Continent of Asia

Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Continent of Asia from Class 6 Social Science.

This chapter introduces the location, extent and physical setting, regional divisions of Asia, physiography, major rivers and agriculture, climate and natural vegetation, important minerals, and population growth, distribution and density. Our learning competencies for this chapter include understanding the location, extent, physical setting and contrasting features of Asia, understanding the regional divisions and highlights of their contrasting features, gathering information on the major physical divisions of Asia, understanding the relationship between the rivers and agricultural activity, knowing the relationship between climate and natural vegetation of Asia, and understanding the major minerals and its distribution, population growth, distribution and density of population. [CHECKPOINT]

Let us begin with the location, extent and physical setting. Asia is the largest of the continents of the world. Hence it has the greatest variety in terms of physical features, climate, vegetation, wild life, and soils. It has the highest mountains, plateaus, vast fertile plains, deserts, river systems and lakes. There is diversity in languages, religions, distribution of population and density of population. That is why it is often called as Continent of diversity. Activity: Discuss the reason why the continent of Asia is called as Continent of Diversity. Discuss with the map of Asia in front of you. [CHECKPOINT]

Location: Asia lies between 1 degree 16 minutes North to 77 degrees 41 minutes North latitudes and 26 degrees 04 minutes East to 169 degrees 40 minutes West longitudes. The Equator is slightly to the south of Malaysia. The Tropic of Cancer passes through India and Arabia. Extent: Asia’s total geographical area is approximately 44 million square kilometers. It covers 33 percent of the land surface of the world. Asia almost wholly lies in the northern hemisphere. Physical setting: The continent of Asia is bounded by oceans on three sides and by land on one side. It is bounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east and the Indian Ocean in the south. The continent of Europe lies to the west. The border between Asia and Europe is traditionally imaginary line, drawn zig zag line passing down the spine of the Ural mountains, and through the Caspian Sea, Caucasus mountain and the Black Sea. Europe and Asia together are known as Eurasia. [CHECKPOINT]

The boundary separating Asia and Africa is along the Suez canal and the boundary between Asia and Australia passes between the island of New Guinea and Australia.

Next, let us explore the Regional Divisions Of Asia. Today, there are 48 countries in Asia. They are grouped into following five major regional divisions. One, East Asia. It includes the countries of China, North Korea and South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mongolia. It stretches between vast Russia in the North and South Asia and South-East Asia in the South. Two, South-East Asia. It includes the countries of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Philippines. It is a peninsular. That is an area of cluster of Islands. For example, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Borneo, and Papua. To its west the Indian Ocean and to the east is the Pacific Ocean. [CHECKPOINT]

Three, South Asia. It includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India is the biggest among these countries. It is bounded by the Indian ocean in the South and its sub-division such as Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. To the north are the Himalayan mountain ranges, Myanmar to the east and Afghanistan to the west. Four, South West Asia. In this division it includes the countries like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Turkey. This division is to the south of the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea to the west and India to the east. Although it is largely covered by desert and semi-desert it is rich in petroleum and natural gas. Five, Central Asia. It extends from Caspian sea to China and from Kazakhstan to Iran-Afghanistan. Major countries of this region are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Siberia, which is part of Russia. [CHECKPOINT]

Now we will study the Physical features. High mountain ranges are the major landforms in the physical features of Asia. It also has various plateaus, alluvial plains and cluster of islands. Major Physical Divisions: On the basis of structure and alluvial soil plains relief features the continent of Asia can be divided into five major physical divisions. One, The North-Western Lowlands. Two, The Central Highlands. Three, The Southern Plateaus. Four, The Great Plains of Rivers. Five, The Island Groups. [CHECKPOINT]

Let us look at each one. The North-Western Lowlands: This division is the outstanding relief features of Asia. They extend from Bering strait to the Caspian sea. They are seen between the central highlands and the Arctic Ocean. The vast triangular lowlands is called the Siberian plain. There is general slope towards the north. Some rivers flow through these plains. For example: Rivers like Thelana, the Ob and Yenise. They flow northwards into the Arctic Ocean. Two, The Central Highlands: They form the second great physical division. They lie to the south of the North-western lowlands. The mountain ranges in Central Asia are called Central Highlands. It stretch from Asia Minor to Bering Strait. Various mountain ranges radiate from the Pamir Knot in all directions. The eastern ranges include important mountains the Himalayas, the Kunlun, the Karakoram, the Tienshan, the Altai, the Sayan, the Yablonovy, the Khingan and the Stanovoy. The western ranges comprise of the Hindukush, the Sulaimans, the Kirthars, the Elburz, the Zagros, the Caucasus, the Pontine and the Taurus mountains. [CHECKPOINT]

