General characteristics of the economy of the region of Asia. Industry of foreign Asia Features of the economy of foreign Asia

And in terms of the number of inhabitants, it far exceeds all other regions. There are 39 sovereign states on the political map of Asia. Many of them are among the oldest in the world. Foreign Asia is one of the origins of mankind, the birthplace of agriculture, artificial irrigation, cities, and many cultural values. The vast majority of countries in the region are developing countries. It usually consists of four subregions: Central and East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Southwest Asia. The countries of East and Southeast Asia are part of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR).

Australia is also considered in this topic as a country-continent included in the Asia-Pacific region.

1. Territory, borders, position: big differences between countries.

The territory of foreign Asia stretches from north to south for almost 7 thousand km, and from west to east for more than 10 thousand km. China and India are giant countries, most of the rest are fairly large countries. . But along with this, there are many small countries in Asia, there are also microstates. . The borders of most countries pass along well-defined natural boundaries. In a number of places, such as the Himalayas, this creates serious obstacles to economic and other ties.

EGP countries of the region are characterized by three main features.

First, this neighborhood position, which in many respects unites the countries of each of the four sub-regions of Asia.

Secondly, this seaside position most countries, providing access to the seas Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, where the most important world trade routes pass.

Example. The territory of Vietnam is stretched along the coast of the South China Sea in a narrow strip, stretching for 1700 km. It is no coincidence that geographers I figuratively call this country "the balcony of Indochina over the Pacific Ocean." The main connections of Vietnam with other countries are through sea routes.

Thirdly, this deep position some countries, which is generally much less profitable.

Example. Mongolia, located in the depths of the mainland, is the largest landlocked state in the world in terms of territory. Its relations with other countries are carried out mainly through transport systems Russia and China.

political map Overseas Asia has recently undergone great changes. Before World War II, 90% of its population lived in colonies and semi-colonies. Now practically all the countries of the region are politically independent states. Nevertheless, foreign Asia still remains the scene of many territorial disputes, which from time to time lead to an aggravation of regional and local conflicts, often accompanied by armed clashes and even lengthy wars.

Such territorial disputes exist between Iran and Iraq, Iraq and Kuwait, India and Pakistan, India and China, China (PRC) and Taiwan, Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands, Greece and Turkey over Cyprus, etc. Korea is divided by demarcation line to the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea. Despite the creation of a temporary Palestinian autonomy, relations between it and the State of Israel are still far from a complete settlement, and the transition to an independent Palestinian state has been repeatedly postponed.

As in foreign Europe, republics prevail in foreign Asia, but many countries with a monarchical form of government remain. . (Exercise 1.)

2. Natural conditions and resources: a region of contrasts.

In general, the mineral resources of the region, which form the basis for heavy industry, are very diverse. The main pools of coal, iron and manganese ores, and a number of non-metallic minerals are concentrated within the Chinese and Hindustan platforms. Within the Alpine-Himalayan and Pacific folded (ore) belts, ores of non-ferrous and rare metals predominate. But perhaps the main wealth of the region, which largely determines its role in the international geographic division of labor- it's oil.

Example. Although oil and natural gas reserves have been explored in most countries of Southwest Asia, the main deposits are in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and the UAE. In addition to large reserves, they are distinguished by very favorable mining and geological conditions for extraction. .

Intensified searches for oil and natural gas are carried out on the shelf of the marginal seas of East and Southeast Asia - one of the largest and least explored in the world. (Task 2.)

The natural resource prerequisites for the development of agriculture in the region are also very diverse. However, for most countries there are two main problems.

Firstly, it is a problem of lack of land resources. The presence of large mountain ranges, desert and semi-desert spaces has a strong influence on the structure of the land fund, limiting the share of agricultural, and especially arable land in it. As a result, the provision of arable land per capita in most countries of the region is only 0.1-0.2 ha, or even less, and as the population grows, it decreases.

Secondly, uh then the problem of rational use of agro-climatic resources. Heat reserves in most of the region ensure the vegetation of plants during the agricultural season or even all year round. But the moisture resources are distributed extremely unevenly. If in areas of the monsoon climate irrigation is used only in winter, then in the arid tropics and subtropics of Southwest Asia it is necessary throughout the year. In general, almost all water withdrawals in the region are used for irrigation. Almost 3/4 of the world's irrigated land is located here. In terms of the total area of ​​such lands, India ranks first in the world, China - the second.

Irrigation in foreign Asia has been known for more than 4 thousand years. Irrigation systems built two millennia ago are still preserved in Iran. In Syria (see Figure 62), Iraq, Tyption, large hydroelectric facilities have been built, which made it possible to expand the area of ​​irrigated land. And in the countries of the Persian Gulf for irrigation, mainly expensive desalinated sea water is used; usually it is brought to each tree, to each bed or flower bed.

In a significant part of the region's territory, natural conditions (deserts, high mountains) do not allow people to engage in agriculture and forestry at all. (Task 3.)

