Asia
1. Location & Extent
● Asia is the largest continent, surrounded by:
○ Indian Ocean (South)
○ Pacific Ocean (East)
○ Arctic Ocean (North)
○ Europe (West)
● Extends from 10°S to 80°N latitude and 24°4'E to 169°40'W longitude.
● Comprises 49 countries.
2. Physical Divisions
a. Central Highlands
● Mountainous region with high elevations, including:
○ Pamir Knot (starting point of major mountain ranges)
○ Great Himalayas & Karakoram (SE direction)
○ Hindukush Range (Westward)
○ Kunlun & Tien Shan (Eastward)
● Plateau of Tibet: Known as the "Roof of the World".
b. Northern Lowlands
● The Great Siberian Plain: Drained by Ob, Yenisey & Lena Rivers, flowing into the
Arctic Ocean.
● Central Asia Lowlands: Contains Caspian & Aral Seas, regions of inland drainage.
c. Plateaus
● Old, stable blocks of land with rich mineral deposits:
○ Plateau of Arabia
○ Deccan Plateau (India)
○ Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (China)
d. River Basins
● Located between Central Highlands & Southern Plateaus:
○ Mesopotamian Lowland (Iraq): Tigris & Euphrates.
○ Indo-Gangetic Plain (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh): Indus & Ganges.
○ Irrawaddy Basin (Myanmar).
○ Chinese River Basins: Huang He (Yellow River), Yangtze, and Si Kiang.
● Used for irrigation, navigation & power generation.
e. Islands
● Japan, Philippines & Indonesia: Volcanic, mountainous islands.
● Malay Archipelago: Largest island group in the world.
● Frequent earthquakes & volcanic activity.
3. Climate of Asia
a. Factors Affecting Climate
1. Latitudinal Extent: Covers Equatorial, Tropical, Temperate, and Polar zones.
2. Distance from the Sea: Inland areas have extreme temperatures.
3. Physical Features: Mountain ranges block cold & moist winds.
4. Winds:
○ Summer Monsoons: Moist winds from the Indian & Pacific Oceans, causing
heavy rainfall.
○ Winter Monsoons: Dry winds cause little or no rainfall.
5. Ocean Currents:
○ Warm: Kuroshio (Japan).
○ Cold: Oyashio (Japan).
b. Seasonal Patterns
Winter (Oct-March)
● Central Asia becomes extremely cold, creating a high-pressure zone.
● Cold, dry winds cause little rain.
● Rain occurs along coastal areas (Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka) due to
winds picking up moisture.
● Western Disturbances (Mediterranean cyclones) bring winter rain to West Asia &
North India.
Summer (March-Sept)
● Central Asia heats up, creating low pressure.
● Moist winds from the Indian & Pacific Oceans cause heavy rainfall.
c. Rainfall Distribution
● Heavy Rainfall (>200 cm/year): Equatorial regions, Himalayas, SE Asia.
● Moderate Rainfall (100-200 cm/year): India, SE Asia, China, Japan.
● Low Rainfall (<50 cm/year): SW Asia, Central Asia, Siberia.
4. Climatic Regions
a. Equatorial Climate
● Found in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines.
● Hot & humid (30°C avg.), heavy rainfall year-round.
b. Tropical Desert Climate
● Found in Arabian Desert (Saudi Arabia), Thar Desert (India, Pakistan).
● Extreme temperature differences, low rainfall.
c. Mid-Latitude Desert Climate
● Found in Gobi Desert (Mongolia, China).
● Hot summers, cold winters, low precipitation (mostly snow).
d. Temperate Grassland Climate
● Found in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan.
● Cold winters, warm summers, scanty summer rainfall.
e. Tundra Climate
● Found in Northern Asia (Siberia).
● Cold, long winters; short, cool summers; low snow/rain.
5. Natural Vegetation & Wildlife
a. Equatorial Forests
● Found in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.
● Dense evergreen trees (rosewood, mahogany, rubber, cinchona).
● Animals: Monkeys, sloths, lizards, elephants, birds.
b. Monsoon Forests
● Found in South, SE, and East Asia.
● Deciduous trees (teak, sal, sandal, peepal, bamboo).
● Animals: Tigers, elephants, rhinos, deer, leopards.
c. Desert Vegetation
● Found in SW & Central Asia (hot & cold deserts).
● Shrubs, thorny bushes.
● Animals: Camels, yaks, donkeys.
d. Taiga Forests
● Found in Siberia (south of tundra region).
● Coniferous trees (pine, fir, spruce, cedar).
● Animals: Bears, arctic foxes, minks, sables.
e. Tundra Vegetation
● Found in Northern Siberia.
● Moss, lichens (no trees).
● Animals: Reindeer, polar bears, seals, walruses, Arctic dogs.
6. Important Places & Facts
● Mawsynram (India): Wettest place in the world.
● Verkhoyansk (Siberia): One of the coldest places.
● Jacobabad (Pakistan): One of the hottest places.
● Gobi & Mongolia: Extremely dry regions.