East Asia Human-Environment Interaction

East Asia

Human-Environment Interaction

Terms and Names

Three Gorges Dam a dam built across the

Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)

PCBs are industrial compounds that contributed to Japanese pollution

landfill  a method of solid waste disposal in which refuse is buried between layers of dirt to fill in or reclaim low-lying ground

Multiple Choice

In what ways are the climates of the United States and China similar?

• Both have the same foods and both have similar parking zones

• Both are the same shape and both have similar shoes

• Both are the same latitude and both have similar climate zones

The Three Gorges Dam 

China’s Chang Jiang is the third longest river in the world, after the Nile and the Amazon.

The Three Gorges Dam has been built on the Chang Jiang.

The Three Gorges Dam 

The Three Gorges Dam is China’s largest construction project and the world’s largest dam. It is more than 600 feet high and spans a valley more than one mile wide.

The Three Gorges Dam 

This dam is creating a reservoir nearly 400 miles long. More than 1,000 towns and villages have disappeared under the waters since the reservoir began filling.

The Three Gorges Dam 

Work began on the dam in 1993. The building of the Three Gorges Dam is a complicated issue.

The dam is having both positive and negative effects.

The Three Gorges Dam 

Experts disagreed about whether or not the dam should be built. But the Chinese government has argued that the dam will have three positive effects.

The Three Gorges Dam 

First, the dam should help control the frequent flooding.

Second, the dam should generate huge amounts of electrical power.

The Three Gorges Dam 

The third benefit of the dam will be to make it easier for ships to reach China’s interior.

The Three Gorges Dam 

Most observers agree that the Three Gorges Dam will also have negative effects.

The question is whether the negative effects are greater than the positive effects.

The Three Gorges Dam 

First, the human costs are high. Huge numbers of people have been displaced.

Second, the dam cost more money than was first estimated.

Third, there are many negative effects on the environment.

The Three Gorges Dam 

The main part of the Three Gorges Dam was completed in 2006. However, the Chinese government has been haphazard in protecting the environment. Some international groups are reluctant to invest in the project because of environmental concerns.

Multiple Choice

What positive effects was the dam built to achieve?

• controlling flooding, generating electricity, making shipping easier

• controlling flooding, generating bananas, making shipping easier

• controlling flooding, generating electricity, making sleeping easier

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

Japan faces geographic challenges that are different from those facing China.

One of the most important challenges is that Japan is made up of a series of mountainous islands.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

Most of the cities are on the coasts of these islands. Because of the nearby mountains, many of these cities cannot expand to absorb any more of the Japanese population. The population of Japan is about 127 million people.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

Tokyo offers an example of the problems facing Japan’s cities. It is one of the world’s largest cities.

It holds more than 35 million people. However, there is no more land for the city to grow.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

More than 60 percent of the Japanese people live on only about 3 percent of the land.

The population is clustered along the narrow, flat coastal plains.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

These plains are among the most densely populated areas in the world.

The largest cities in Japan are Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, and Sapporo. Close to 66 percent of the people in Japan live in cities.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

Because of their large populations, Japanese cities have become very polluted.

For example, in the 1950s and 1960s, Japanese cities experienced poisoning from mercury and PCBs. PCBs are industrial compounds that build up in body tissue and can cause disease and birth defects. PCBs were banned in 1977.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

The Japanese have shown ingenuity in adapting to limited space. Because of the cost of land, houses are small. The rooms are separated by sliding screens and are sparsely furnished. People sleep on thin mattresses called futons. Futons can be rolled up and stored during the day.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

Many people live in apartments, especially in the biggest cities. It is not uncommon for a family of four to live in a one-bedroom apartment.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

One of the solutions to the shortage of space is landfill. Landfill is a method of solid waste disposal. Refuse is buried between layers of dirt to fill in or reclaim low-lying ground. The Japanese have used landfill to reclaim land for most of its major cities along the coast. Tokyo, for example, has built factories and refineries on landfill. Coastal reclamation has enlarged the port areas.

Use of Space in Urban Japan 

Some Japanese attempt to escape the overcrowding by moving away from the city to distant suburbs. However, this often results in commutes to work of two or three hours.

Multiple Choice

Where was the Three Gorges Dam built?

• on the Huang He

• in Yokohama

• on the Chang Jiang

• in Mount Pleasant

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT true about the Three Gorges Dam?

• It is the largest dam in the world.

• It generates hydroelectric power

• It caused many people to be displaced

• It has cost way less to build than originally planned.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT true about landfill?

• The Japanese have built factories on landfill.

• Landfill has been used to reclaim land for major Japanese cities.

• Landfill has been used to enlarge some

  of Japan's ports.

• The Japanese have used landfill to build apartments.

Multiple Choice

Where do most Japanese live?

• in cities

• in suburbs

• in cardboard boxes

• in pop-up campers

• in garbage cans