Physical Environment
Importance of Knowing
Asia
Asia stands out with the rest of the
continents on two facts. Its great
size and enormous population. It
is home to more than half of the
world's people.
The history of Asia is the story of
the genesis of anthropology,
religion, culture, and civilization,
geopolitics, economics,
astronomy, astrology, philosophy,
the arts, literature, military
science, mathematics, medicine,
and even the so-called “mother
Filipinos must know that Asia
was superior to West until
about 500 years ago
China for example led the world in
developing technology when the
Romans were still building their
empire.
The fact that Europeans wanted
goods (silk, tea, porcelain,
spices, etc)
Also, the Chinese regarded
Europeans then as “barbarians”.
East and West
The East (Orient) is the Asian
World, said to be the region of
the rising sun.
North Asia - includes Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan
Physical Features
Ithas the world's tallest and
deepest areas, the wettest and
driest places, some of the most
productive barren places on
earth.
Asia has towering snow-capped
mountains, cool plateaus,
verdant valleys, arid deserts,
extensive forests, cascading
waterfalls and historic rivers.
The mountains are the mighty
Himalayas (abode of Snow), the Ural
mountains, and the Caucasus range.
Ural mountains
The Caucasus Mountain Rage is famous in song
and story, for it was on its rocks, according to
Greek mythology, where Prometheus was
chained by the irate Zeus for giving the fire of
the gods to mortal men.
Physical Features
Asia has many peninsulas which
stretch out like the arms of an
octopus, notably India,
Indochina, Malaya, Korea and
Kamchatka. These contain
excellent harbors and bays.
Physical Features
Rivers serve as highways of
commerce and
communications. Three of these
rivers drain into the Indian
Ocean - Indus River, Ganges
River, and the Human So
(Yellow River). The Yangtze
River and the Si Kiang drains
into the Pacific Ocean.
Indus River
Ganges River
Yellow River
Yangtze River
Physical Features
One mighty river, the Mekong, runs
through three of Asia's "rice bowls"
(Burma, Thailand and Vietnam) and
joins the South China Sea.
The historic Tigris and
Euphrates, flow down into the
Persian Gulf.
Physical Features
T h e la rg e st b a y in th e w o rld is In d ia 's B e n g a l
The Caspian Sea in Siberia is
the largest lake (inland sea) on
earth.
Lake Baikal, also in Siberia, is the
world's deepest lake.
The world's largest archipelago is
Indonesia consisting of more than
3,000 islands.
The world's longest strait is the famous
Malacca Strait, between Malaysia and
Indonesia, which extends for 485 miles.
The narrowest strait in the world is the San
Juanico Strait between the islands of Samar
and Leyte in the Philippines.
Man-made Wonders
The Great Wall of China is the
most colossal edifice ever
fashioned by human hands. It
was built by Emperor Shih
Huang Ati as a defensive
rampart against the marauding
Tartans. It took more than 10
years to finish and more that
200,000 men labored on the
gigantic project.
Man-made Wonders
Because thousands of workers
died during the construction of
the Great Wall, many were
buried in it that is why it is also
the world's largest cemetery.
The Great Wall of China is the
only man-made structure
visible from the moon.
Man-made Wonders
The Ifugao rice terraces is
another Asia's man-made
wonder. Built about 2,000 years
ago, these terraces escalate
like colossal stairways into the
clouds. If placed end to end,
they would extend more than
22,500 km, eight times longer
than China's Great Wall or more
than half the circumference of
the earth.
Man-made Wonders
The Taj Mahal (Crown of the
Palace), a magnificent marble
tomb in Agra, India is hailed by
Western writers as the most
beautiful and perfect of all
buildings in the world.