Plateau of Tibet
Also referred to as the Tibetan Plateau
 Highest plateau in the world
 Average elevation of 16,000 ft
 Nicknames – “The roof of the world” “The
third pole” “Asian water tower”
 Covered with
glaciers, lakes,
rivers, grasslands &
fertile farmland

Mongolian Plateau
Cover approximately 1,000,000 sq miles
 Is made up of the Gobi Desert and Steppe
(raised farmland)
 Shared between

– Mongolia
– China
– Russia
Korean Peninsula & Japanese
Islands
Korean Peninsula



70% is covered with
mountains
Highest mountains
are found in the
north and east
Active volcano Baekdu Mountain
(9,002 ft) - lies on
the border between
North Korea and
China
Japanese Islands
 Covered with mountains –
most heavily forested
 Only 15% of Japan is
suitable for farmland –
which is also where most
people can live.
Rivers and Bodies of Water
Many rivers in Asia start in the Himalaya
Mountains.
 Rivers erode away the mountains and carry
sediment (little bits of dirt) down to the flat
plains at the base of the mountains.
 The sediment makes the soil by the rivers
fertile and a good place to farm.

Rivers and Bodies of Water

A.
B.
C.
The most important rivers in South Asia
are:
The Indus
The Ganges
The Brahmaputra
Rivers and Bodies of Water
The Ganges and Brahmaputra start in the
Himalayas and flow into the Bay of Bengal.
 Both rivers flow through Bangladesh and as
a result, this country often floods during the
monsoon season.

The Ganges



Is about 1,557 miles long & 200 to 400
miles wide
The Ganges river basin has the highest
population of any river basin in the world
– containing over 400 million people!
Is considered sacred by Hindus
The Ganges
Hindus build temples on the banks of the
Ganges River.
 One city, Varanasi, is considered sacred by
Hindus and the focal point of pilgrimages.
 Hindus often pray in the water and when
they die many are cremated and the ashes
cast into the river.

Varanasi on the Ganges River
The Ganges

The Ganges River has become one of the most
polluted rivers in the world due to:
A. Pesticides and fertilizers that spill into the river.
B. Chemicals and metals from factories.
C. Raw sewage
D. Human use
Ganges River video
Brahmaputra river
One of the biggest and most important
rivers in Asia
 It flows over a course of 1,800 mi through

– China
– India
– Bangladesh

The Brahmaputra is considered the fifth
strongest river in the world
Indus River
Pakistan’s longest river
 1,988 mi long
 Provides water for agriculture,
food production and supports
industry
 Also serves as main source of
drinking water for people

The Rivers of China

China has three major rivers that begin in
the Himalayas and flow into the East China
Sea or Yellow Sea.
River
Chinese Name
Yellow River
Huang He
Yangtze River
Chang Jiang
West or Pearl River
Xi Jiang
The Rivers of China


The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers flow through an
area that is flat in elevation called the North China
Plain.
This area has intensive farming and the two rivers
are connected by The Grand Canal.
Chang Jiang River (Yangtze)
Longest river in both China & Asia
 3rd longest river in the world
 Travels 3,915 miles
 Most important river in China
 Source – Plateau of Tibet
 Mouth – East China Sea

Huang He River (Yellow)
2nd longest river in China
 Travels 3,395 miles
 The type of dirt found here is called loess.
It is a rich soil that is yellow in color and
normally deposited by the wind.
 Source – Plateau of Tibet
 Mouth – Yellow Sea

The Yellow River
Xi Jiang River (West or Pearl)



Travels 1,216 miles – smaller than other rivers in
China but delivers high volume of water
The part of the river contains shells which are pearl
colored. This is what gives the river its name
Mouth – South China Sea
Other Rivers of China
Amur River
Source: Great
Khingan Mountains in
Northern China
 Mouth: Sea of Japan.
 This river is also a
border between China
and Russia.

Rivers in Southeast Asia
The longest river in
Southeast Asia is the
Mekong River.
 This river starts in the
Himalayas and flows
through China, Laos,
Cambodia, and
Vietnam before
emptying into the
South China Sea.

Bodies of Water
Asia is surrounded by bodies of water.
 One important body of water is the Sea of
Japan.
 Located between the Korean Peninsula and
Japan.
 In Korea they refer to it as the East Sea.

The Gobi Desert
The largest desert in this area is the Gobi
Desert.
 The Gobi Desert is formed by a rain
shadow.
 South Asia gets rain from the monsoons but
the Himalaya Mountains block the rain
from entering Western China. Most of
Western China and Mongolia are in a rain
shadow.

Islands

A.
B.
C.
D.
A group of islands is called an archipelago.
There are many archipelagoes in Asia such
as:
Japan
Philippines
Indonesia
Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives are located off of the
southwest coast of India in the Indian
Ocean.
 There are over 1200 small islands in the
archipelago.
 The islands are atolls, the tops of
submerged volcanoes surrounded by coral
reefs.

Other Islands

Some other islands in Asia are:
A. Hainan
B. Taiwan
C. Sri Lanka
D. Singapore
E. Hong Kong
Taiwan
Taiwan is a large island off of the coast of
China. Taiwan used to be called Formosa
by the Portuguese.
 The Democratic Republic of China is a
country that is on the island. Some people
just call the country Taiwan in order to
avoid confusion.

Singapore
Singapore is an island at the tip of the
Malay Peninsula.
 The country of Singapore is located on the
island and it has become very wealthy
because it is on a strategic waterway, The
Strait of Malacca.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong is an island off of the coast of
China.
 It was ruled by the British but now it is part
of China.

Ring of Fire
Part of Asia is on The Ring of Fire, an area
around the Pacific Ocean where many
tectonic plates meet.
 This area is at a greater risk for having
earthquakes and active volcanoes.
