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GEOGRAPHY WORLD GEOGRAPHY

Asia – World Geography for UPSC IAS (Notes)

by LotusArise January 2, 2021 32 Comments

Asia
Asia is the world largest continent, having an area of 44,444,100 sq km.
It covers about 30% of Earth’s total land area and 8.7% of the Earth’s total surface area.
with a population of 4.4 billion which is 60 % of the world’s total population.
It is a continent of contrast in relief, temperature, vegetation and people also.
Asia is to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of
the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas.
It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the
north by the Arctic Ocean.
The earth’s highest and lowest places are both in Asia:
The highest place on earth: Mount Everest
The lowest place on earth: Dead Seashore
Regional Divisions of Asia
Asia can be divided into six physiographic divisions:
Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Eastern Asia: China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, Taiwan
Northern Asia: Russia
South-eastern Asia: Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam.
Southern Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Western Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijana, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab
Emirates, Yemen.
Major Physical Divisions of Asia
The Northern Lowlands
The Central Mountains
The Central and Southern Plateaus
The Peninsulas
Deserts
The Great River Plains
Island Groups

1. The Northern Lowlands

The Northern Lowlands are the extensive plain areas that comprise of several patches of
lowlands of this large continent.
The major lowlands are:
Great Siberian plain
It extends between the Ural Mountains in the west and the river Lena in the east. It is
the largest lowland in the world covering an area of 1,200,000 square miles approx.
Manchurian Plain
It is the area adjoining Amur river and its tributaries of the northern part of China with
an area of 135,000 square miles approx.

Great Plains of China

 It is contributed by two major rivers of China, Hwang Ho and Yangtze river which
covers an area of 158,000 square miles approx.

Tigris-Euphrates plains
Ganga plains

Irrawaddy plains
2. The Central Mountains
These are the prominent and extensive mountain ranges that cover the parts of Central
Asia.
They consist of Pamir and Tian Shan ranges and extending across portions of
Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
These mountain ranges are designated as biodiversity hot spots by Conservation
International which covers several montanes and alpine ecoregions of Central Asia.
It encompasses several habitat types, including montane grasslands and shrublands,
temperate coniferous forests, and alpine tundra.
A mountain knot is a junction of two or more mountain ranges. The two main mountain
knots in Asia are:
The Pamir Knot is the junction of five mountain ranges they are the Sulaiman, the
Hindu Kush, the Kunlun, the Karakoram, and the Himalayan ranges. Mount Everest,
the highest peak in the world in the Himalayan range.
The Armenian Knot is connected to the Pamir Knot by the Elburz and the Zagros
Ranges that originate in the Armenian Knot. The Tien Shan and the Altai are other
mountain ranges in Asia.
Peaks of Asia
Mount Everest (8848 m), Nepal-Tibet, China border
K2 (8,61,1 m), (POK) India -China
Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), Nepal-Sikkim (India).
Lhotse (8,516 m), Nepal-Tibet, China
Makalu (8,462 m), Nepal-Tibet, China
Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Nepal
 Mountains-Ranges

3. The Central and Southern Plateaus

Plateaus are the land areas having a relatively that surface considerably raised above
adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyon.
Major Plateaus of Asian Continent –
Plateau Location Types
Ladakh Between Karakoram and Himalaya mountain ranges Intermontane
Tibet Between Kulun and Himalayan Mountain range Intermontane
Situated on the southeast of the Tibet Plateau and separated
Yunan from Szechuan Basin extensive fertile land by the range of Piedmont
Mountains
Well connected to the range of mountains such as The
Pamir Himalayas with the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and the Intermontane
Hindu Kush ranges on all sides
Armenian Present in between Caspian and the Black Sea Piedmont
 Iranian Present in between Zagros Mountains, Caspian Sea, Turkmen- Piedmont
Khorasan Mountain Range
Surrounded by the Greater Hinggan Mountains in the east, the
Mongolian Yin Mountains to the south, the Altai Mountains to the west, Intermontane
and the Sayan and Khentii mountains to the north
Shan Stretched in the Pegu Yoma and Arkan Yoma in the eastern Intermontane
part of Myanmar,
Extended in between the Western Ghats in the west and the
Deccan Eastern Ghats in the east of
Indian Subcontinent, it almost touches the southern tip of Intermontane
India and in north covered by the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges
Anatolian Enclosed between Pontic mountain ranges in the South and
Taurus in the southwest Volcanic

4. Peninsulas
A peninsula is a mass of land surrounded by water but attached to the mainland. The Deccan
plateau region is also a peninsula. The major peninsulas of Arabia, India, and Malay are in
southern Asia. The Kamchatka peninsula lies in northeastern Asia.
5. Deserts
Asia has some big deserts such as the Gobi, the Takla Makan, the Thar, the Kara-Kum, and
the Rub-al-Khali Deserts.
The Rub’ al Khali desert, considered the world’s largest sand sea, covers an area larger
than France across Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
6. (a) Islands of Asia
Asia also has a cluster of islands, also called an archipelago. An archipelago sometimes
called an island group or island chain, which is formed close to each other in large clusters.
Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Andaman, and Nicobar are some examples of archipelagos.

