Asia: Location,

Political Divisions and

§

Physical Features
Learning outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
* locate Asia on the world map and identify the countries that constitute Asia
« identify Asia’s neighbours and the regional divisions of the continent
« describe the physical features of Asia and mark them on a map

| Asia, the largest continent in the world in has a population density of just 2 persons/
terms of both size and population, occupies sq km).
almost 30% of the land on the Earth’s surface.
Let us learn more about this fascinating
Because of its enormous size, Asia is physically
continent.
and culturally one of the most diverse
continents in the world. In fact, Asia is often
described as a continent of contrasts because
North to south, the mainland of Asia extends
of the following reasons:
from latitudes 77°43'N to 1°16'N. When the
! « Both the highest peak in the world (Mt numerous islands of Indonesia are included,
Everest) and the lowest point on the surface the southern boundary of Asia stretches up to
of the Earth (Dead Sea) are situated in Asia. 10°50°S. Thus, Asia is situated almost entirely
} e Asia has large, arid deserts like the Gobi, in the Northern Hemisphere, except for some
‘Thar and Mongolian deserts; it also has the islands of Indonesia which lie south of the
| wettest places on Earth—Mawsynram and Equator.
| Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, India. Three important lines of latitude pass through
« It has one of the coldest places on Earth Asia—the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer
(Oymyakon in Siberia, where the lowest (23%°N), and the Arctic Circle (66%°N). Asia
temperature recorded was minus 67.7°C) thus stretches across all the heat zones of the
as well as some of the hottest (temperature Earth.
o
in the Iranian city of Ahwaz, for example, is {7
believed to have touched 54°C on 29 June oo | ;
2017). aFmica
- PACIFIC
+ It has the most densely populated region
on the Earth (the Indo-Gangetic Plain has s Gean meman
a population density of 1,000 persons/
sq km); it also has one of the least densely
populated regions in the world (Mongolia Location of Asia

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 Longitudinally, it stretches from Cape Baba in Asia’s Neighbours
the Mediterranean shore of Turkey at 26°4'E
To the north of Asia lies the Arctic Ocean,
to Cape Dezhnyov in Russia, overlooking the
to the east lies the Pacific Ocean, and to the
Bering Strait, at 169°40'W. The 180° longitude
south lies the Indian Ocean. To the west, Asia
passes through the Far Eastern region of
is separated from Europe by a rough line
Russia. As a result, while most of Asia lies in
consisting of the Ural Mountains, Ural River,
the Eastern Hemisphere, a small portion of
Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountain, Black Sea
Russia lies in the Western Hemisphere. To
and Red Sea. The Suez Canal separates Asia
avoid this small part of Russia from having a
from Africa, while the Bering Strait separates
day’s difference in time from the rest of the
it from North America.
country, the International Date Line curves as
it passes through the Bering Strait.

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. Asia—Political i
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POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF ASIA
According to the United Nations (UN), as of 2017, there were 48 countries in Asia (Russia is
counted as a part of Europe by the UN). The UN also recognises three dependencies, namely,
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
The countries of Asia and their capitals are listed in the table below.

Country | Capitalcity | Country | Capitalcity| Country Capital city

Afghanistan | Kabul Jordan Amman Russia Moscow

Armenia Yerevan Kazakhstan | Astana Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

Azerbaijan | Baku Kuwait Kuwait City | Singapore Singapore
Bahrain Manama Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek South Korea | Seoul

Bangladesh | Dhaka Laos Vientiane | Sri Lanka Sri Joyewardeneprira

Kotte

Bhutan Thimphu Lebanon Beirut Syria Damascus

Brunei Bandar Seri Malaysia Kuala Tajikistan Dushanbe

Begawan Lumpur

Cambodia | Phnom Penh | Maldives Male Thailand Bangkok

China Beijing Mongolia Ulaanbaatar | Timor-Leste | Dili

Cyprus Nicosia Myanmar | Naypyidaw | Turkey Ankara

Georgia Tbilisi Nepal Kathmandu | Turkmenistan | Ashgabat

ndia United Arab

Indi New lew Delhi
Delhi | North Korea | Pyongyang Emirates Abu Dhabi i

Indonesia | Jakarta Oman Muscat Uzbekistan Tashkent

Iran Tehran Pakistan Islamabad | Vietnam Hanoi
Iraq Baghdad Palestine Ramallah | Yemen Sanaa
Israel Jerusalem Philippines | Manila

