NET, IAS, State-SET (KSET, WBSET, MPSET, etc.), GATE, CUET, Olympiads etc.: World Regions of Asia

Glide to success with Doorsteptutor material for competitive exams : get questions, notes, tests, video lectures and more- for all subjects of your exam.

Get video tutorials on geography @ Youtube Examrace Channel

5 Stages of Development in Cultural Geography

Rice

1) China (Areas)

  1. Chang Jiang (Yangtze Kiang) and Xi River (Si Kiang) Basins.
  2. South East Coastlands
  3. Sichuan (Szechwan) Basin
  4. Hill slopes south of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze)
  5. Rising of dietary standards has given wheat a greater prominence.

2) Bangladesh Rice fields in the Ganges Delta region are nil irrigated.

3) Japan: High Yield and produced in Northern Honshu

4) Malaysia large paddy settlement Schemes Kubang Pasu, Kedah, Tanjong Karang, Selangor. (Irrigation schemes)

Wheat

China

1. Hwang Ho Basin

2. Manchuria

  1. Flood control measures have helped wheat cultivation on the northern side of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze Kiang)
  2. Wheat is the staple food of the Northern China as rice is of the southern China.
  3. Also grown in North Korea and Japan (N. Honshu) Maize India and China. Barley Upper Ganges Basin

South East Asia

Rice

  1. Indonesia Mostly in Java (rich volcanic soil) . Raised as either Sawah (wet Paddy) or Huma (dry paddy)
  2. Mekong Delta, Annam coastland, Tonle Sap area of Cambodia and Vietnam are all natural sites for paddy cultivation.

Oats: North China Manchuria and around Hwang Ho Millet and Sorghum Southern and Western India, North Eastern China, Indo China peninsula, S. Borneo, Myanmar, Japan (S. Honshu) , Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

Tea

Sri Lanka

  • Introduced in 1870s after blights had destroyed almost all coffee trees in the Central Highlands.
  • Yields are low, though the tea is of high quality
  • Competition has increased for India and Sri Lanka because of rise in production in East Africa (Kenya etc.)

China

  • Export is much smaller than those of India and Sri Lanka.
  • Areas Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Valley, Sichuan (Szechwan) Basin.
  • Tea gardens are small.
  • Oolong Tea is produced in Taiwan.

Indonesia

  • Java, introduced in Sumatra as well.
  • Black tea is exported to the Netherlands.

Bangladesh

  • Exported through Chittagong
  • Main areas Surma Valley

Peninsular Malaysia

  • Cameroon Highlands (Picking is done by immigrant Tamil women from southern India and Sri Lanka)

Coffee

  • Java coffee (Java and Sumatra)
  • Mocha (Yemen) -India, Malayasia, Vietnam, and Philippines also grow coffee. Cocoa
  • Papua New Guinea is the main S. E. Asian producer
  • Also grown in eastern Sabah (Malaysia)

Sugarcane

  • India, Pakistan (production has increased because of irrigation) , China (Si kiang basin) , Taiwan, Thailand (leading producer in S. E. Asia) , Philippines (Panay, Negros, Cebu and Luzon islands)
  • Sugarbeet (Northern China)

Plantations in South East Asia

  • Rubber plantations were established in most of the South East Asian countries.
  • Thailand presently is the largest producer of rubber in the world.
  • Immigrants from China and South India flocked to South East Asia to get work on the estates. As a result of immigration, while people of Indian extraction account for about 10% of the Malaysia population. the proportion of Chinese people is around 38% in Malaysia.
  • Malaysian estates and plantations are perhaps the most efficient and wellrun in the world.Government in Malaysia had allowed the large estates to coexist with small holdings.
  • Where as political stability in Malaysia has led to better developmental performance on various economic fronts, other countries in South East Asian have witnessed retarded growth because of prolonged struggles for independence, confiscation of estates, struggle for power and frequent incidents of coups.
  • Philippines is the only South East Asian country which grows no rubber

Rubber

Malaysia

  • Most important crop in Malaysia
  • Expansion of rubber growing efficient, methodology, research and replanting along with establishment of Rubber
  • Research Institute in Kuala Lumpur and political stability have led to the growth of rubber industry.

Indonesia

  • Since most of the lands in Java were owned by peasant farmers, most of the rubber estates were set up in Sumatra.

Thailand

  • Presently the largest producer in the world.
  • Grown in southern region because seasonally dry climate in other parts prevent rubber growing.
  • Grown mostly by smallholders and small estate owners of Chinese extraction.

Cambodia

  • Rubber was grown mainly in the east of the country but production has been interrupted by the war and subsequent political instability.

Veitnam

  • Main Area North East of Ho Chi Minh city

Sri Lanka

  • After tea, rubber is the most important export crop.

Palm Oil

  • Malaysia- largest producer in the world. Grown on estates as well as on small holdings.
  • Indonesia-Mainly in southern Sumatra

Copra (Coconut)

Philippines, Indonesia, India and Sri lanka along with Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Hebrides.

Groundnut

  • India largest producer - China North China Plains
  • Also grown in Indonesia and Myanmar

Soya Bean

  • China: North China Plains and Manchuria
  • Japan and Indonesia also grow Soya bean

Olive

  • Turkey and Syria Tobacco
  • Turkey and South West Asia, South Asia and South East Asia
  • China and India are major producers
  • Greece and Turkey produce aromatic Turkish tobacco Indonesia also produces tobacco.

Dairy: Cattle

  • India largest producer of milk in the world.
  • Japan has a large number of important dairy industries.
  • Dairy Industry is not well developed in China because of traditional reasons.

Sheep

  • Middle East including Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and some other countries, is the leading sheep farming region in Asia. Sheep rearing is also important in dry areas of India and China as well.
  • China kept on extensive farms in the western province of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) and in Inner Mongolia

Pig

  • China Most important pigrearing country.
  • Also important in Korea, Japan, Philippines and continental South East Asia.