6. (b) Drainage of Asia

The drainage of Asia consists of mighty oceans, extensive seas, lengthy rivers, and their
tributaries and distributaries, major lakes, etc.
Oceans: Asian continent is surrounded by three major ocean from three sides such as
The Pacific Ocean – It covers the eastern part of Asia where major rivers of eastern Asia
drain, such as Menam Mekong, Xi Jiang, Chang Xiang, Huang Ho, and Amur.
The Indian Ocean – It covers the southern part of Asia and the major rivers that flow into the
Indian Ocean are Tigris, Euprates, the Indus, the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween.
The Arctic Ocean – It covers the Noth east part of Asia and consists of three major rivers
such as Ob, Yenisey, and Lena.

Seas:
As the continent is covered by sea from its three sides, It has also characterized by the long
stretch of bay and gulf.
Major seas contributing to Asian Drainage are Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Banda Sea,
Barents Sea, Bering Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, East Siberian Sea, Java Sea, Kara Sea,
Laccadive Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk. The South China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Name Location Part of Ocean

Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and East Siberian North of Russia Arctic Ocean
Sea
Bering Sea Northerst of Russia Pacific Ocean
Sea of Okhotsk East of Russia Pacific Ocean
Sea of Japan West of Japan Pacific Ocean
Yellow Sea West of Korea Pacific Ocean
East China Sea East of China Pacific Ocean
South China Sea South of China Pacific Ocean
 Sulu Sea West of the Philippines Pacific Ocean
Island
Celebes Sea North of Celebes Island Pacific Ocean
Banda Sea East of Celebes Island Pacific Ocean
Flores Sea South of Celebes Sea Pacific Ocean
Molucca Sea East of Celebes Island Pacific Ocean
Java Sea North of Java Pacific Ocean
Timor Sea Northwest of Australia Pacific Ocean
Arafura Sea North of Australia South Pacific
Ocean
Bay of Bengal East of the Indian Indian Ocean
Peninsula
Arabian Sea West of the Indian Indian Ocean
Peninsula
Red Sea Separates Asia from Africa Indian Ocean

Lakes:
Major lakes of Asia are
Lake Baikal, Onega, Ladoga, and Peipus in Russia;
Lake Akan, Mashu, Biwa, Shikotsu in Japan;
Qinghai Lake, Lake Khanka in China;
Dal Lake, Chilka, Vembanada, Pullicat and Sukhna in India;
Lake Matano and Toba in Indonesia, etc.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. It is in Southern Siberia, Russia.
Freshwater
Lake Baikal, located in southern Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, reaching a
depth of 1,620 meters (5,315 feet). The lake contains 20 percent of the world’s
unfrozen fresh water, making it the largest reservoir on Earth. It is also the world’s
oldest lake, at 25 million years old.
The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world (behind the
Amazon of South America and the Nile of Africa). Reaching 6,300 kilometers (3,915
miles) in length, the Yangtze moves east from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to the
river’s mouth on the East China Sea. The Yangtze is considered the lifeblood of China.
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers begin in the highlands of eastern Turkey and flow
through Syria and Iraq, joining in the city of Qurna, Iraq, before emptying into the
Persian Gulf. The land between the two rivers, known as Mesopotamia, was the center
of the earliest civilizations, including Sumer and the Akkadian Empire.

Saltwater
The Persian Gulf has an area of more than 234,000 square kilometers (90,000 square
miles). It borders Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait,
and Iraq. The gulf is subject to high rates of evaporation, making it shallow and
extremely salty.
The Sea of Okhotsk covers 1.5 million square kilometers (611,000 square miles) between
the Russian mainland and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
 The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2 million square
kilometers (839,000 square miles) and bordering Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and
Burma. Many large rivers, including the Ganges and Brahmaputra, empty into the bay.

Straits:
The important straits in Asia are the Strait of Malacca, Bering Strait, etc.