Japan Tokyo Qatar Doha

 To make it easier to study this vast continent, The Northern Lowlands
Asia is classified into groups or regions based
The Northern Lowlands consist largely of the
on cultural and geographic factors. These
Siberian Plain. The great Siberian Plain, which
regions are:
stretches across north Asia, is the largest
« South Asia—includes India, Pakistan,
continuous plain in the world. It is roughly
Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. triangular in shape. The Ural Mountains in the
o West Asia—includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, west and the Bering Strait in the east form its
Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Yemen, United two sides, and the Central Mountains its base.
Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Syria, Oman,
‘Three long, slow-flowing rivers start from
Turkey, Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and
the Central Mountains and flow northwards
Palestine. The Europeans referred to this
across the lowlands to drain into the Arctic
region as the Middle East as it was located
Ocean. They are the Ob, Yenisey and Lena.
in the middle of Asia, which lay to the east
Their mouths remain frozen during the severe
of Europe.
winter months. In spring, when the snow
o Southeast Asia—includes Malaysia,
on the Central Mountains melts, their flow
Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, increases. But as their mouths are still blocked
Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and by the Arctic ice, the rivers overflow their
Indonesia. banks, forming marshes and vast swamps.
o East Asia—includes China, Mongolia, Japan
and Korea. The Europeans used to call this
region the Far East.
o Northern Asia—includes Siberia and the
Far Eastern region of Russia.
« Central Asia—includes Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan.

PHYSICAL DIVISIONS OF ASIA

Asia covers an area of 44.58 million sq km. The river Lena as it flows across the vast Siberian Plain;
Given its vast size, the physiographic divisions note how it has broken up into several distributaries as
its mouth is still frozen
of Asia are relatively few. Asia can be divided
into five regions based on relief. They are:
To the south of the Urals lies the broad Turan
* 'The Northern Lowlands Plain. This is essentially an arid zone that
* 'The Central Mountain Mass includes two deserts—the Karakum and the
Kyzylkum. It is drained by the two rivers, the
* 'The Plateaus of the South
Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, which flow
* 'The River Valleys into the Aral Sea.
¢ 'The Island groups
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 The Central Mountain Mass Mt Everest (8,850 m), the highest peak in
the Himalayas, is also the highest peak in the
The heart of Asia is made up of a mosaic
world.
of mighty young fold mountain ranges
and intermontane plateaus. Together, they Mt Godwin Austen (K2), the second highest
constitute the largest mountainous area in the (8,611 m) peak in the world, lies in the
world. The mountains seem to radiate like the Karakoram Range that runs north of the
spokes of a wheel from one central point or Himalayas.
knot. There are two main knots—the Pamir ‘The Kunlun Shan extends for more than 2,000
Knot, lying mostly in Tajikistan, and the km along the northern edge of the Plateau
Armenian Knot in the western part of Asian of Tibet. It is one of the major mountain
‘Turkey. chains of China. The Plateau of Tibet is an
intermontane plateau that lies between the
Recall: Intermontane plateaus
Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains. It is
Do you remember what intermontane plateaus also known as the roof of the world, because at
are? They are plateaus that lie between two an elevation of over 5,000 m, it is the highest |
mountain ranges. plateau in the world.
Further north, the Tian Shan Mountains
Southeastwards from the Pamir Knot stretch stretch out from the Pamir Knot in an
the Himalayas, Karakoram and Kunlun eastward direction. This massive range
mountain ranges. stretches west to east for over 2,500 km,
spanning the border between China and
Of these, the Himalayas are the southernmost
Kyrgyzstan.
ranges. They run through Nepal, northern and
northeastern India, and Bhutan, and continue ‘The Hindu Kush Range runs southwestwards
into Myanmar (Burma) as the Arakan Yoma. from the Pamir Knot, separating South Asia

The Pamir Knot in Tajikistan is actually a high altitude The Plateau of Tibet is ringed by snow-covered mountains.
plateau from which several massive mountain chains
radiate outwards.

