Download Monsoon Asia Physical Geography

Monsoon Asia Physical
Geography
Tibetan Plateau
• Thinly inhabited
• Very high, barren,
mountainous plateau; Average
of 3 miles in elevation
• Its glaciers feed it greatest
rivers, lifelines for two billion
people. Now the ice and snow
are diminishing.
Mountains
•
Mountains are important in Asia because
they influence:
A. Population patterns
B. Movement of people and goods
C. 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.
The Himalayas
 “him” *snow+
 “aalaya” *home+
 Mt. Everest is
29,035 feet. It
is the highest
mt. peak in the
world.
The Himalayas
•This mountain
ranges
separates
South Asia
From the rest
of Asia
•Extend 1,500
miles
Mountains
• 70% of Japan is mountainous
• Japanese Alps: have several volcanic peaks
and comprise of several mountain ranges
• Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan at
12,388 ft, is an active volcano
• The mountain is located on the island of
Honshu and it is considered sacred by Shintos.
Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji—outside of Tokyo
Rivers and Bodies of Water
• Many rivers in Monsoon 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.
The Ganges River System
1,560 miles long
The Ganges
•
The Ganges deposits sediment on a flat
area called the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This
river is important to India because it:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Provides water for agriculture
Provides water for factories and industries
Provides water for human use
Is considered sacred by Hindus
“Mata Ganga” (Mother Ganges)
The Ganges
• Hindus build temples on the banks of the
Ganges River.
• Those who touch the holy waters are
cleaned of all sins
• Hindus often pray in the water and when
they die many are cremated and the ashes
cast into the river.
The Brahmaputra River System
•Begins in the
Himalaya
mountains
•Joins with the
Ganges to form
HUGE delta
•Floods in this
delta deposit
new layers of silt
making it very
fertile
1,800 miles long
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
• The two rivers are connected by The Grand Canal.
•Second largest river
in China
•Called "the cradle of
Chinese civilization“
•Disappearing fast
•What water
remains is being
poisoned
The Yellow River
The Yellow River
Yangtze(Chang Jiang) River
• Flows from the
Tibetan Plateau
• Construction of
three gorges dam
on river has
caused flooding
• Allows for much
of the agricultural
power in china
Mekong River
• The longest river in Southeast
Asia
• starts in the Himalayas and
flows through China, Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam before
emptying into the South China
Sea.
• More species of fish in this
river then any other river,
beside Amazon and Congo
Winter Monsoons: Nov.-April
Summer Monsoons: May-Oct.
The Gobi Desert
• The largest desert in this area is the Gobi
Desert (waterless place)
• 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.
Rain Shadow
Gobi Desert
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.
• As well as tsunamis created by the earthquakes
Mount Pinatubo
• Volcano on the
island of Luzon,
in the
Philippines,
erupted in 1991
• 2nd largest
eruption in 20th
century
Dec. 26, 2004
• Tectonic
plates
shifted
almost 100
feet
• Killed
2000,000 to
300,000
people
Japan: March 11, 2011