World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 1: Natural Environments Japan Koreas • Peninsula • Four major islands • Mountains, coastal plains • Many small islands • Hills and low mountains • Forests, mountains • Coastal plain • Volcanoes • Yalu and Tumen Rivers

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 1: Natural Environments Major Landforms

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Japan

• Four main islands and thousands of smaller ones • Main Islands: Hokkaido, Honshu (largest), Shikoku, Kyush • Smaller: Ryukyu Islands (in north, Okinawa is largest of these small islands) and Kuril Islands (in south, controlled by Russia) • Mountains—70 percent of land; Japanese Alps the longest chain • Japanese Alps located on Honshu; Mt. Fuji is highest in Japan • Plains (30%)—Mainly on Pacific coast of Honshū; densely populated • Located on a subduction zone • Nearly 200 volcanoes;1/3 active; 1,500 earthquakes per year; tsunamis

World Geography Today Chapter 28

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 1: Natural Environments

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Major Landforms

Korea

• Peninsula – 600 miles long • Borders China along Yalu and Tumen Rivers and Russia in far northeast • Mainly hills and low mountains; no active volcanoes • Coastal plain in the west (best farm land and most people) • Mountains in north east and along east coast

World Geography Today Chapter 28

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 1: Natural Environments

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Climates

Japan

—Similar to U.S. east coast • Humid continental to the north; severe winters • Humid subtropical to the south; mild winters, warm and humid summers

Korea

—Similar to Japan • Winter—Cold and snowy in North Korea; mild in South Korea • Summer—Warm and humid generally

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 1: Natural Environments

•

Climates

Japan and Korea

—Temperate and middle-latitude forests • Forests contain camphor, oak, pine, maple • Korea – many forests cleared; deforestation and population growth have limited the habitats of many large mammals • Bears, leopards, and tigers have almost disappeared • Japan – many mammals are still common in forested mountain areas • Both Japan and Korea are located on a major

flyway

•

Hundreds of species of migratory birds pass through Japan and Koreas on their journeys north and south

World Geography Today Chapter 28

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 1: Natural Environments Key Resources

• Japan has limited mineral and energy resources and relies on imports. Nuclear and hydropower plants have helped.

• Koreas import oil and gas, but have iron ore, copper, lead, and coal. • Forests are plentiful in Japan, but logging is strictly controlled. Much timber is imported.

• Japan and Koreas are both rich in marine life.

World Geography Today Chapter 28

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture

Read to Discover

• What cultures influenced the early history of Japan and the Koreas?

• What were some major events in the modern history of the region?

• What are some notable features of Japanese and Korean culture?

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture

Question

What cultures influenced Japan and the Koreas during their early history?

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture

Early Influences on Japan and Korea

Japan • The Ainu • Invaders from Asia • China and Korea • Portuguese traders • Spanish and Dutch merchants The Koreas • Northern and central Asians • China

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture Early Cultural Influences

• Ainu – Japan’s earliest inhabitants; descendants of people who migrated to Japan from northern Asia several thousand years ago • Asians invaded Japan around 300 B.C. and drove the Ainu to northern Japan; introduced rice farming; only 20,000 Ainu today.

• Chinese invaded Korea in 108 B.C., leaving a strong cultural imprint.

• Both China and Korea strongly influenced Japanese culture, but eventually a distinct Japanese culture emerged. Ex. Shintoism is Japan’s main religion, centered around

kami

(the spirits of natural places, sacred animals, and ancestors).

• Europeans arrived in Japan in 1500s, but Japan resisted influence.

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture Early Cultural Influences

• In 700s AD, Japan developed a unique political system • Japanese emperor was officially in control of the political system • By late 1100s AD real power rested with a powerful warlord called a

shogun

• Eventually the shogun ruled over the other wealthy landlords called

daimyo

(daimyo controlled their own local territories) • Professional warriors protected the daimyo – samurai • Political system was similar to the feudal system of medieval Europe (local lords tried to invade neighbor’s lands) • When Mongols invaded in 1274 and 1281, the Japanese banded together • Europeans arrived in Japan in 1500s, but Japan resisted influence.

• Portuguese first then Spanish and Dutch

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture Modern History

• U.S. Navy arrived in Tokyo Bay in 1853; Japan began to open up to foreign influences.

• Meiji Restoration of 1868 brought emperor back; he began modernization reforms. By 1890, Japan had a constitution and parliamentary system of government • Japan expanded Asian territory between 1895 and 1937 (Taiwan, Sakhalin, Korea, China). Map p.643

• Japan joined Axis Powers in 1940; 1941 entered WWII by attacking Pearl Harbor; surrendered in 1945, after atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture Modern History

(continued)

• Japan established democratic system after WWII. Includes an elected law-making body called the Diet and a prime minister. Emperor is still the symbolic leader.

• Japan lost Korea at end of WWII. US and Soviet Union divided Korea along the 38 th parallel. Communist North (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and democratic South (Republic of Korea).

• North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. Korean War (1950 –1953) ended by signing an armistice (truce); establishment of DMZ. More info pp.644-645

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture Cultural Features

• Strong Chinese influence • Each country dominated by a single ethnic group •

Religion

—Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan; Buddhism and Confucianism in Korea, but strong Christian influence in South Korea •

Food

—Rice is the staple food; raw fish popular in Japan; grilled meats in Korea

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 2: History and Culture Cultural Features

(continued)

•

Education

—Excellent schools, high literacy in Japan and South Korea; North Korea focuses on communist ideology •

Customs

—Strong Western influences, but traditions survive; focus on family, respect for elders •

Art

—Music, literature, theatre, dance, visual and decorative arts are strong traditions

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 3: The Region Today

Read to Discover

• What are some characteristics of Japan today?

• How is life in North Korea different from life in South Korea?

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 3: The Region Today Modern Japan

• Agriculture and industry are very efficient and productive. Government subsidies protect Japanese farmers from foreign competition.

• Japanese have a strong work ethic – long workdays and 6 day workweeks are common; loyalty to companies • Exports are a key to economic success, but Asian competition is growing.

• Japan has many large cities; Tokyo-Yokohama is world’s largest urban agglomeration.

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 3: The Region Today Modern Japan

(continued)

• Most people are middle-class suburbanites; homes are small and expensive.

• Western cultural influences are common: clothing, food, music, sports.

• Society is getting older; women’s roles are changing.

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 3: The Region Today

Question

What are the differences between life in North Korea and in South Korea?

World Geography Today Chapter 28 Section 3: The Region Today North Korea • Isolated, communist dictatorship • Large military • Command economy • Citizens’ lives tightly controlled • Outside the capital, most North Koreans living in poverty South Korea • Democratically elected government • Many rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens • Rapid economic growth • Large urban middle class • Export economy (shipbuilding, steel, autos)

World Geography Today Chapter 28

Chapter Wrap-Up

Understanding the Main Ideas

1. What are Japan’s four main islands? Which is the largest and most populated?

2. Why might you find so many different species of birds in Japan and the Koreas?

3. During what period did Japan control the Korea Peninsula?

4. How are the Japanese and Korean written languages different?

5. What is agriculture like in North Korea?