The Himalayan ranges are fold mountains which extend south-west from the Pamirs. They are the loftiest mountains in the world. Here Mt. Everest is the highest peak in the world. There are many plateaus in between mountain ranges. Examples include the Tibet, Mongolia, Iran, and Anatolia plateaus. Many rivers of Asia originate in these highlands. Three, The Southern Plateaus: They are the old plateaus made of hard and quartz rocks. The most important of them are the Plateau of Arabia, the Deccan plateau in India, the Plateau of Yunnan in Indo-China and Shan Plateau in Myanmar. The Plateau of Arabia is a peninsula and a dry region. The Deccan Plateau occupies a large part of the Indian peninsula. It lies between the central mountains, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. It slopes towards the east and many rivers flow through it. The Yunnan Plateau is situated to the South-West of China. This is a high lime-stone region. The Shan Plateau is a continuation of it. [CHECKPOINT]

Four, The Great Plains of rivers: This region consists of plains of the rivers of Asia which either flow into the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. The rivers flowing here form fertile plains by depositing alluvial soil. The major plains in this division are the Tigris-Euphrates in Syria and Iraq, the Indo-Gangetic plain in India and Pakistan, the Irrawady plain in Myanmar, the Menam and the Mekong in Indo-China, the Si-Kiang, the Chiang-Jiang also known as Yang-tse-Kiang and Hwang Ho Plains of China. These plains are densely populated. Five, The Island Groups: Numerous islands are found in South-East Asian and the Pacific coast of the Asian continent. They extend from Kamchatka peninsula in the north to Philippines and Borneo in the south and are arranged in festoons. They are enclosed by five seas. Namely, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea. The island festoons are the Kurile Islands, the Japanese Islands, the La Chu Islands and the Borneo and Philippines Islands. Most of these islands are of volcanic origin. It also has fertile soil, deep valleys and conical mountains. [CHECKPOINT]

Moving on to Major Rivers and Agriculture. Rivers of Asia: Asia is a land of mighty rivers. The river system of this continent is influenced by natural features and surrounding water bodies. Asia is surrounded by the Arctic, the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. The majority of rivers of this continent flow into these oceans. Thus the rivers of Asia can be divided into four groups based on where the rivers join the ocean. One, Rivers flowing into the Indian ocean: The major rivers belonging to this groups are the Tigris and the Euphrates of Syria and Iraq, which flow into the Persian Gulf. The Sindhu, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra of India and Pakistan, rises in the Himalayas and flow southward into the Indian Ocean. Rivers Sittang, Salween and Irrawadi of Myanmar flow into the Bay of Bengal. Two, River flowing into the Pacific Ocean: It includes the rivers of Amur in Russia, Hwang Ho, Chiang Jiang also known as Yangtse Kiang and Sikiang of China, which drain eastward into the Sea of Okhotsk, the Yellow Sea and the China Sea respectively. Menam and Mekong of Indo-China flow into South China Sea. [CHECKPOINT]

Three, Rivers flowing into Arctic Ocean: Ob, Yenisei and Lena are the major rivers of this group. These rivers rises in the Central Highlands, flow northwards, and flow into the Arctic Ocean. Four, Inland Rivers: The rivers which does not belong to these group flow into Inland seas. For example the Volga and the Ural flows into the Caspian Sea, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya flows into the Aral Sea.

Agriculture of Asia: Agriculture is the most important occupation of Asia. About three fourth of the people are engaged in agriculture. Most of the goods exported from Asia are agricultural products. There is a close relationship between farming and the river systems in Asia. Agriculture is largely practiced in river basins except in Siberia. The main reasons for this are the fertile soil here and water supply through irrigation. In many Asian countries, most of the farmers use hand tools and animals for cultivation. They follow the intensive farming. The other types of farming which are in practice are irrigation farming, dry farming, plantation farming, mixed farming, and shifting cultivation. In recent years modern implements, fertilizers, and high-yielding varieties of seeds have become widespread in some of the Asian countries. Yet there are many countries which have low-yield per hectare due to many reasons. [CHECKPOINT]

