Region stretches from Myanmar in the southwest to Japan in the northeast

Region borders Russia on the north and India on the southwest

Mountainous volcanic islands such as Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia line East and Southeast Asia and form part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.› This area has some of the world’s largest concentration of active volcanoes.

Krakatau, Indonesia

Mt. Fuji, Japan

Mayon, Philippines

Rugged mountains, plateaus, and hills dominate much of mainland East and Southeast Asia.

The mountain ranges and plateaus of the region often serve as political and cultural boundaries.

World’s highest mountain range

World’s highest point (29,035 feet)

Located in Nepal

World’s highest plateau - average elevation 14,764 ft.

“Shan” means mountain in Chinese.

World’s 5th largest desert (1.3 million sq. mi.)

Largest in Asia

The regions high mountains are the source of all East and Southeast Asia’s major rivers

Chang Jiang › Asia’s longest river› 3,915 miles› 3rd longest in world

Huang He› Also called the Yellow River because it carries yellowish-brown topsoil called loess.

Plays a large part in the high population of the river valleys and plains

Climates outside of these areas cannot support large human populations

Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts have extremely hot summers (days) and bitter, cold winters (nights)

Orographic effect surrounding mountains prevents ocean air from bringing rain to areas above

Much of the rainfall in East and Southeast Asia is seasonal due to monsoons (seasonal winds).› Winter months are dry.› Summer months are humid and rainy.

Roughly 1/3 of the world’s population lives here, although it is unevenly distributed

China › Over 1 billion

Brunei› Less than 1 million

Hundreds of languages are spoken in the region

Some are character-based languages› Pictograms = simple pictures of the objects and ideas they represent

› Chinese has nearly 50,000 characters.

› Characters can also be symbols.

Most of the world’s major religions are represented in East and Southeast Asia

Islam = main religion in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei

Christianity = in areas, such as the Philippines, that were once controlled by European countries.

Buddhism = major religion in Thailand, Myanmar, Tibet, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Mongolia

Theravada Buddhism - practiced mainly in Southeast Asia believes humans must look only to themselves for salvation.

Mahayana Buddhism - practiced in China, North & South Korea, and Japan holds that humans seek the aid of spiritual beings.

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama

He was a prince who was given every luxury. He was never allowed to go outside of the palace.

On a trip, he saw the sufferings of life.

He left his family to find the answers to life’s questions.

Through meditation, he found enlightenment and became the “Buddha” or Enlightened One.

Four Noble Truths›Life involves suffering.›Suffering comes about because of desire.

›Suffering will end when desire is destroyed.

›The way to conquer desire is through right thought and right actions.

The final goal is to return to the great void and reach a state of Nirvana which a state of all-knowing peace and joy.

Suffering is a part of life, and people must deal with it the best they can with right thoughts and actions.

Aims at the unity of a person with nature so that good acts become natural

Simplicity in life is key in achieving peace.

Practiced in China and Japan

Based on teachings of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher

Not an actual organized religion – it is a series of ethical behavior that centers around family, social relationships, and duty.

Reverence for family is important› Ancestor worship is common.

Practiced in China mostly.

Practiced in Japan; believes that gods, called kami, inhabit natural objects.

Humans, gods, and nature are all in harmony with each other.

Humans are naturally good, and evil is thought to be caused by people’s contact with external forces that pollute their pure nature.

All kami (gods) are related to natural objects and creatures.

Worship is carried out to express gratitude to the gods and to secure their favor.

Shinto attitudes and values› Gratitude› Respect for nature› Appreciation of the beauty and power of nature

› Love of purity = cleanliness› Prefer things to be simple in appearance

China’s religions are a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Daily lives of Japanese mix Shintoism and Buddhism.