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Asia—Physical Divisions

from Central Asia. It extends westwards as the Plateau of Iran along the north and west and
Elburz (also known as the Alborz) Mountains. converge at the Armenian Knot—a knot
‘The 900 km long Elburz Mountain Range smaller than the Pamir.
runs west to east along the southern coast of The Plateau of Anatolia lies in between the
the Caspian Sea. It lies in northern Iran. The Pontic and Taurus Mountains that extend
Kirthar Range consists of a series of small hills westward from the Armenian Knot.
that runs southwards along western Pakistan.
The Tarim Basin is a depression that lies
The Zagros Range, the largest mountain range between the Tian Shan in the north and the
of the region, extends for 1,500 km along the Kunlun to the south. Eastwards of this lies the
borders of Iran, Iraq and southern Turkey. The Gobi Desert, bordered on the north by the
Elburz and Zagros border the intermontane Plateau of Mongolia and the Altai Range.
mountains.
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The Pamir Knot

Important mountain ranges of Asia ]

Ranges radiating from the Pamir | Ranges radiating from the Mountains of Central Asia |
Knot Armenian knot Altai Mountains;
Himalayan Range; Elburz Mountains; Sayan Mountains;
Karakoram Range; Zagros Mountains; Greater Khingan Range; | |
Kunlun Shan; Pontic Mountains; Yablonovy Range; 18
‘Tian Shan; Taurus Mountains Stanovoy Range; | ‘
Hindu Kush Range; Dzhugdzhur Mountains; B |
Sulaiman Range; Kolyma Upland; |
Kirthar Range; Verkhoyansk Mountains K.
Central and Coastal Makran Ranges !

The Plateaus of the South Indochina. These are made up of old, hard
metamorphic rocks. All three plateaus jut into
To the south of the Central Mountains lie
the sea, forming peninsulas. 2
three major plateaus—the Plateau of Arabia, {
the Deccan Plateau and the Plateau of The Arabian Plateau in southwestern Asia |

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 forms a peninsula with the Persian Gulf to the The River Valleys
northeast, the Gulf of Oman to the east, the
Asia is home to many of the world’s largest
Arabian Sea to the southeast, the Gulf of Aden
rivers. Over millions of years, these rivers
to the south, and the Red Sea to the west. It is
have carved out broad floodplains and built
steep in the west, and slopes towards the east.
large deltas entirely from fertile alluvium. The
The largest desert of Asia, the Arabian Desert,
fertile soil, the availability of water and the
st lies on this plateau.
_TARIM ease of transportation provided by the flat
BASIN The Deccan Plateau lies between the terrain helped some of the earliest civilisations
AKAN Western and the Eastern Ghats of India. The of the world come up in the river valleys of
ALTUN
AL SHAN northwestern part of this plateau is volcanic Asia. Today, they are some of the most densely
i in nature, built over millions of years from
successive lava flows. Like the Arabian Plateau,
,populated regions of the world.
The rivers Tigris and Euphrates flow into
, PLATEAU| the Deccan Plateau also slopes towards the
the Persian Gulf. They have built the
"~ OF TIBET] east. The main rivers draining this region are
Mesopotamian plains of Iran.
Avas) the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
The Indus and its five tributaries created the
AIN OF THE The Plateau of Indochina is made up of the
GANGA| Indus Plain, spread over northwest India and
plateaus of Shan (Myanmar) and Yunnan-—
Gangd Pakistan.
Guizhou (China). The Yunnan-Guizhou
Plateau is located in southwest China. Many The Ganga and Brahmaputra plains spread
important rivers of Asia, such as the Yangtze over northern and eastern India and
and Huang He rivers (also known as the Yellow Bangladesh.
River), originate from this plateau. The Plateau In China, the Yangtze and Huang He rivers
of Indochina is also drained by the Mekong, Si form vast and fertile plains. The Yangtze, at
Kiang, Irrawaddy and Salween rivers. 6,300 km, is also the longest river in Asia.
Over time, the Deccan Plateau and the Plateau The Irrawaddy and Salween rivers have formed
of Indochina have been deeply eroded by fertile plains in Myanmar. The Maenam (Chao
rivers and streams resulting in a surface that is Phraya) and Mekong rivers have formed the
Lsia highly dissected and rugged. plains of Indochina, while the Amur River has
formed the Manchurian plain.

