East Asia7th Grade UBD - Unit 4 - East Asia

Preview

Location and Landforms- East Asia’s landforms

vary from country to country. China has long

influenced the cultures of other East Asian

countries.

Climate and Resources- Volcanoes, earthquakes,

and tsunamis affect the people of East Asia.

People and Their Environment- The people of

East Asia belong to diverse ethnic groups and speak

hundreds of languages.

             

            

Reach Into Your Background

Think about all the different

products you use in a day.

What natural resources

were needed to make these

items? Does a country have

to have natural resources in

order to manufacture

things? (5 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different?

(3 minutes)

Key Ideas- Location and Landforms

East Asia is a large and diverse region.

For many centuries, Chinese civilization

greatly influenced the people of these

regions.

China is a huge country with varied

landforms but limited farmland. Areas

along rivers are densely populated.

What is East Asia?

East Asia has high

mountains, rugged

plateaus, and wide

deserts.

Isolated behind these

barriers, East Asian

people long ago

developed their own

societies.

What is East Asia?

Today, East Asia

includes five

countries- China,

Mongolia, North

Korea, South Korea,

and Japan.

Japan, North Korea,

and South Korea

are among the

smallest nations.

Key Term

Archipela

go- A

chain of

islands.

National GeographicVideo- How Volcanoes Form Islands

It’s a Fact

Mongolia is the least

densely populated

country on earth.

Population density is

four people per square

mile.

Livestock outnumber

people twelve to one.

It’s a Fact

Only one percent of

Mongolia is farmable.

Mongolia was named after

the thirteenth-century

people who created the

largest land empire in

history: from East Asia to

Western Europe.

Shared Experience

East Asia nations differ from one another

in size, economic development, living

standards and forms of government. Yet

they share some features.

Today, nationalism is a strong force in most

regions. Most nations in these regions are

experiencing rapid economic growth.

Japan and China are both economic

superpowers.

Highlands and Plains

Much of East Asia is

mountainous.

The mountainous

areas of East Asia

are thinly populated.

Most Chinese are

crowded into river

valleys and costal

plains.

Natural Forces

Natural forces often

threaten both the islands

and coasts of East Asia.

Powerful tsunamis destroy

property and take lives

along the coast.

The “Ring of Fire” also

puts this area at risk to

volcanic eruptions and

earthquakes.

Life on the Fault Line

The countries of East Asia have

learned to adapt to the

earthquakes, volcanoes, and

tsunamis.

They have strict building codes

and some of the best warning

systems in the world.

However, this is not always

enough to prevent all disasters

from happening.

Key Term

Tsunami- A

large wave

produced by

an

earthquake

on the ocean

floor.

Key Term

Ring of

Fire- An

area around

the Pacific

Ocean

known for

frequent

earthquakes

and

volcanoes.

Key Term

Earthquake-

The shaking

that results

from the

movement of

rocks beneath

the Earth's

surface.

Questions

1. What are the nations of East Asia?

2. What natural forces act upon the

land and people of East Asia? How

do you think they affect the lives of

the people?

Answers

1. What are the nations of East Asia?

The nations of East Asia are Japan, Mongolia, North

Korea, South Korea, and China.

2. What natural forces act upon the land and people of East

Asia? How do you think they affect the lives of the people?

Tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquakes occur in East

Asia. People understand that disasters will occur, but it

is difficult to prepare for them. When they do happen,

people experience great upheaval.

Key Ideas- Climate and Resources

Volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis affect

the people of East Asia.

Climates vary across the regions, depending

on the nearness to the sea and elevation. The

climates of North China and South China differ.

East Asia has many resources, but they are

not evenly distributed.

North China

North China has a humid continental

climate of warm summers and cold

winters.

Farmers grow such crops as millet,

wheat, and sorghum. Rice and other

crops requiring irrigation are not grown.

Arid China

Arid China has limited

farmable land.

Some people farm at

lower elevations.

Nomads graze sheep,

goats, and yaks on

grasslands.

Arid China is thinly

populated.

Key Term

Arid China-

Thinly

populated

climate zone

in China. Gets

less than

twenty inches

of rain fall

each year.

South China

South China has a

humid subtropical

climate of hot, humid

summers and cool,

damp winters.

South China is

greener and more

hilly.

South China

Farmers grow rice

and corn with the

help of animals like

the water buffaloes.

Forty percent of

Chinese live along

the Yangzi River in

South China.

Key Term

Humid

China-

Densely

populated

climate that

gets at least

twenty inches

of rain a year.

Customs

Feng Shui is the Chinese

art of improving one’s

surroundings to enhance

well-being.

Feng Shui is popular in

America. People hire Feng

Shui experts to arrange

rooms so that the best of

luck in ensured.

Rich Recourses

East Asia has mineral and energy resources, but

they are unevenly distributed. China is rich in

minerals. Korea has some natural resources. Japan

has few.

Most nations use water as an energy resource.

China has built hydroelectric plants along its great

rivers and smaller waterways. Japan, too, has used

its rivers to develop hydroelectric power.

Forest Resources

Forests once covered much

of East Asia. Today, large

parts of China have few

trees.

The Chinese government

has set up programs to

replant forests.

In Japan the government

controls timber cutting and

requires replanting of

trees.

DeforestationVideo Deforestation - What is the real impact?

Questions

1. Why do fewer people live

in Arid China than in

Humid China?

Answers

1. Why do fewer people live in Arid China

than in Humid China?

The region of Arid China has a less developed

infrastructure, a rugged terrain, and is very

dry. Humid China is a densely populated

because it has a developed infrastructure and

a good climate for growing food.

Eyewitness To HistoryReading Handout- Eyewitness to History 9

Key Ideas- People and Their Environment

East Asia has many ethnic groups and

languages.

The Chinese are mostly Han, but many

national minorities also live in China.

China has used harsh methods to

control population growth.

The People of East Asia

Many ethnic groups live in East Asia. Each

nation usually has one major ethnic group

and many smaller ones.

China has the greatest ethnic diversity. It has

more than 50 national minorities.

Despite China’s diversity, more than 90

percent of the Chinese belong to a single

group. They are Han Chinese.

Key Term

Han-

China’s

predominant

ethnic

group. More

than 90

percent of

Chinese are

Han.

Key Term

Homogeneous

Society- One in

which the people

belong to the

same ethnic

group, speak the

same language,

and share the

same culture.

Languages and Dialects

East Asia has many

languages. East Asia

alone has three

major languages.

(Chinese, Korean, and

Japanese)

The Chinese writing

system has played an

important role in

uniting all of East

Asia.

Population Pressures

East Asia has a

population of 1.7 billion

people.

China is the world’s most

populated nation.

Population is expected

to decline over the next

ten years since people

are starting to have

smaller families.

China

The Chinese are concerned

with population growth

because the huge population

puts great pressure on the

country’s resources.

These days, a typical

Chinese family includes a

married man and woman

with one child.

Questions

1. To what ethnic group do most

Chinese belong?

2. Why does China want to limit

population growth?

Answers

1. To what ethnic group do most Chinese

belong? Most Chinese belong to the Han group.

2. Why does China want to limit population

growth? The Chinese are concerned with population

growth because the huge population puts great

pressure on the country’s resources.

Independent Activity

What has been the

“muddiest” point so

far in this lesson? That

is, what topic remains

the least clear to you?

(4 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)