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Asia

  • Asia is the largest continent in the world, spanning an area of 44,444,100 square kilometers.
  • It accounts for approximately 30% of Earth’s total land area and 8.7% of its total surface area, with a population of 4.4 billion, making up 60% of the global population.
  • The continent is known for its contrasts in landscape, climate, vegetation, and cultures.
  • Asia lies to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the Caspian and Black Seas.
  • It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

Asia is home to both the highest and lowest points on Earth:

  • The highest point: Mount Everest
  • The lowest point: The Dead Sea shoreline

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Regional Divisions of Asia

Asia can be categorized into six major physiographic regions:

  • Central Asia: Includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • Eastern Asia: Comprises China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, and Taiwan.
  • Northern Asia: Consists of Russia.
  • Southeastern Asia: Encompasses Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
  • Southern Asia: Covers Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
  • Western Asia: Includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Major Physical Divisions of Asia

1. The Northern Lowlands

The Northern Lowlands are the extensive plain areas that comprise of several patches of lowlands of this large continent.
The major lowlands are:

  • Great Siberian plain: It extends between the Ural Mountains in the west and the river Lena in the east. It is the largest lowland in the world covering an area of 1,200,000 square miles approx.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

  • Manchurian Plain: It is the area adjoining Amur river and its tributaries of the northern part of China with an area of 135,000 square miles approx.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

  • Great Plains of China: It is contributed by two major rivers of China, Hwang Ho and Yangtze river which covers an area of 158,000 square miles approx.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Tigris-Euphrates plains
Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Ganga plains

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Irrawaddy plains

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

2. The Central Mountains

Central Asia is home to several major mountain ranges, including the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges, which stretch across parts of Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These mountain ranges are recognized as biodiversity hotspots by Conservation International, as they include various montane and alpine ecoregions. The region hosts a wide range of habitats, such as montane grasslands, shrublands, temperate coniferous forests, and alpine tundra.
A mountain knot refers to a point where multiple mountain ranges converge. In Asia, two major mountain knots exist:

  • The Pamir Knot, where five mountain ranges meet: the Sulaiman, Hindu Kush, Kunlun, Karakoram, and Himalayan ranges. Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, is located in the Himalayas.
  • The Armenian Knot, linked to the Pamir Knot through the Elburz and Zagros ranges, also gives rise to the Tian Shan and Altai mountain ranges.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE
Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Peaks of Asia

  • Mount Everest (8848 m), Nepal-Tibet, China border
  • K2 (8,61,1 m), (POK) India -China
  • Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), Nepal-Sikkim (India).
  • Lhotse (8,516 m), Nepal-Tibet, China
  • Makalu (8,462 m), Nepal-Tibet, China
  • Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Nepal

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE3. The Central and Southern Plateaus

Plateaus are the land areas having a relatively that surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyon.
Major Plateaus of Asian Continent –
Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

4. Peninsulas

A peninsula is a mass of land surrounded by water but attached to the mainland. The Deccan plateau region is also a peninsula. The major peninsulas of Arabia, India, and Malay are in southern Asia. The Kamchatka peninsula lies in northeastern Asia.
Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

5. Deserts

Asia has some big deserts such as the Gobi, the Takla Makan, the Thar, the Kara-Kum, and the Rub-al-Khali Deserts. The Rub’ al Khali desert, considered the world’s largest sand sea, covers an area larger than France across Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

6. (a) Islands of Asia

Asia also has a cluster of islands, also called an archipelago. An archipelago sometimes called an island group or island chain, which is formed close to each other in large clusters. Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Andaman, and Nicobar are some examples of archipelagos.
Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

(b) Drainage of Asia

The drainage of Asia consists of mighty oceans, extensive seas, lengthy rivers, and their tributaries and distributaries, major lakes, etc.

Oceans: Asian continent is surrounded by three major ocean from three sides such as

  • The Pacific Ocean – It covers the eastern part of Asia where major rivers of eastern Asia drain, such as Menam Mekong, Xi Jiang, Chang Xiang, Huang Ho, and Amur.
  • The Indian Ocean – It covers the southern part of Asia and the major rivers that flow into the Indian Ocean are Tigris, Euprates, the Indus, the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween.
  • The Arctic Ocean – It covers the Noth east part of Asia and consists of three major rivers such as Ob, Yenisey, and Lena.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Seas: As the continent is covered by sea from its three sides, It has also characterized by the long stretch of bay and gulf.
Major seas contributing to Asian Drainage are Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Banda Sea, Barents Sea, Bering Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, East Siberian Sea, Java Sea, Kara Sea, Laccadive Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk. The South China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Lakes: Major lakes of Asia are

  • Lake Baikal, Onega, Ladoga, and Peipus in Russia;
  • Lake Akan, Mashu, Biwa, Shikotsu in Japan;
  • Qinghai Lake, Lake Khanka in China;
  • Dal Lake, Chilka, Vembanada, Pullicat and Sukhna in India;
  • Lake Matano and Toba in Indonesia, etc.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. It is in Southern Siberia, Russia.
Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Freshwater

  • Lake Baikal, situated in southern Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, with a depth of 1,620 meters (5,315 feet). It holds 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, making it the largest freshwater reservoir on Earth. Additionally, it is the oldest lake in the world, estimated to be around 25 million years old.
  • The Yangtze River, the longest in Asia and the third-longest globally (after the Amazon and Nile), stretches 6,300 kilometers (3,915 miles). It flows from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to its mouth on the East China Sea. Often referred to as the lifeblood of China, the Yangtze is of immense importance to the country.
  • The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers originate in the highlands of eastern Turkey, flowing through Syria and Iraq. They converge in the city of Qurna, Iraq, before emptying into the Persian Gulf. The fertile land between these rivers, known as Mesopotamia, was home to some of the earliest civilizations, including Sumer and the Akkadian Empire.

