NEA.3+Explain+how+the+following+five+factors+have+influenced+settlement+and+the+economies+of+major+East+Asian+countries.+(G,+E)

//NEA.3 Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major East Asian countries. (G, E)//
 * A. absolute and relative locations **
 * B. climate **
 * C. major physical characteristics **
 * D. major natural resources **
 * E. population size **


 * Topic on this page include: **
 * === Definitions === || === Countries of Northern and Eastern Asia === || === Map of Northern Eastern Asia === || === Influence of five factors === || === Questions === ||

__// Definitions: //__
//** A. Absolute and Relative Locations: **//
 * // Absolute location is the coordinates of a place on longitude and latitude. //
 * // Relative location is where a place is in comparison with landmarks, or other places. //
 * // [[image:Multimedia.png]]Short video explaining the difference between the two. //

//** B. Climate: **//
 * // repeated weather patterns in a certain location //
 * [[image:resourcesforhistoryteachers/lessonplan.jpg width="78" height="65"]] climate lesson plans and activities

//** C. Major Physical Characteristics: **//
 * // features of the terrain, like mountains, lakes, rivers, deserts…etc. //
 * // [[image:lessonplan.jpg width="78" height="65"]]Worksheet packet with a lesson on physical characters. //

//** D. Major Natural Resources: **//
 * // parts of nature used by people, such as water, oil, trees, minerals, etc //
 * [[image:resourcesforhistoryteachers/lessonplan.jpg width="78" height="65"]]numerous lesson plans for grades K-5

//** E. Population Size: **//
 * // how many people live in a place //
 * // the top 5 most populated nations are 1. China, 2. India, 3. United States, 4. Indonesia 5. Brazil //
 * [[image:lesson_plan_icon.jpg width="77" height="62"]]Here is a human population webquest.

//**__ Capitals and Countries of North and East Asia: __**//

 * ~ Country ||~ **Capital** ||
 * China || Beijing ||
 * Japan || Tokyo ||
 * Mongolia || Ulaanbaatar ||
 * North Korea || Pyongyang ||
 * South Korea || Seoul ||
 * Taiwan* || Taipei ||

// *Taiwan claims to be an independent country; China claims Taiwan as a breakaway province under Chinese rule. Click here of more information. //

//**__ Maps of North and East Asia: __**//
//** Political boundaries: **//

//**__ Influence of the following five factors on settlements and economies of Asian countries: __**//
//** A. Absolute and Relative Locations: **//
 * **Japan:** its relative location allowed its cultural heritage to come from China through Korea.
 * **Mongolia:** its relative location between Russia and China, is a mix of the two nations culturally and politically; socially it is Asian, politically it is more Soviet-Russian.
 * **China:** its relative location played a factor in spreading Chinese civilization (Confucianism, Buddhism, and written script) to Korea and Japan.
 * **Korean Peninsula:** its relative location allowed Chinese civilization to spread.
 * **Taiwan:** Its relative location, access to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait, gives it a strategic location.
 * The absolute location of this region allows for rice to be grown easily.

//** B. Climate: **//
 * The climate of the region is temperate (colder winters and warm summers), but most of the rainfall occurs during the warmer months. The high amounts of water allow for the region to have more intensive agriculture, sometimes allowing 2-3 crop cycles per year.
 * The warm and wet summers are conductive for growing rice, a major food staple and basis of the economy, because rice is grown in flooded fields or paddies.
 * Aside from that, however, the climate of East Asia is highly varied - from the tropical climate of Taiwan to the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa - people have settled throughout the region.

//** C. Major Physical Characteristics: **//
 * **Japan:**
 * It is very mountainous, its most famous mountain is Mount Fuji.
 * It is also an island nation with four major islands and thousands of smaller one. It is why Japan was able to borrow and adapt foreign cultural aspects to create their own strong cultural identity.
 * **China:**
 * China's physical features vary though the country: north and west China are steppe lands, deserts, plateaus, and mountains. These lands were populated with nomadic peoples, but they started to intrude on China's core agricultural land.
 * Its rivers, the Yellow and the Yangzi, allowed for its population and agriculture to spread south.
 * [[image:Multimedia.png]]Short video about China's geography.
 * **The Korean peninsula (North and South Korea):**
 * Both North and South Korea have extensive coastlines, there are five bodies of water that touch it: Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the Korea Strait, the Cheju Strait and Korea Bay
 * Mountain ranges have served as boundaries lines between regions and countries. It is because of this that strong cultural differences developed between Koreans.
 * Only 30% of the land in South Korea in arable.
 * Click here for a an article about Korean geography from PBS.
 * **Mongolia:**
 * It is mountainous, filled with numerous lakes, and has steppe land that turns into the Gobi Desert which connects the country to China.
 * The steppe land has good pasture land which allows for Mongolia's nomadic population.
 * [[image:Multimedia.png]]Click here for a video about Mongolia's geography.
 * **Taiwan:**
 * 70% of the country is mountainous.
 * It is an island country which gives it strategic access to bodies of water.
 * Click here a page about Taiwan's geography.

All of these nations have such ancient civilizations that they have been incorporating their natural resources into their economies for trade and domestic use for thousands of years.
 * // D. Major Natural Resources: //**
 * **China:** coal, oil, and mined metals. Exports and Imports.
 * **Japan:** salt, ocean and fish, and highly fertile soil, but lacks many natural resources for an industrialized economy. Exports and Imports.
 * **South Korea:** ocean and fish, natural gas, oil. Exports and Imports.
 * **Mongolia:** oil, coal, and copper. It is a rich mineral country. Exports and Imports.
 * **Taiwan:** small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos. Exports and Imports.

//** E. Population Size: **//
 * two of the world's most populous nations (#1 and #2) are China and India. Through trade and also use of natural resources, the economies of Asia, especially norther Asia, are almost all strong and growing, along with the region's population.

Click here for a lesson plan about East Asia which includes some of these themes.

//**__ Questions: __**//

 * // What is a “major” country? Do you think that people in smaller nations do not consider themselves to be “major”? Who decides which countries are major or minor? Can you think of examples of major or minor countries? What events might change our perception of a nation? //


 * // What is the difference between a “nation” and a “country”? //


 * // Besides North America, which continent do you know the most about? Why? //


 * // Why do you live where you live? (When did your family come to the U.S.? Where did they go first? Why? How did your immediate family get here to this town? Why did you come here?) //


 * // Check out the [|Asia quiz] – how did you do? //


 * __Sources:__**

Relative and absolute location http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzrelativeabsolute.htm

List of most populous countries and their populations as of mid-2006 http://geography.about.com/cs/worldpopulation/a/mostpopulous.htm

Geography quiz! All of Asia… http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/asiaquiz.html

Buckets of geography quizzes! Enjoy… http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/index.html

country information, maps, and flags https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html//

maps (public source) http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps</span>

Key Points about the geography of East Asia: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/main_pop/kpct/kp_geo.htm

__ Books __ Oxford Atlas of the World, Twelfth Edition, 2005; Oxford University Press, New York.

De Blij, H.J.; Peter O. Muller; Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts (Seventh Ed.), John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994 //