East Asia is a geographically defined region of Asia that includes China, North Korea, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea and Japan. These countries are united for a reason; China has strongly influenced their development. Even now, the Chinese language on the territory of these states is considered a kind of Latin alphabet. But more about that later, but for now it's worth considering the characteristics of each country and the general characteristics of this geographical region.
Avoiding misunderstandings
Researchers single out such East Asian countries as Japan, China, Taiwan, North and South Korea, as well as Macau and Hong Kong. As for the last two, people who are ignorant of this topic have many questions. Especially if the person in some movie heard that Hong Kong is in China.
Macau and Hong Kong are special administrative regions of China. For quite a long time they developed separately from China. For example, Macau was originallyPortuguese colony, and only on December 20, 1999, after the complete elimination of colonization, joined China.
Hong Kong has a slightly different story. In 1860, after the defeat of China in the Second Opium War, these territories were ceded to Great Britain. According to the first documents, for eternal possession. But 38 years later, namely in 1898, China signed an agreement with Great Britain, according to which, the latter leases Hong Kong for 99 years. According to the documents, Hong Kong was returned to China on December 19, 1984, but officially it joined China only in 1997.
So Macau and Hong Kong can be considered as separate administrative regions, or you can add their numerical characteristics to the quantitative data of China, after all, they are now one country.
General characteristics
East Asian countries are located in the Asia-Pacific region and occupy the 4th part of Asia. All countries are maritime states, they are located at the crossroads of sea routes, which contributes to the dynamic development of the economy. And perhaps that is where their similarities end. The states of East Asia are different in area, political system and level of economic development.
For example, Japan is considered an economically developed country with a market economy and is part of the G7. China has a large density and population, has a centralized economy, North Korea (DPRK) is a socialist state, and South Korea is a typical country of new industrialization. Only in Taiwana special position, since it was not actually recognized by the world community. In 1971, the country was expelled from the UN, as the legitimate authority of China was recognized on the island, although the state considers itself a separate administrative unit.
Nature and economic and geographical location
If we talk about East Asia as a separate region, then first of all it is worth highlighting the features of the economic and geographical position. The region is located on the territories of China and Mongolia, and these are the shortest land routes to Europe from the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It has a very favorable maritime position, which is due not only to the presence of important sea routes, but also to the presence of non-freezing seas. This allows you to go to the waters of the Pacific Ocean all year round, and after all, it accounts for the 4th part of all maritime transport on the planet. Also, the ocean coast is becoming more and more recreational every year.
East Asia accounts for 8% of the earth's land, the natural conditions of this region are quite diverse. In the west is the highest plateau in the world - Tibet, its area is 2 million km2. Some of the inner ridges of the highlands reach a height of 7000 m above sea level. Intermontane plains are located at altitudes from 4000 m to 5000 m. It is cool here even in summer, the maximum temperature is 15 °C. In general, Tibet can be characterized as a cold high- altitude desert, in addition, high seismic and volcanic activity has been recorded here, and earthquakes often occur in the region of young mountains.
There are 150 volcanoes on the islands of Japan, 60 of which are active. In general, one notable earthquake occurs every three days. The most seismologically unsafe region is located near Tokyo Bay. And since seismic activity can be traced under the water of the coast, the states of East Asia often suffer from tsunamis.
In the eastern part of the region there are low mountains that alternate with plains. The largest of them is the Great China Plain. It has a flat surface, and its height is approximately 100 meters. There are also low plains here, but most of them are located on the Korean Peninsula.
East Asia is located in three climatic zones at once - temperate, subtropical and subequatorial. In summer, monsoon air currents move from the ocean to land, in winter they circulate exactly the opposite. In summer, the wind brings precipitation, which decreases from south to north. So, in the southeastern region, up to 2000 mm of precipitation per season can fall, and in the northeastern region, their amount never exceeds 800 mm. In the monsoon zone, spring and autumn are dry, so artificial irrigation is widely used in this part of the region. The island and mainland parts of the region have a dense river system, which is not observed in the west.
