East Asia Vocabulary Words

Landfill – building on a dump; expanding land space to accommodate buildings

Pacific Rim – countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean

Ring of Fire: chain of volcanoes the line the Pacific Rim

Tsunami – giant ocean wave, caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption, with great destructive power

Recent tsunami in Japan

Japan 2011 Tsunami

Economic Tiger – a nation that has rapid economic growth due to cheap labor, high technology, and aggressive exports. Countries are highly industrialized and trade with nations around the world.

Typhoon – fierce tropical storms that occurs in the western Pacific

Devastation after a typhoon

Gobi Desert

*Located in northern China and southeast Mongolia

*Ideal place for finding dinosaur fossils

Sweatshops

Long hours – 14 hrs. a day

Low pay with little overtime

Employee abuse

Violation of child labor laws

Many are exposed to toxic chemicals

Landlocked country – located between Russia and ChinaLow population density

Mongolia Facts• Majority of the people are Tibetan Buddhists• Parliamentary Republic• 6th largest country in Asia; 18th largest in the

world• 1992 – a new Constitution was formed that

recognized Mongolia as an independent, sovereign republic

• Nearly half of the 2.7 million people live in the capital city

Genghis KhanHe rose from poverty and slavery to rule the world

Genghis Khan’s Empire

Genghis Khan Facts

• His father was the chief of a clan of nomadic Mongols

• Given the name Temujin• Was a slave for around 5 years as a youngster• 1206 – confirmed as Chingis Khan (Genghis

Khan), leader of all Mongolia• 1214 – with his 100,000 man army he

conquered 50 million in China

• By 1219 he ruled from northern China to the Afghanistan border, and Siberia to the border of Tibet

• 1227 – Genghis Khan died• He revolutionized the social structure and

reformed traditional law in Mongolia• He guaranteed freedom of religion and

forbade the killing of priests, monks, nuns, and other holy people

Spheres of Influence – a method of dividing foreign control in China, after the country was forced to sign a series of treaties granting special privileges to the Europeans. China was partitioned for control by Britain, France, Germany, and Russia.

Box Rebellion – (1900) Chinese militants attacked and killed Europeans and Chinese Christians in China. A multinational force of about 20,000 soldiers defeated the Boxers.

China Facts• Name came from the Qin dynasty – 1st

Emperor Qin Shi Huang• World’s longest continuously written language• Considered the longest continuous civilization• 4th largest country in the world – slightly

smaller than the US• Largest population in the world – 1 in every 5

people in the world is Chinese (20%)4 times greater than the US

Interesting Facts• Ice cream was invented around 2000 B.C. when the

Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture in the snow

• Red is considered a lucky color• Invented the following:

Toilet paper Gun PowderPaper 1st instrument for Kites monitoring earthquakesCompass PrintingSilk cloth 1st mechanical clockSuspension bridges Water wheel to harvest water

Chinese year is based on the cycles of the moon – complete cycle of the Chinese calendar takes 60 years.

Entire country is in 1 time zone

Produces 60% of the world’s mushrooms

One of the fastest growing economies in the world

Dynasty

A series of rulers from the same family

1st Chinese dynasty was the Shang

Qin dynasty gave its name to China

The emperor of the Qing dynasty was Shi Huangdi, the builder of the Great Wall.

China is the leading producer of bicycles in the world.

China is the 2nd largest importer of goods in the world.

34 children are born every minute in China

China’s “1 child policy” has created a significant gender imbalance. 32 million more boys than girls

Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

*Known as the “Long Wall”

*Extends around 5,500 miles

*A collection of walls

*1st set of walls were built to keep the Mongols out of China

Receives thousands of tourists every day- 41.8 million visitors in 2004

Part of the wall is only 50 miles from Beijing

Major construction of the modern walls began in the Ming Dynasty.

During construction called “the longest cemetery on earth” because so many people died building it (more than 1 million)

Up to 25 feet high; 15-30 feet high at the base; 9-12 feet wide

Mortar to build the walls was from rice flour

Frontier guards, peasants, unemployed intellectuals, disgraced noblemen, and convicts were used to build the wall.

Longest man-made structure in the world.

President Nixon’s visit to the wall in 1972 increased tourism and sections of the wall were restored.

Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) – long river

One of the world’s busiestwater- ways

*Longest river in China – 3,915 miles in length*World’s 3rd longest river*Open to navigation all year long

Bridge over the Yangtze river

Yangtze River in Shanghai

Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam

World’s largest hydro-power project

Displace more than 1.2 million people

Three Gorges Dam Facts• Located on the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) River• Construction began in 1993• China’s largest construction project since the

Great Wall• World’s largest dam• Goal is to make Chongqing a major business

center• Located about 1,500 miles inland from the

ocean

Positive Effects of Three Gorges

• Help control flooding which has killed millions of people and loss of crops

• Generate 10% of China’s electrical power• Allow ships to sail further up the river to the

interior of China (1,500 miles)

Negative Effects of Three Gorges• Over 1.2 million people were displaced – towns

and villages were flooded• Habitat for many animals and birds were lost• Factories , mines, and waste dumps have been

buried underwater – concern that chemicals might leak into the water

• Corruption and shoddy construction have led to disasters at building projects – 40 killed in an incident in 1999

• Chinese have been jailed for criticizing the dam

Beijing

Largest LED display in the world is located in Beijing

Population over 11 million

2nd largest city in China

Capital of the People’s Republic of China

Hosted the 2008 Olympics

Most expensive in history - $40 billion

Beijing Air Pollution

Beijing’s New Skyline

Problems facing China

• Farmers find it difficult to increase their income

• Grain output has decreased• Unemployment high• 1 in 3 people breathe polluted air• Only 1/5 of daily waste is treated properly• Birth defects are on the rise

