Asia

ASIA

Draw It

Lesson: Asia

2/54

Lesson: Asia

3/54

Asia is the largest continent in the world.  Its giant landmass borders Africa and Europe to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, where the continent is made up of thousands of islands.

Asia has 49 countries, including India, China, japan, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Where is Asia?

Not only is Asia the largest continent in the world, but it is also home to the world’s largest countries and contains 60 percent of the world’s human population.

Russia is the largest country in the world.  Three quarters of it is in Asia, with the remaining quarter in the continent of Europe. 

The largest country that lies wholly in Asia is China covering around 20 percent of Asia’s landmass.

Asia

Lesson: Asia

6/54

Asia’s land, animals, plants, and people are incredibly diverse.

Many strange and beautiful animals and plants can only be found living in Asia.  Hiding in mountain forests or roaming freely on islands and open plains, many of these creatures have become symbols of their region.

Wildlife

The Komodo dragon is the world’s largest lizard and only lives wild on five Indonesian islands.  

They can grow almost 10 feet in length and weigh more than 300 pounds.  They feast on animals ranging in size from small mice to large water buffaloes.

Komodo Dragon

The giant panda is an endangered species.  There are only around 1,600 left in the wild.

Giant pandas live mainly in bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China.

Their diet is approximately 99 percent bamboo.  They can eat up to 31 pounds of bamboo shoots a day.

​

Giant Panda

The Siberian tiger is the largest cat in the world.  It hunts very large prey, including elk, deer, and bears.  

Despite its name, it does not live in Siberia.  Instead, it lives mainly in the forests of Russia.

Siberian Tiger

A plant known as the corpse flower grows in the rainforests of Indonesia.  

It can weigh nearly 25 pounds.  It earned its nickname because it smells like rotting meat.

Smelly Flower

The broad landscape of Asia contains the world’s highest mountains, large deserts, and amazing sites of stone forests, white terraces, and salty lakes.

THE DEAD SEA

The Dead Sea is between Israel and Jordan.  Although it’s called a sea, it’s really a lake, with water flowing into in from the Jordan River.  It is also known as the Salt Sea.  There is so much salt in the water that people can easily float on it.

Natural Landmarks

Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish is an area with terraces that appear bright white and foamy.

These terraces were created by deposits of calcium carbonate that bubble up from hot springs.

Pamukkale

The Himalayas are a mountain range that crosses through Pakistan India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan.  

It’s the highest mountain range on Earth, containing 9 out of 10 of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest-the world’s highest mountain.

The Himalayas

The Himalayas are a mountain range that crosses through Pakistan India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan.  

It’s the highest mountain range on Earth, containing 9 out of 10 of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest-the world’s highest mountain.

Mount Fuji

The Gobi Desert is a cold, rocky desert and only around 5 percent of it is covered in sand.

It is an important area for fossil finds-dinosaur eggs were first discovered there.

​

Gobi Desert

In the Yunnan province of China is an area of land covered with hundreds of tall rocks, some reaching up to 98 feet in height.  

The rocks were carved by more than 270 million years of earthquakes, wind, and water erosion.  They look like a dense forest made of stone.

Shilin Stone Forest

From the awe-inspiring ancient structures of the past to towering modern-day towers, Asia is home to some of the world’s most breathtaking and record-breaking architecture.

CITY OF PETRA

The city of Petra in Jordan is made up of temples, tombs, theaters, and houses that are half-built and half-carved into rock.  It has existed for more than 2,000 years.

Human Made Landmarks

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is the tallest human-made structure in the world.

It stands at 2,716 feet tall.  From the top, you can see all of Dubai and even as far as the neighboring country of Iran.

​

Burj Khalifa

The Taj Mahal is the most popular tourist attraction in India. It was built for the grief-stricken emperor, as a tomb for his third and favorite wife.

​

Taj Mahal

The Great Wall of China is the world’s longest wall, stretching across China for 13,171 miles.

It was built by many different emperors over a long time period to keep out invaders.

​

Great Wall of China

More than half of the population of Asia earns a living through farming.

Manufacturing and fuel industries are also big employers with large companies and resources supplying the continent-and the rest of the world-with energy, clothing and textiles, and electronics. 

​

Industries

At least 60 percent of the world’s known oil and gas deposits are found in Asia, most notable the oil fields of the persian Gulf.

The discovery of oil there in the 1930s brought great wealth to countries with a Persian Gulf coastline.  Combined, these countries supply one fifth of the world with oil.

​

Oil and Gas

At the end of the 1990s, Japan was the number-one country for manufacturing electronic goods.  It introduced the handheld camcorder, CD player, and Nintendo Game Boy.

However, South Korea has begun to steal Japan’s position as the top exporter of electronic goods.

South Korea is home to Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest technology company and largest manufacturer of cell phones.

​

Electronics

Asia is the most populated continent in the world.  It is estimated that three out of every five people on Earth live in Asia.

While there are many large areas of land and islands where hardly anyone lives, most of the population is crammed into urban areas, with Asia being home to the world’s most overcrowded cities.

​

Settlements

In countries across Asia, people are passionate about wide variety of sports, some of which are unique to a country or region.

CAMEL RACING

Camel racing has existed in Arab countries since around 600, but became a professional sport only within the last 100 years.

Sports

Eastern Asia is home to many of the world’s most well-known and popular martial arts.  

Although more commonly seen as a set of skills for self-defense, competitions, and action-movie fight scenes, many of the martial arts developed out of ancient philosophies.

They have a focus on spiritual and mental development that is still valued today.

​

Martial Arts

Japan is home to martial arts that are popular all over the world, such as judo and karate.

It’s also the country where kendo comes from.  Kendo means “way of the sword” and has developed over 1,000 years.

Opponents fight each other using a bamboo sword while dressed in protective armor.

Kendo

Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea  the name Taekwondo breaks down to mean (Tae) foot, (Kwan) hand, (Do) art. 

The hands and feet are mainly used to overcome an opponent.

TAEKWONDO

Asian cuisine is popular all over the world, with Chinese restaurants, Indian curry houses, and Japanese sushi bars attracting hungry people.

Often the ingredients of traditional recipes have been altered to suit local tastes and preferences, but the more traditional dishes can still be found in Asia.

​

Food For Thought

Lesson: Asia

48/54

Lesson: Asia

51/54