Crops: A variety of crops cultivated in Asia. Paddy and wheat are the chief staple food crops. China and India are the leading producers of paddy and together they produce more than 90 percent of the world paddy. Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand and South East Asian countries are other major producers of paddy. China, India, Pakistan and Asian Russia are the leading wheat producing countries. Asia leads in the production of world’s natural rubber and tea. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are the major natural rubber producers. The major tea producing countries are China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Thailand. The other important crops grown in Asia are cotton, jute which is a fibre crop, and sugarcane. China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are the major cotton producing countries. Jute is produced by Bangladesh, China and India. The sugarcane producing areas are mainly found in India, Indonesia, Philippines and Bangladesh. India is the 2nd major sugarcane producer in the world. Asia is also famous for the production of coffee, cocoa, various cereals like Navane, Sajje, Sawe, oil seeds, and spices. [CHECKPOINT]

Let us now explore Climate and Natural Vegetation. Climate: As mentioned earlier, Asia is a vast continent. It extends from the Equator in the South upto to the Polar regions. As a result, different region of this continent has different climatic conditions. For example, Asia has some of the coldest lands in the world which are Polar, as well as some of the hottest areas in Central and Southwest. Also very dry and high rainfall areas are found here. The varied climate of the continent is due to several factors. For example, size, latitudinal extent, physical features, monsoon winds and others. Temperature: It naturally varies from one region to another and from one season to another. In January, the southern countries are less cold, but the northern countries experience bitter cold. Verkhoyansk in Siberia is the coldest place. In July, a greater part of the continent is hot, with the exception of northern Siberia and the high mountains and plateaus of Central Asia. Most of the regions in Asia has highest temperature. In some places the temperature rises beyond 40 degrees Celsius. [CHECKPOINT]

Distribution of Rainfall: Most of the rainfall in Asia is caused by the summer southwest monsoon winds. But the monsoon winds do not reach the central part of Asia. That part is dry condition throughout the year. In winter the Westerlies cause rainfall in the Western Asian countries and Eastern parts of China and the Philippines, Malaysia and others receive rainfall from tropical cyclones. Winter Season: Most of Asia experiences winter from October to March. A greater part of Asia lies in the northern hemisphere. During this season, oblique rays of the sun are transmitted to the Northern hemisphere. So, most of Asia experiences very low temperature and very cold climate. The atmospheric pressure is high in central Asia and low over the Indian Ocean. Winds, therefore, blow from the land to the sea. They are dry and do not cause rainfall. Rainfall is rare in winter. Summer Season: The situation is opposite to winter. It starts in April and ends in September. The sun shines directly in the northern hemisphere. So most of Asia has high temperature and it causes low pressure in Central Asia. Winds blow from the sea towards the land. They rain more or less all over the continent. [CHECKPOINT]

Important climate facts: Verkhoyansk in Siberia has minus 51 degrees Celsius and Omyakni has minus 71 degrees Celsius recorded minimum temperature in January. Mawsynram in the state Meghalaya of India receives highest rainfall in the world which is 1187 centimeters. Natural vegetation: Natural vegetation of Asia is closely associated with climate. But other factors such as landforms, soils and interference of human beings also have influence on types of vegetation and its distribution. There is great diversity in the vegetation of Asia. It can be divided into seven major types as follows. One, The Tundra vegetation. This vegetation is found in a narrow belt along the Arctic coastal areas. This belt is mostly covered by snow and ice. So plant growth is limited and restricted to mosses and lichen. Two, Line shaped trees also known as Coniferous forests. Distributed in the Tundra region. It is also known as Taiga forests. Fir, spruce, larch and pine are the major trees grown here. They are soft wood trees. [CHECKPOINT]

Three, Temperate grasslands also known as steppes. They are found mainly to the west of Central Asia and in a fringe of deserts and semi-deserts. Due to low rainfall, short grass are grown. Four, Desert vegetation. It occurs in tropical and temperate deserts of Asia, for example, Arabia, Iran, Thar desert and others. Only some thorny plants, bushes and poor grass grow here. Near the oasis date and palm trees are found. Five, Monsoon forests. They are found in the South, South-West and East Asia. Since this region has high temperature and sufficient rainfall, forests grow here. Teak, sal, banyan, bamboos, sandal and many varieties of hardwood trees are found here. They shed their leaves in autumn. Six, Equatorial forests are mainly found in the East Indies and heavy rainfall areas of the monsoon lands. They are evergreen and trees are quite tall. Mahogany, ebony, rubber, bamboo, rosewood are the main trees. Seven, Mediterranean vegetation. It is found in South-Western parts of Asia. Olive, figs, oak and shrubs grow here. Trees grow to a shorter height. [CHECKPOINT]