Name Separates Connects

Bering Strait Asia and North America East Siberian Sea with Bering
Sea
La Parouse Strait Sakhalin Island and Hokkaido Sea of Okhotsk with Sea of
Island Japan
Tata Strait Eastern Russia and Sakhalin Sea of Okhotsk with Sea of
Japan
Korea Strait South Korea and Kyushu Yellow Sea with Sea of Japan
(Japan)
Formosa Strait (Taiwan Taiwan and China East China Sea with South
Strait) China Sea
Luzon Strait Taiwan and Luzon (Philippines) South
Ocean.
China Sea with Pacific

Makassar Strait Borneo (Kalimantan) and Celebes Sea with Java Sea.
Celebes Island
 Sundra Strait Java and Sumatra Java Sea with India Ocean
Malacca Strait Malaya Peninsula and Sumatra Java Sea with Bay of Bengal
Strait of Jahore Singapore and Malaysia South China Sea with strait of
Malacca
Strait of Hormuz UAE and Iran Persian Gulf with Gulf of
Oman.
Strait of Bosporus Asia and Europe Black Sea with Sea of
Marmara.
Sea of Marmara with
Strait of Dardanelles Asia and Europe Mediterranean
Sea

Resources
Asia’s climate can be most generally divided into three zones:
North/central,
Southwest
Southeast
North/central Zone–
The continent’s north/central zone is affected by cold and dry Arctic winds, especially
the Siberia region of Russia.
Hardier grains, such as barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, and wheat, are grown in the
central and southern areas of this zone, where permanent frosts inhibit plant growth.
Animal husbandry is also very important in this zone. In Mongolia, for example, 75
percent of agricultural land is allocated to the rearing of livestock, such as sheep,
goats, and cattle.
Southwest–
The southwest zone is a dry, hot region that stretches from the Gobi Desert in
Mongolia through Pakistan, Iran, and into the Arabian Peninsula.
This zone has very few areas with enough moisture and precipitation to produce crops.
Grains, such as barley and corn, are the principal irrigated crops of some countries.
Dates, figs, apricots, olives, onions, grapes, and cherries are the most important of
these fruit and vegetable crops.
Southeast–
The southeast zone is greatly affected by the summer monsoon season.
Rice is one of Asia’s most important agricultural commodities and a major food staple of
the entire continent.
Many regions where rainfall is less, grow a large amount of wheat.
Southeast Asia is also a major producer of tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, and
pineapple. India is the world’s largest mango-producing nation, accounting for roughly
40 percent of total global output.

Mining:
China, India, Russia, and Indonesia are the continent’s most productive mining
economies. These countries extract many of the same minerals.
China is the world’s largest producer of aluminum, gold, tin, and coal.
India is also a major producer of aluminum and iron ore, along with other minerals such
as barite (used in drilling fluids), chromium (used in steel production and dyes), and
 manganese (used in steel production).
Russia is a major producer of coal, tungsten (used in steel production), diamonds, iron,
and steel.
Indonesia is a major producer of coal, gold, copper, and tin.
Drilling:
Countries on the Arabian Peninsula have the world’s largest deposits of oil and natural
gas. These fossil fuels are drilled for energy and fuel.
The oil found throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East is of the highest
quality: light sweet crude.
Light sweet crude oil is used to make gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuels.
In 2010, Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest manufacturer of petroleum liquids,
producing 10.07 million barrels of liquid fuels every day. (An oil barrel is 159 liters or 42
gallons.) It also has the world’s largest oil reserves, at roughly 250 billion barrels.
Russia has oil reserves in Siberia and massive natural gas reserves throughout the
Arctic.
Russia and Iran have the world’s largest reserves of natural gas, while the US produces
the most.

Quiz:
Q1. The Gaza Strip is a self-governing territory of:
(a) Israel
(b) Jordan
(c) Lebanon
(d) Palestine
Solution: (d)
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist political organization and militant group that has waged
war on Israel since the group’s 1987 founding, most notably through suicide bombings and
rocket attacks. It seeks to replace Israel with a Palestinian state. It also governs Gaza
independently of the Palestinian Authority.
Q2. Which of these water bodies witnesses sun rise at the earliest?
a) Red Sea
b) Black Sea
c) Caspian Sea
d) Mediterranean Sea
Solution: c)
Caspian sea lies the easternmost among all of the options. Black Sea lies to the west of
Caspian Sea.
Q3. The Red Sea is a strip of water and an inlet of the Indian Ocean occupying the area
separating the continent of Africa from Asia. The countries bordering the Red Sea are –
1. Saudi Arabia
2. Yemen
3. Ethiopia
4. Egypt
5. Djibouti
Select the correct answer code:
a) 1, 2, 3, 4
b) 1, 2, 3, 5
c) 2, 3, 4, 5
d) 1, 2, 4, 5
Solution: d)
The six countries that border the Red Sea are the following: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt,
Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti.
32 COMMENTS   Oldest 

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