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A number of islands lie to the east and
southeast of Asia. Some of them form
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Bahrain lies in the Persian Gulf. Sri Lanka, the Eseiaon
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‘The many islands of Indonesia lie scattered
INDIAN P00 T g
across both the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. ocEaN sy 8 oriwon ARAFUA 524 |
Some of the notable islands of Indonesia Timr AusTaaiin
include Bali, Java, Sumatra and Borneo. The Island groups

The Japanese islands, Philippines, Taiwan, and

the Kuril Islands lie in the Pacific Ocean. The the oceans they flow into.
busy ports of Singapore and Hong Kong are « 'The Indian Ocean: Tigris, Euphrates, Indus,
islands as well. Ganga, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy and
Most of these islands such as Japan, Sakhalin, Salween
and the Kuril Islands are actually the peaks of o 'The Pacific Ocean: Chao Phraya, Mekong,
submerged fold and volcanic mountains. Being Xi, Yangtze, Huang He and Amur
part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, earthquakes
o The Arctic Ocean: Ob, Yenisey and Lena
and volcanoes occur frequently in this region.
e Inland drainage: River Jordan flows into the
System
Dead Sea; Amu Darya and Syr Darya into
The rivers of Asia can be grouped according to the Aral Sea

|
The Indonesian island of Krakatoa was located between Java
and Sumatra. In August 1883, one of the most powerful volcanic
eruptions the world has ever known, ravaged the island. Ash
clouds rose as high as 40 km into the air. The tremors gave rise
to tsunamis; and the noise of these eruptions could be heard as
| far away as Australia, 6,000 km from Krakatoa. More than 35,000
people died and Krakatoa was destroyed. By 1927, however, a small
island named Anak Krakatoa (meaning ‘Son of Krakatoa’) had begun
| to emerge in its place. The island is being studied by scientists.
 VITAL WORDS o A number of islands, such as the Andaman
PACIFIC and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep, lie
OCEAN knot (in physical geography): an elevated plateau-
. scattered in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
like region from where several great chains of
o The rivers of Asia are grouped according to the
mountains radiate
oceans they flow into. They mostly flow into the
archipelago: a group of islands Indian, Pacific or Arctic Oceans.
inland drainage: when the rivers in a region do not
reach the sea, but flow instead into a lake or
QUESTION TIME
inland sea
A. Fill in the blanks.
floodplain: an area of low land adjacent to a river,
formed from the sediment deposited by the 4 O is the highest peak in the
AFURA SEA river, which is likely to flood when the discharge world, while the is the
AvdTaaLia
in the river increases lowest point on the surface of the Earth.
2. The wettest places on Earth are
Quick Recap and
in, India.
e Asiais situated almost entirely in the Northern
3. The Suez Canal separates Asia from
es, Indus, and Eastern hemispheres, except for some

