Asia:
The Largest Continent
1. Fill in the blanks.
a. The plateau of Iran is an intermontane plateau.
b. Amu Darya is an example of inland drainage.
c. The temperature remains high through out the year and rain occurs almost every day in an equatorial climate.
d. Naypyitaw is the capital of Myanmar.
e. Cherrapunji is one of the world's wettest places.
f. Caspian sea and Aral Sea are two large inland lakes.
g. The Mesopotamian low land is drained by Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
2. Match the following.
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a. Middle East countries |
i. Reindeer, polar bear. [b] |
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b. Tundra |
ii. Rosewood. [d] |
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c. Tropical deciduous |
iii. Jordan, Syria. [a] |
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d. Equatorial forest |
iv. Teak, sandalwood. [c] |
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e. Roof of the world |
v. Plateau of Tibet. [e] |
3. Choose the correct option.
a. Yenisey flows into the
i. Pacific Ocean. [ ]
ii. Arctic Ocean. [✓]
iii. Indian Ocean. [ ]
iv. Caspian Sea. [ ]
b. Which of the following are examples of intermontane plateaus?
i. Deccan. [ ]
ii. Arabia. [ ]
iii. Tibet. [ ]
iv. Anatolia. [✓]
c. Which of the following does not lie in Asia?
i. Arctic Circle. [ ]
ii. Tropic of Capricorn. [ ]
iii. Tropic of Cancer. [ ]
iv. Equator. [✓]
4. Distinguish between the following:
a) The difference between Northern Lowlands and the Indo-Gangetic Plain:
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b) The difference between Tropical deciduous forest and tropical rain forest.
= The difference between tropical deciduous forest and tropical rain forest are -
c) The difference between Deccan Plateau and Tibetan Plateau:
= The difference between Deccan Plateau and Tibetan Plateau are -
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d) The difference between the Great Serbian Plain and lowlands of Central Asia:
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i) It is located in the northern part of Asia. |
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5. Answer the questions in one or two sentences:
a) What marks the western boundary of Asia?
= The Ural Mountains, The Ural River, and the Caspian Sea form the western boundary of Asia.
b) Indicate the location of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
= Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is located in China.
c) What factors cause great diversity in climatic conditions in Asia?
= The factors cause great diversity in climatic conditions in Asia are -
i) Latitudinal extent, ii) Continentality, iii) Relief Features, iv) Presence of low pressure trough, and v) Jet streams.
d) Outlined the climate found in the steppe grasslands of Asia.
= Here, the amount of annual rainfall is low and it mostly occur during the summer season.
e) What type of vegetation is found in the Tundra region?
= The land is covered with snow during the long winter season. During the short summer season, when snow cover melts, moss, lichen and short bushes start to grow.
6. Name the following:
a) The ancient civilizations of Asia.
= Indus Valley Civilization(India and Pakistan), Mesopotamia(Iraq), and the Yangtze Valley Civilization(China).
b) The five major physical divisions of Asia:
= i) Central Highlands, ii) Northern lowlands, iii) Plateaus, iv) River Basins and v) Islands.
c) Rivers that drain the Great Siberian Plain:
= Ob, Yenisey and Lena Rivers.
d) The large rivers of China.
= The Hwang Ho, the Yangtze, and the Si Kiang Rivers.
e) Three countries of Asia which consist of a group of islands.
= Japan; Philippines; and Indonesia.
7. Answer the following questions in details:
a) Describe any two physical divisions of Asia.
= Two important physical divisions are described in details below:
i) River Basins:- The River Basins are located mainly between the Central Mountain Belt and the Southern Plateaus. The River Valleys are regions of fertile alluvial soils and abundant water supply. Most of these large rivers originate in the Central Mountain Belt and are perennial.
The Mesopotamian lowland in Iraq is drained by the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. These rivers join together and enter the Persian Gulf.
The Indo-Gangetic Plain covers parts of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra and their tributaries drain this low land.
The Irrawaddy River flows in Myanmar, ant the Menam and the Mekong River flow in Indo-China.
The Hwang Ho, the Yangtze, and the Si Kiang Rivers flow in China.
ii) Islands:- Numerous groups of islands exists on the east of Asia. Among the island groups, Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia are three large countries. These islands have many volcanic cones of great height. They are frequently affected by earthquakes.
b) Describe how climate influences vegetation of a region. Give suitable example.
= Asia has a great diversity in natural vegetation because of the diverse climatic conditions. Each major climatic division has its own dominant type of vegetation. Rainfall is a major factor along with the soil that influence the vegetation type. For example:
i) Tundra Vegetation:- This is found mostly in the regions of the Arctic coast that has long and extreme cold winter. The land is covered with snow during the long winter season. During the short summer season, when the snow cover melts, moss, lichen and short bushes start to grow.
ii) Taiga or Coniferous Forest:- These are found in a broad belt between 50°N latitude and the Arctic Circle(66½°N). Tall coniferous trees such as fir, spruce and pine are found .
iii) Tropical Deciduous Forest:- This region has a long dry season in winter. Trees shed their leaves in this season. Teak, sal, and sandalwood are same of the useful trees found in these forests.
iv) Thorny Desert Vegetation:- It is found in the Arabian Desert, Thar Desert, Gobi Desert, Tibet and some plateau regions of Central Asia where rainfall is very low. The vegetation consists of thorny shrubs, bushes, and clumps of grasses.
v) Tropical Rain Forest or Equatorial Forest:- The equatorial regions of Malaysia and Indonesia have this type of vegetation. These forests have tall trees forming a thick canopy. Several species of hardwood trees such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany are found.
c) Describe the flora and fauna of a tropical rain-forest.
= Flora of a tropical rain-forest:- These forests have tall trees forming a thick canopy. Several species of hardwood trees such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany are found. These are evergreen through out the year because there is no dry season.
Fauna of a tropical rain-forest:- Monkeys, birds, butterflies and a variety of animals and reptiles live in these dense forests.
9. Thought provoking questions:
a) Why is Asia a continent of contrast?
= Asia is often called the continent of contrasts. It has the highest mountains and highest plateaus as well as some of the largest stretches of lowlands in the world. It has the coldest as well as the some of the hottest places, wettest and some driest, most thickly and thinly populated regions of the world.
b) Why does Asia have a great diversity in climate?
= Asia experiences great diversity of climate. It has some of the hottest and coldest places in the world. Jacobabad in the Sind province of Pakistan is one of the hottest places in the world. Verkhoyansk in Siberia is one of the coldest places in the world. Asia also has two of the world's wettest places, namely Cherrapunji and mawsynram in India.
c) Why is Asia known as the 'Cradle of human civilization'?
= Asia has distinction of being the cradle of human civilization. Some of the earliest human civilizations including those of the Indus Valley(India and Pakistan), Mesopotamia(Iraq), and the Yangtze Valley(China) originated and flourished in different parts of this continent. The world's major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam also had their origins in Asia.