Now we will study Major Minerals. Iron ore: It is the main raw material for the production of iron and steel. Asia is rich in iron ore reserves and has about 30 percent of world’s reserves are located in this continent. China is the leading producer of iron ore. India, Turkey, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Pakistan are the other important producers. Small amount of iron ores are found in South Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Japan, and the countries of South-West Asia. Manganese: An important alloying mineral. It is essential for the production of good quality steel. The Continent of Asia has a large amount of manganese deposits. It is mainly distributed among Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Siberia, China and India. China is a leading producer. Bauxite: Asia is a continent with huge deposits of Bauxite. It is mostly found in Kazakhstan and South Central Siberia. Also a large amount of Bauxite is available in India, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia and China. [CHECKPOINT]

Coal: It is a fossil fuel mineral. It is an important source of energy. Asia is rich in coal reserves. But they are not uniformly distributed. The largest reserves are found in China, India, Indonesia, Siberia and the Central Asian countries. China is the largest country in both coal deposits and production of coal in the world. Coal is available in all provinces of China. India is the second largest producer of coal in Asia. Recently the Kuznetsk Basin in South Central Siberia has become the largest producer of coal. Smaller deposits of coal are found in the countries of Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Japan. Petroleum: It is a mineral oil. It is a source of power for automated vehicles, railways, ships and aeroplanes. Southwestern Asia has the largest petroleum reserves. It is mostly found in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. These countries have about half of the world’s petroleum deposits and produce nearly 25 percent of the world’s petroleum. Some countries of Eastern and South Eastern Asia also have petroleum reserves, for example Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Myanmar, Saravak, India, and Vietnam. Recently Siberia has increased the production of petroleum. Important facts: The term petroleum is derived from two Latin words: Petra means rock and oleum means oil. Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of petroleum in the world. Central Asia also possesses considerable deposits of petroleum, in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. [CHECKPOINT]

Major Industrial Regions: Continent of Asia is a vast region. Despite its large size and rich mineral and agricultural resources, the continent of Asia has not industrialized like Europe. The main reasons for this situation are lack of technology, lack of capital, conservative attitude and large population engaged in agriculture. An area dominated by industries and industrial activities is called Industrial Region. They are found in few areas which are favourable for setting up of industries. Major industrial regions of Asia are as follows. Japan: There are four major industrial regions in Japan. One, The Keihin Region is a large industrial region that includes Tokyo, Kawasaki and Yokohama cities. The important industries here are textiles, engineering, shipbuilding, paper and cement. Two, The Hanshin Region includes the metropolitan cities of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. It is dominated by textiles. Three, The Ise Bay Region spreads around Nogoya city. Here textiles and engineering are major industries. Four, The Kita Kyushu Region consist of the cities of Yawata, Moji and Kokura are famous for steel, ship building, machinery and textiles industries. [CHECKPOINT]

China: Agriculturally dominant and industrially advanced country. After the Maoist government came to power, the priority was towards industrialisation. The major industries of the country are: One, Manchuria region: Here the major industries are iron, engineering and chemicals. Two, Beijing region: Engineering, ship building, textile and chemical industries are important. Three, Shanxi-Baotou region: has Iron and Steel and agricultural equipments. Four, Chang-jiang: Implements by Textiles, ship building and steel manufacturing are found in this region. Five, Wuhan region is famous for the metallurgical and heavy Industrial goods manufacturing. India: Major Industrial regions are the Hooghly-Kolkata region, the Mumbai Pune region, the Ahmedabad-Vadodara region, the Madurai-Coimbatore-Bengaluru region, the Chotanagpur region, the Delhi-Meerut region, the Vishakapatnam region, the Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram region. The other Asian industrial regions are located in South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. [CHECKPOINT]