Natural resources
The East Asian region is rich in mineral resources. Naturally, most of them are in China. In general, the region is rich in coal reserves, which is present in all countries, brown coal (the main deposit in the northeast of the DPRK),oil (sea shelf) and oil shale (China). As for Japan and North Korea, in the territories of these countries, few deposits are used on an industrial scale, some of them are not even considered in this regard. But despite all this, North Korea boasts large reserves of metals, which cannot be said about Japan, which is poor in industrial metals.
Sources of fresh water are the lakes of Japan, China and South Korea. Lands suitable for farming are considered scarce, in particular, this applies to Japan. The third part of its shores is bulk or alluvial. Also, the region cannot boast of rich forest resources, only 40% of the territory is covered with forests.
Language of East Asia
Countries on the list of East Asia speak different languages, but it all started with a single classical Chinese language that was used in literature. For example, consider the formation of the Japanese language. Most of the characters are borrowed from Chinese. When the influence of China weakened, the country decided to create its own language, so the Kan alphabet appeared. However, kanji - Chinese characters - remained unchanged. Over time, each character received a dual meaning and reading: Japanese and Chinese. Of course, the number of Chinese characters that are currently used in Japan is much less than the number used in China, but the influence of Chinese culture is still felt.
According to the same principle, the language was formed in Taiwan, but in Korea its owna system of hieroglyphs that is completely different from Chinese, although researchers believe that it was Chinese that was the prototype of Korean. Simply put, all these languages have a common, Chinese origin. How else to explain the fact that the inhabitants of these countries easily learn the languages of the East Asian region, and they have serious problems with the study of European ones.
East Asians
This region is considered the most populated in the world. According to the latest statistics, 1 billion 440 million people live in East Asia, that is, 24% of the population of the entire planet. In China, the problems of overpopulation and large families are relevant, therefore, unlike other countries, here the demographic policy is aimed at reducing the birth rate. How it manifests itself:
- "One family - one child." For urban residents, a one-child family is a prerequisite, however, this condition does not apply to families of national minorities.
- Families with one child are supported nationally. They receive cash bonuses, subsidies, he alth insurance, housing assistance, etc.
- Families with two children do not receive food stamps and pay 10% income tax.
- There is active promotion of late marriages.
- Women are free to have abortions.
In general, the region has the same ratio of men and women (50.1% and 49.9%, respectively). Among the population of East Asia, 24% are children under 14 years old, 68% are people from 15up to 64 years and 8% of older people. The vast majority of the population belongs to the Mongoloid race. In the south of China and in Japan, one can meet a mixed racial type, in which there are features of Mongoloids and Australoids. Also among the population of East Asian countries there are Ainu, their usual place of residence is Japan. These are natives belonging to a separate racial group of Australoids.
As for the peoples of East Asia, the ethnic composition here is heterogeneous. It is represented by families such as:
- Chinese-Tibetan. The Chinese group includes the Chinese and Chinese Muslims. To the Tibetan - the peoples of the Zu and the Tibetans.
- Altai family. Consists of the Mongolian group (the Mongols of China), the Manchus (they live in the east of China), the Turks (the Uighurs, the Kirghiz, the Kazakhs).
- Japanese and Koreans are separate families.
- Ainu - the natives of Hokkaido (Japan).
- Austronesian family. These are the indigenous people of Taiwan - gaoshan.
- Thai and Austroasiatic family.
Religious composition and density of the region
The religion of East Asia is represented by a wide variety of areas. First of all, this is the Confucian culture, which was formed in China in the 5th century BC. Some time later, Buddhism penetrated the region from India, which is still preached today. But in the meantime, local religions such as Taoism and Shinto retain their importance. Also in northern China, some residents are Sunni Muslims, but this group is not very extensive.
Population density in East Asiauneven. The most densely populated countries are Japan and Korea - 300-400 people per km2. Although China suffers from overpopulation, the country's inhabitants are distributed quite unevenly throughout the territory: 90% of the inhabitants live in the east of the country and occupy a third of it. Here the population density is 130 people per km2 (averaging), and if we consider Tibet, then there is 1 person per km2. In general, the density of East Asia is largely dependent on the processes of urbanization.
Also, the region has a large amount of labor resources. About 810 people of working age live here.