nd islands of Indonesia which lie south of the

Equator. 4. The Himalayas run into Myanmar as the

o According to the United Nations (UN), as of

flekong, 2017, there are 48 countries in Asia. The UN also 5. The is a depression that
recognises three dependencies—Taiwan, Hong lies between the Tian Shan in the north and the
Kong and Macau. Kunlun to the south.
1 Lena
+ The physical divisions of Asia include the 6. The and
/s into the Northern Lowlands, the Central Mountain Mass, rivers make up the plains of Indochina.
rya into the Plateaus of the South, the River Valleys, and 7. The Ob, Yenisey and Lena rivers drain into the
the Island groups.
o The Northern Lowlands consist largely of the
Siberian Plain. The Ob, Yenisey and Lena flow B. Tick the sentences that are true. Correct the
across the lowlands to drain into the Arctic others.
Ocean. 1. Most of Asia lies in the Northern and Western
* The Central Mountain Mass is made up of ranges hemispheres.
of young fold mountains such as the Himalayas, 2. The Equator is the only major latitude that
Karakoram and Kunlun, and intermontane passes through Asia.
plateaus. The ranges radiate from either the 3. The Bering Strait separates Asia from Europe.
Pamir Knot or the Armenian Knot.
4. The Himalayas radiate from the Armenian Knot.
* To the south of the Central Mountains lie the
5. Singapore and Hong Kong are islands.
Plateau of Arabia, the Deccan Plateau and the
Plateau of Indochina. These are made up of old
C. Multiple choice questions.
hard metamorphic rocks.
1. This is one of the least densely populated regions
* The floodplains built by the Tigris, Euphrates,
in the world:
Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Huang He,
a) Indochina b) the Deccan Plateau
Irrawaddy, Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers are
¢) Mongolia d) Tibet
some of the most fertile and densely populated
regions of the world. i

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 F
. The Elburz Mountain Range is an extension of 4. Name and describe the main river valleys of Asia.
the:
5. Write a note on the island groups of Asia.
a) the Himalayas b) the Tian Shan
6. Certain geographical features are named below.
c) the Hindu Kush d) the Kunlun Define each and give an appropriate example
. The longest river of Asia is: from Asia.
a) the Yangtze b) the Brahmaputra (i) Archipelago (ii) Inland drainage system (iii)
c) the Euphrates d) the Syr Darya Floodplain (iv) Intermontane plateau

. The river Jordan drains into the:

Map SkiLLs
a) Aral Sea b) Dead Sea
c) Pacific Ocean d) Arctic Ocean On an outline map of Asia, mark and shade the
following:
. Give reasons for the following. (i) The Yangtze, Irrawaddy and Amur rivers
. Asia is often described as a continent of (ii) Kazakhstan (jii) The Arabian Peninsula
contrasts. (iv) Singapore (v) the International Date Line
. The International Date Line curves as it passes (vi) the Siberian Plains (vii) the Himalayas
through the Bering Strait. (viii) Sumatra (ix) the Ural Mountains
(x) Plateau of Tibet
. The Ob, Yenisey and Lena rivers often form
swamps and marshes.
NA
ANAL AND CRITICAL THINKING
. The Plateau of Tibet is known as the ‘roof the
world"”. Which do you think is a more powerful force when
. Some of the earliest civilisations of the world it comes to unifying people across a continent—a
came up in the river valleys of Asia. shared culture (like religion, language and customs)
or conquest? Explain your answer.
. Answer in brief.
. How many countries are there in Asia as of 2017? LOOK AND LEARN
Name the major regional groups of Asia.
Look at the picture given.
. What are mountain knots? Name two important
mountain knots of Asia.
. Write a short note on the Arabian Plateau.
4. Pick the odd one out from the following groups
and give reasons for doing so:
a) Japan, China, Korea, Iran
b) Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Thailand
¢) Equator, 180° meridian, Arctic Circle, Tropic of
Cancer.

» Answer in detail.
. Describe the location of Asia.
1. Identify the river seen in this picture.
. Write in detail about the Northern Lowlands of
Asia. 2. What is different about this river’s pattern of
. Name the ranges radiating outwards from the drainage?
Pamir Knot. Draw a sketch to illustrate your 3. Into which sea does it drain?
answer. ok

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 . HANDs-ON! 2. Choose any two countries in Asia. Find out the
type of government they have and the names of
1. Study the physical map of Asia carefully. Now try
their current heads of state. Collect information
to make a 3-D model of the physical features of
about the main tourist attractions of one of these
the continent using modelling clay. You can paste
countries. Prepare a poster or brochure inviting
amap of Asia on a piece of cardboard and use it
~tourists to visit the country.
to guide you. Paste the clay on top of the mapand
mould it to show the different features of Asia,
such as the mountains, plains, plateaus and rivers.
WEBSITES FOR FURTHER REFERENCE
Place over each physical feature, a little flag bearing 1. http://education.nationalgeographic.org/
the name of that feature. encyclopedia/asia/
2. http://www.britannica.com/place/Asia

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