Saltwater

  • The Persian Gulf has an area of more than 234,000 square kilometers (90,000 square miles). It borders Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. The gulf is subject to high rates of evaporation, making it shallow and extremely salty.
  • The Sea of Okhotsk covers 1.5 million square kilometers (611,000 square miles) between the Russian mainland and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
  • The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2 million square kilometers (839,000 square miles) and bordering Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. Many large rivers, including the Ganges and Brahmaputra, empty into the bay.

Straits

The important straits in Asia are the Strait of Malacca, Bering Strait, etc.

  • Longest Straits: Strait of Malacca (800 km) connects the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). 
  • Narrowest Strait: Strait of Bosphorus connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea. 
  • Bering Strait: separates Asia from America. 
  • Bass Strait: seperates Australia from Tasmania. 
  • Gibraltar Strait: Seperates Africa from Europe.

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE

Resources

Asia's climate can generally be divided into three main zones:

North/Central Zone

  • The northern and central regions of Asia experience cold and dry winds from the Arctic, particularly in Siberia, Russia. In the central and southern parts of this zone, where permanent frost hinders plant growth, hardier grains such as barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, and wheat are cultivated. 
  • Livestock farming is also a key component of agriculture in this area, with Mongolia dedicating 75 percent of its agricultural land to the raising of animals like sheep, goats, and cattle.

Southwest Zone

  • This region is characterized by dry and hot conditions, stretching from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia through Pakistan, Iran, and into the Arabian Peninsula. 
  • Few areas in this zone receive enough moisture for crop cultivation. Barley and corn are the main crops grown with irrigation in some countries. Additionally, fruits and vegetables such as dates, figs, apricots, olives, onions, grapes, and cherries are significant agricultural products.

Southeast Zone

  • The southeast zone is heavily influenced by the summer monsoon season. Rice, a staple food across Asia, is one of the continent's most important agricultural commodities. 
  • In areas with less rainfall, wheat is widely grown. Southeast Asia is also a major producer of tropical fruits like mangoes, papayas, and pineapples, with India being the world’s largest mango producer, contributing around 40 percent of global output.

Mining

  • China, India, Russia, and Indonesia are the leading mining economies in Asia. These countries extract a variety of minerals. China is the top producer of aluminum, gold, tin, and coal.
  • India is a major producer of aluminum and iron ore, along with minerals like barite (used in drilling), chromium (used in steel and dyes), and manganese (used in steel). Russia produces significant amounts of coal, tungsten (used in steel production), diamonds, iron, and steel. Indonesia is a key producer of coal, gold, copper, and tin.

Drilling

  • The Arabian Peninsula holds the world's largest oil and natural gas reserves. These fossil fuels are drilled to provide energy and fuel. The oil in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East is high-quality light sweet crude, which is used to produce gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. 
  • In 2010, Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest producer of petroleum liquids, producing 10.07 million barrels per day. Saudi Arabia also possesses the world’s largest oil reserves, totaling approximately 250 billion barrels. 
  • Russia has significant oil reserves in Siberia and vast natural gas reserves across the Arctic. Iran and Russia have the largest natural gas reserves globally, while the United States is the leading producer of natural gas.
The document Asia World Geography | Geography for UPSC CSE is a part of the UPSC Course Geography for UPSC CSE.
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FAQs on Asia World Geography - Geography for UPSC CSE

1. What are the major regions of Asia and how are they defined?
Ans.Asia is often divided into several major regions including East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and Western Asia (or the Middle East). These divisions are based on geographical, cultural, and historical factors, with each region characterized by its distinct languages, religions, and ethnic groups.
2. What are the key physical features of Asia?
Ans.Asia is known for its diverse physical features, including the Himalayas, the largest mountain range in the world; the vast deserts such as the Gobi and Arabian deserts; and extensive river systems like the Yangtze, Ganges, and Indus. These physical features significantly influence the climate, vegetation, and human activities in the region.
3. What natural resources are abundant in Asia?
Ans.Asia is rich in natural resources, including oil and natural gas, particularly in the Middle East; coal, especially in China and India; and precious metals like gold and silver. Additionally, Asia has vast agricultural resources, making it one of the largest producers of rice, wheat, and other staple crops.
4. How does Asia's geography impact its climate?
Ans.Asia's geography, with its vast size and diverse topography, leads to a wide range of climates. For instance, the northern regions experience subarctic and arctic climates, while equatorial regions in Southeast Asia have tropical climates. The presence of mountain ranges like the Himalayas also affects monsoon patterns and rainfall distribution across the continent.
5. Why is understanding Asia's regional divisions important for UPSC preparation?
Ans.Understanding Asia's regional divisions is crucial for UPSC preparation as it helps candidates grasp the geopolitical dynamics, cultural diversity, and economic significance of the continent. Knowledge of these divisions aids in answering questions related to international relations, environmental issues, and socio-economic challenges faced by different Asian countries.
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