China
The history of East Asia is directly connected with the history of China, the most ancient civilization on the planet. Today, China is known worldwide for its mass production of goods. On almost every third product in the store you can find the significant inscription "made in China". The language of this country is considered the most ancient, and it is still used today, and some sights of China appeared in the 6th century BC
The country is famous not only for its ancient origin, but also for its many know-hows that have entered into the daily use of mankind many centuries ago. Thanks to the Chinese, such things as the compass, paper, gunpowder and printing appeared in the world. Some researchers claim that it was China that became the birthplace of football, since this game was played here a thousand years BC. e.
The Chinese are proud of their past, even today from generation to generationmillennia-old traditions are passed on. In China, many things were known even before the beginning of the countdown, while in Europe they appeared through trial and error, around the 16th-17th centuries. In 25 B. C. the first suspension bridge was built in the country, ahead of the rest of the world by exactly 1300 years.
Earthquake monitoring device, mechanical clock, metal plow, use of gas to heat houses, ceremonial tea parties and much more were created in China long before the rest of the world embarked on the path of the industrial revolution. Perhaps we would already be living in a fully mechanized world if the Chinese had once shared their achievements with other, younger states. But since they believed that unintelligent barbarians lived around the borders of their territory, they carefully protected their achievements from prying eyes.
Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun is home to summer festivals, cherry blossoms and a global anime conglomerate. This state consists of 6000 islands. Japan has the highest standard of living and the lowest mortality rate. It is part of the G7 and is the only country in the world against which nuclear weapons have been used.
The state is ruled by the emperor, and, what is most interesting, the imperial family has not been interrupted since the foundation of the country.
There is no central heating in the houses, people do not go to visit without an invitation, and foreigners are extremely wary. For a long time Japan was closed from the steel world. She seemed to be stewing in her own juice, at times taking overuseful undertakings by China and other neighboring countries.
Due to the high seismic activity in Japan, a peculiar technology for building houses has formed - light sliding "doors", that's all the walls. Although such houses fall like houses of cards as a result of strong earthquakes, they are easy, quick and inexpensive to restore.
Traditional Japanese religion - Shinto, it did not disappear even after Buddhism spread throughout the country. In Japan, a unique symbiosis of religions has formed - they do not crowd out each other, but rather complement.
There are many world famous factories, concerns and conglomerates here. Often, factories develop several production lines. If demand for one product falls, the one for which demand has increased is immediately put on the market. The life of a person in this country depends on his work, there is no free education, and people say what they think and do not like to be alone.
South and North Korea
The Republic of Korea is amazing in that it has been able to overtake many countries in development without having any resources. They just made a bet on intelligence, and did not lose. According to official data, South Korea has the highest IQ. Scientists from Korea are recognized as the world's leading specialists in mathematics and IT technologies. The country has the most complex and developed IT infrastructure in the world. South Korea is also among the top five countries - the largest automakers, besides it is considered the world's largest shipbuilder.
Back incountry practiced e-learning system. Students and pupils do not need to talk much about the benefits of education, they know firsthand how important it is to have a good knowledge base, and study almost around the clock. Civilization here has reached almost everywhere, even in the most provincial villages. It is not uncommon to see an old temple adjacent to a modern business center with a small garden around. Koreans are extremely respectful of nature and historical sites. The country has a high standard of living (slightly lower than in Japan).
In contrast to South Korea, the list of East Asian countries also includes North Korea. Although these two countries are located on the same peninsula, they are diametrically opposed to each other (South Korea is shown on the right in the photo, and North is on the left). Behind the barbed wall where the industrial society of the Republic of Korea ends, there is a completely different world from which people are trying to escape.
North Korea is a socialist country, but time seems to have stopped here more than half a century ago. It was founded in 1948, the main body of power is the Workers' Party of Korea. After the new amendments to the economy were adopted, the country began to default. During the crisis, more than two thousand residents annually emigrated outside the country, but they were caught and punished for this. Hunger was considered a method of control in a totalitarian society; Koreans worked practically for food. Only on holidays, which were the birthdays of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, residents of the countryhanded out some new clothes, a portion of pork, a kilo of rice and biscuits.
Only since 2006, the economy begins to rise slightly, collective farms are turning into family-type enterprises. The oil refining, chemical, food and textile industries are actively developing.
Each of the countries of East Asia is unique in its own way. They may have shared historical roots, but each developed in its own way to eventually evolve into something new and exciting.
