World Regional Geography April 14, 2010 Reading: Marston Chapter 8 pages 378-391, 393-410 (East Asia) Chapter 1 pages 44-48 Goodes World Atlas pages 189-1999,

World Regional GeographyWorld Regional Geography

April 14, 2010April 14, 2010

Reading: Marston Chapter 8 pages

378-391, 393-410 (East Asia)

Chapter 1 pages 44-48

Goode’s World Atlaspages 189-1999, 201-213

(East, Southeast, and South Asia)

Mongolian Steppe

East AsiaEast Asia

1. Political Boundaries2. History

A. Dynasties & EmpiresB. Imperial DeclineC. 20th Century ChangeD. Revolutionary China

3. Population Characteristics4. Environmental History and Issues 5. Culture and Ethnicity6. Economic Development

A. Development TheoryB. Rostow’s Stages of DevelopmentC. The Asian TigersD. JapanE. China

Pyongyang, North Korea

Political BoundariesPolitical Boundaries

HistoryHistory

• Chinese Dynasties

• Imperial Japan

• Mongol Empire

HistoryHistory

• Inward looking societies

• Imperial decline

• 20th century change• Significantly different trajectories

• Japan: industrialization and expansion

• China: revolution and communism

• Korea: North/South division

• Mongolia: Soviet domination

• Taiwan: political uncertainty / development

Revolutionary ChinaRevolutionary China 1912 Qing Dynasty Falls

• Nationalist Party• Long March 1934-35

• Mao Zedong• Organized rural peasants

• 1949 Communist control – Nationalist government flees to Taiwan.

• 1950 Korean War• China enters on behalf of North Korea

• The Great Leap Forward• Large agricultural communes

• Crops determined by central planners

• Five Year Plan• Attempt to industrialize rural areas• Bad weather and poor planning lead to famine• 1959 – 1962, 20 to 30 million starved

Revolutionary ChinaRevolutionary China

• The Cultural Revolution• Attempt to reeducate• Remove corrupt officials• Millions displaced

• Mostly “intellectuals”• From city to country• 10’s of thousands killed

• 1976 – Revolution Over• Mao Zedong dies• “Gang of Four” arrested• 1989 Tiananmen Square

• The Four Modernizations• Industry, agriculture,

science and defense• Deng Xiaoping

• Decentralization• Market economy• Private

entrepreneurship• Open-door policy• Manufacturing grows by

15% per year• Allows foreign

investment• Normalized trade

relations

Modern Day East AsiaModern Day East Asia

• Japan• 2nd largest world economy

• Asian Tigers• Hong Kong• South Korea• Taiwan

• China• 3rd largest economy• Potential to be center of

world economy• “Pacific Destiny”

Tapei, Taiwan

Geopolitical HotspotsGeopolitical Hotspots• North Korea

• World’s 5th largest standing army• Nuclear capability?

• Taiwan• Part of cold war politics• Lost international status in 1971

China still views it as a wayward province

“Hurray for the glorious victory of Seon-gun politics!”

Seon-gun = military first

• Central / Inner China• North China Plain• Sichuan Basin

• Japanese Pacific Corridor

Population DensityPopulation Density

Population CharacteristicsPopulation Characteristics

RegionRegionPopulationPopulation

(Millions)(Millions)Birth Birth RateRate

Death Death RateRate

Natural Natural IncreaseIncrease

(%)(%)

Net Net MigratioMigration Raten Rate

Projected Projected Pop. Change Pop. Change

(2050)(2050)

East AsiaEast Asia 1,5641,564 1212 77 0.50.5 00 +4%+4%

RegionRegion IMRIMR TFRTFR % Pop % Pop <15<15

% Pop% Pop

>65>65Life Life

ExpectancyExpectancy MaleMale FemalFemalee

East AsiaEast Asia 2020 1.61.6 1919 1010 7474 7272 76

RegionRegion HIV/AIDS %HIV/AIDS % % Urban% UrbanGNI PPPGNI PPP

(US$)(US$)