Let us look at the Population of Asia. Growth: Asia has a population of around 476 crores. It is 60 percent of the world’s population. Today’s population has increased five times over the last three decades. In 1950 the population of Asia was 140 crores. The rate of growth was high until recently. Now it has been decreasing. Distribution and density: The distribution of population in Asia is not uniform. You will find most part of Asia is sparsely populated and some areas are very densely populated. The average density of population of Asia is 153 persons per square kilometer. The sparsely populated areas are the northern and eastern parts of Siberia which are very cold, the deserts of Arabia, Iran and Thar in India and the highlands of Central Asia. The densely populated parts of Asia include the great plains of India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea and Java island in Indonesia. Most of these are fertile flat plains, or river basins. Also high density of population is found in Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. [CHECKPOINT]

New Terms: Let us quickly review the new terms from this chapter. They are autumn, billion, coniferous forest, fossil fuel, fold mountains, knot, limestone, lichens, mosses, oasis, raw materials, taiga, and tundra.

Do you know? The highest peak in the continent of Asia is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters. The lowest point of Asia is the Dead Sea. The Karakoram Range contains the largest glaciers of the world. Tibet is the highest plateau in the world. It is often called as the Roof of the World. Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland water body. Lake Baikal in southern Siberia is the world’s deepest lake. Maldives is the smallest country in Asia both in terms of area and population. [CHECKPOINT]

Now, let us move on to the Exercises. I will read each question and provide the complete answer. Exercise One: Fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question 1: The continent of Asia is in _________ hemisphere. Answer: The continent of Asia is in the northern hemisphere. Question 2: The highest mountain of Asia is ________. Answer: The highest mountain of Asia is Mount Everest. Question 3: The leading country in rubber production in Asia is ________. Answer: The major natural rubber producing countries in Asia are Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Question 4: The temperate grasslands are called _______. Answer: The temperate grasslands are called steppes. [CHECKPOINT]

Exercise Two: Discuss in groups and answer. Question 5: Asia is called ‘Continent of Diversity’. Why? Answer: Asia is called the Continent of Diversity because it is the largest continent and has the greatest variety in terms of physical features, climate, vegetation, wildlife, soils, languages, religions, distribution of population, and density of population. Question 6: What is the physical setting of Asia? Answer: The physical setting of Asia is that it is bounded by oceans on three sides and by land on one side. It is bounded by the Arctic Ocean in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east, and the Indian Ocean in the south. Europe lies to the west, separated by the Ural mountains, Caspian Sea, Caucasus mountain, and Black Sea. Africa is separated by the Suez canal, and Australia by the waters between New Guinea and Australia. Question 7: Which are the major physical divisions of Asia? Answer: The five major physical divisions of Asia are: The North-Western Lowlands, The Central Highlands, The Southern Plateaus, The Great Plains of Rivers, and The Island Groups. [CHECKPOINT]

Question 8: In which season are the rains plentiful in Asia? Answer: The rains are plentiful in Asia during the summer season, which starts in April and ends in September. The summer southwest monsoon winds bring rainfall to most of the continent. Question 9: Which are the major staple food crops of Asia? Answer: The major staple food crops of Asia are paddy and wheat. Question 10: Which is the most important fossil fuel in Asia? Answer: Coal is an important fossil fuel mineral in Asia. It is a major source of energy, and Asia is rich in coal reserves. Question 11: Which parts of Asia are very sparsely populated? Why? Answer: The northern and eastern parts of Siberia, the deserts of Arabia, Iran and Thar in India, and the highlands of Central Asia are very sparsely populated. This is because these regions have extreme cold, arid desert conditions, or difficult highland terrain, making them unsuitable for large-scale human settlement and agriculture. [CHECKPOINT]

Now let us cover the Activities. Activity 1: Study the map of Asia from your Atlas and identify and list out the mountains, plateaus, plains and rivers. Locate them on the map. You can refer to the physical features and river systems discussed in this chapter to complete this task. Activity 2: Collect information and pictures on major rivers of Asia and their details, including their sources, length, tributaries, dams, and deltas. Mark them on your outline map. Use your atlas and reference materials to gather this information for the major rivers we studied. Activity 3: Observe your surroundings and list the crops, vegetation and water bodies. Look around your local area. Note down the crops grown in nearby fields, the types of trees and plants you see, and any rivers, lakes, ponds, or canals nearby. Write them down in your notebook. [CHECKPOINT]

That concludes our detailed lesson on the Continent of Asia. I hope you found this exploration of Asia's geography, resources, and population both informative and engaging. Remember to review the key terms and facts regularly. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]