Forbidden City

Forbidden City Map

Walls are 32 feet high

There are 9,999 rooms (9 is a lucky number)

Larger than the Vatican and Kremlin combined

All of the buildings are made from painted wood

Tiananmen Square – world’s largest public gathering place

Tiananmen Square Protest - 1989

Tiananmen Square Protest / Massacre

• Began on April 22, 1989 as a protest for continued economic reform and liberalization

• Led mainly by students and intellectuals• Movement lasted 7 weeks• By May over 1 million protesters took part• On May 30 art students erected a 30-foot

statue – Goddess of Democracy resembling the Statue of Liberty

• On June 3 and 4 troops entered Tiananmen Square and opened fire

• Exact number of deaths is unknown – reports of 3,000 protesters were killed

• After the massacre, the government conducted widespread searches for suspected persons

Shanghai

ShanghaiLargest city in China – 8th largest in the world18,884,600

Located on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta

Known as “Paris of the East” and “Queen of the Orient”

2004 – Time Magazine called Shanghai “The Most Happening City”

Park Hyatt Hotel is the tallest hotel in the world

2007 – Hosted the 1st Special Olympic Games ever held in Asia

Confucianism: belief in the importance of order, education, and hierarchy in a well-ordered society.

Confucius

• Chinese philosopher who lived from 551 to 479 B.C.

• Believed in respect for the past for one’s ancestors

• Thought children should obey their parents and parents should obey the government and emperor

• Stressed the importance of education

Taosim

*Gets its name from a book called the Tao-te Ching

*More of a philosophy – believe in the importance of harmony in the individual, nature, and in the universe *Followers were persecuted in China for years after the Communist victory in 1949 and during the cultural revolution

Believe the government should leave the people alone and have little involvement in their lives

Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong)

*Chinese communist revolutionist

*Architect of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)

*Led the Communist Party against Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War

Mao’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution is to blame for millions of deaths (40-50 million), causing famine and executions of the people.

Mao Tse-tung• Translated name means “to shine on the east”• Was expelled from 3 schools• Believed that the greatest potential for

revolution in China lies with the peasants• Organized peasant and worker guerrilla forces• After 1951, 1-3 million people are executed –

purge of China• 1958 – Great Leap Forward: development of all

sectors of the economyEveryone is required to work in a commune

Taiwan

*Island country

*Has typhoons

*242 miles long 87 miles wide

*

High-speed railway system

TAIWAN FACTS• Located 100 miles east of South China• Nationalists fled to the island from China after

being defeated by the communists• Population – 22.5 million• Democratic government• 2/3s of island is covered by forested peaks• Called

The Illha Farmosa – “beautiful island”Kingdom of the Corals

• Trading Partners: US, Japan, and Hong Kong• About the size of Massachusetts• 1 of the most densely populated countries in

the world – 2nd to Bangladesh• Religions: 90% practice a blend of Buddhism,

Taoism, and Confucianism• Subtropical climate• Most speak Mandarin Chinese (Northern

China)

Taipei

*Manufacturer of electronics: computers, games, CD/DVDs*Services 58.5%, Industry 36%, Agriculture 5.5%*Less than 1% of the people live below the poverty line

Taipei

Largest city in Taiwan

Highly densely populated

Asian capital for art and culture

Taipei 101 – completed in 2004 as the world’s tallest building

Japan

*Means “source of the sun”

*75% of Japan’s people live in cities

*60% of the people live on 2.7% of the land

Mount Fuji

Land area is slightly smaller than California

Imports most natural resources

Japan is the largest consumer of Amazon rain forest timber

Imports 85% of Jamaica’s annual coffee production

Education is highly structured: attend school 6 days a week and shorter summer vacation than in America.

Indoor water park

More than 70% of land is mountains

High speed bullet train

Tokyo has the most extensive urban railway network in the world

Sometimes trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside

Japan Facts

• Parliamentary with constitutional monarchy• Population: 127,078,679• Japanese if the official language• Two major religions:

ShintoBuddhism

Tokyo: Most densely populated metropolitan area in the worldCity Population: 12,989,000Metropolitan Area: 35-39 million

Japan has the 7th largest population in the world.

60% of the people smoke.

Crime rate in Japan among the lowest in the world.

Tjukiji Market in Tokyo – largest fish market in the world

Samurai - professional soldier in Japan who served the interests of landowners and clan chiefs

Shogun – general of the emperor’s army with the powers of a military dictator.

Korean Peninsula

First occupied by people who migrated from the northwestern regions of Asia

Has been invaded and fought over by its larger neighbors – China, Japan, and Russia

North Korea

About the size of Mississippi

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

CommunistCountry

Ruled by the Kim Jong Il

Population: 24.05 million63% live in urban areas

80% of land is moderately high mountains

Posses nuclear weapons

All members of the People’s Assembly belong to the Worker’s Party

Population – 22.7 million

Official language is Korean

Manufacturing of military products

South Korea – North Korea Border

South KoreaHas nearly 3,000 islands

Terrain is mostly rugged and mountainous

Known as –Hermit KingdomLand of the Morning Calm

Population – 49+ million

Korean is main language

English taught in schools

SeoulCity population – 10.2 million98% of population are Koreans

3rd largest mega-city in the worldOne of the safest cities in the world – little crime

Began in 1950

Fight was over unification of both countries

North Korea was aided by China and the Soviet Union

The war lasted until 1953 (3 years) until an armistice was signed

No real victory on either side

A Korean Demilitarized Zone was established

2.5 million civilians lost their lives

1+ million soldiers lost their lives

North Korea is above the 38th parallelSouth Korea is below the 38th parallel