East AsiaEast Asia 0.10.1 5151 9,1009,100

• China accounts for the bulk of population• Internal migration: rural-to-urban• Very little emigration to East Asia• Significant income variations

Environmental History & IssuesEnvironmental History & Issues

• North China Plain • Forests cleared• Water control

• Draining of marshes• Irrigation

• Korea / Japan • Terrain limits agricultural land

• Outer China / Mongolia• Sparsely populated • Limited human impact

• Air and Water pollution • High coal usage• Industrial waste• Limited regulation

Culture & EthnicityCulture & Ethnicity

• China• Han Chinese: 92%• 56 other ethnic groups

• Tibet• Invaded by China in 1950• Ethnic Tibetans now a minority• Tibetan Buddhism

• Xinjiang• Majority Uighur population• Muslim• Independence movement repressed by China

• Taiwan• Han Chinese: 98%

Culture & EthnicityCulture & Ethnicity

• Homogeneity• Japan: almost exclusively ethnic Japanese (98.5%).• South Korea: only about 20,000 Chinese make up

minority population.• North Korea: very small Chinese population.• Mongolia: 94.9% Mongol, 5% Turkic (Kazakh), less than

0.1% Chinese and Russian

Culture & EthnicityCulture & Ethnicity

• Language• China

• Mandarin (language of Imperial China), Cantonese• 52 other languages

• Japan, Korea, Mongolia: dominated by national languages

• Religion• Confucianism• Daoism• Buddhism• Japan – Shinto and Buddhism

Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development

• Development Theory• Core-oriented

• Attempt to replicate the prosperity of the core in the periphery by encouraging economic growth through industrialization and modernization.

• Two assumptions of the core • The periphery should attempt to be like the core in its

pathway to development.• The economic problems of the periphery are due to poverty

and backwardness.

• Modernization Theory• Increase investment – increase industrialization• Improve productivity and raise GDP• Incomes increase, and thus consumption increases

• Rostow’s Stages of Development

Rostow’s Stages of DevelopmentRostow’s Stages of Development

Rostow’s Stages of DevelopmentRostow’s Stages of Development

Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development

• Dependency School of Development• Emerged in reaction to modernization theory• Periphery point-of-view

• The core-periphery relationship is responsible for the chronic state of under-development in the periphery.

• Economic exploitation • Dependency of inputs from the core• Development requires separation from the capitalist

world-system and economic dependency.• Opposite of neo-liberalism• Latin America prior to the debt crisis

• How does East Asia fit?

Asia Section 4

The nations further benefited from their access to the major shipping routes of the Pacific Ocean.

While Japan was building one of the world’s strongest economies in the years after World War II, other Asian nations were also making great economic gains. Because of economic successes, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore became known as the Asian Tigers.

• Asian Rim entered 1960s as poor, undeveloped region

• Over next few decades, Asian Tiger economies performed spectacularly

• Growth higher than that of similar economies in Latin America, Africa

Spectacular Growth

The Asian Tigers

• Countries followed pattern similar to one used by postwar Japan

• Ample education, training for citizens; skilled workforce necessary for industrial expansion

• Also received U.S. economic aid

Industrial Expansion

Asia Section 4

Manufacturing

As in Japan, Asian Tigers focused on growth

• Growth came through exports of consumer goods, primarily to United States

• Low costs for labor, production, as well as loyal, dedicated workforce allowed manufacture of low-cost products that could sell in U.S.

Japan’s Industrial RevolutionJapan’s Industrial Revolution

• 1868 – Meiji Clan• Capitalistic

monopolies• Improvements in

• Heavy industry• Infrastructure• Education• Agriculture

• Silk exports• Military

aggression• By 1920 Japan

becomes a core nation

Postwar JapanPostwar Japan

• “Economic Miracle”• 10% growth yearly• By 1963 – leading

manufacturing nation• Advantages

• High levels of personal savings

• New technologies• Government support• Social stability• Cultural Support

• Keiretsu

ChinaChina

• Enormous domestic market• Protection of domestic producers• Positive balance of trade• Regional disparities

• East vs. West• Urban vs. Rural

• Environmental issues