3. Population: number, reproduction, ethnic and religious composition, distribution, urbanization.

In terms of population, foreign Asia occupies an uncompetitive first place among all major regions of the world: its share in the world population reaches 60%. This is explained by most countries in the region are still in the second stage of the demographic transition a, i.e., at the stage of a population explosion, although in the 90s. it has clearly declined.

This demographic situation complicates many of the economic, social and environmental problems of overseas Asia. In addition, according to forecasts, by 2025 the population of the region should increase to 4.6 billion people.

Such a general conclusion does not exclude the presence of significant differences between individual subregions. In the countries of East Asia, demographic policy has already led to a significant decline in the birth rate and natural population growth. In Southeast Asia, the rate of such growth also began to gradually decrease. In South Asia, this decline is much slower. And Southwest Asia is still at the epicenter of the population explosion, with some of its countries being among the "record holders." This is largely due to the fact that the Arab countries of this subregion, professing Islam, do not pursue a demographic policy at all. .

The ethnic composition of the population of foreign Asia is extremely complex: ethnographers believe that more than 1 thousand peoples live here, belonging to the most diverse language families and groups. (Task 4.) Among them there are very large and very small peoples scattered in the mountains. Most of the countries are multinational

Example. More than 150 nations each live in India and Indonesia, almost 100 in the Philippines, about 60 in China and Vietnam, and more than 30 each in Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Foreign Asia is the birthplace of all three world religions, as well as many major national and regional religions, which for many centuries and even millennia have had a huge impact on politics, economics, spiritual culture, population reproduction, and customs of peoples. Religion has found wide application in material culture - Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Buddhist pagodas and monasteries. And even today its influence on all aspects of people's lives remains very large.

In Muslim countries, religion often strictly regulates the rights and obligations of men and women in society and the family (separate education in schools and universities, separate work, different premises in public places and private homes), affects marital relations (encouragement of large families, permission for polygamy, wedding ceremonies), daily routine (daily prayer five times - prayer, Friday as a day off), on the diet (Muslim fasting - Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, a ban on alcohol and pork), on clothing (wearing a women's veil), on the judicial system (Sharia court), the nature of external migrations. . In most Muslim countries in Asia, Islam is declared the state religion; in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, this is reflected in the official names of countries.

The complexity of the ethnic and religious composition of a number of Asian countries leads to the emergence of many inter-ethnic and religious conflicts. They are especially strong in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. Most of these conflicts have their roots in colonial and semi-colonial times, and they proceed, as a rule, under the slogans of separatism.

Example. Kurds are a people numbering about 20 million people. But historically, they turned out to be part of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. For a long time now, the leaders of the Kudra national movement have been striving, including by armed means, for the creation of an independent state of Kyrdistan.

The distribution of the population in the region is particularly uneven. Here, at one pole - very densely populated coastal plains, valleys and river deltas, at the other - extremely sparsely populated deserts and semi-deserts, highlands, tropical forests.

Example. Bangladesh ranks 87th in terms of area among the countries of the world, and 7th in terms of population. The average population density in this lowland country has already reached 1000 people per 1 km 2. In some areas it is 2000 people per 1 km 2! And in Mongolia, one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, which is almost three times larger than France in area, there are an average of 3 people per 2 km 2.

A certain influence on the distribution of the population in the region is exerted by its international migrations.

This applies to the greatest extent to the oil-producing countries of the Persian Gulf, which, as you already know, have become one of the world's main centers for attracting labor resources. The total number of immigrants from South and Southeast Asia, as well as North Africa, is more than 10 million
human. Almost half of them find work in the largest of these countries - Caydian Arabia, about 1 million are employed in Kuwait. .

The main areas of activity of labor migrants are the oil industry, construction, transport, and the service sector. In Saudi Arabia, migrant workers make up 60% of all employed, in Kuwait 60%, and in the UAE even 90%. .

But emigration from the countries of foreign Asia to other regions is also significant. These are the Kurds who travel legally and illegally to Europe, and the "brain drain", for example, from India, from the Philippines.

But the main influence on the distribution of the population is exerted by the process of urbanization., which took the form of "urban explosion". Despite the fact that in terms of the share of the urban population, the vast majority of countries in the region under consideration belong to the category of medium urbanized, with a very large population, the absolute figures also turn out to be very high.

Example. Of the world's 3.15 billion urban dwellers, nearly 1.5 billion live in overseas Asia. China and India occupy the first and second places in the world in terms of the number of city dwellers, respectively. Of the 21 "super-cities" in the world, 12 are located in overseas Asia.

With a huge variety of historical, cultural and natural conditions, the cities of Asia, often the oldest in the world, are also very diverse. Specific features of the external appearance are characteristic of the Arab cities of Southwest Asia, the cities of India, China, and Japan. And yet in the geographical literature there is a collective image Eastern (Asian) city.

Usually it is characterized by a clear division into old and new parts. The liveliest place in the old city is the bazaar with its adjacent shopping streets and artisans' quarters, which immediately sell their products (see Figure 60). Barbers, scribes work in the open air, pedlars scurry about. The new urban area is dominated by modern high-rise buildings.

For the rural settlement of the region, the rural form is most typical. Among the Mongols, Afghans, Bedouin Arabs (from the word "badu" - desert) and other peoples, where the nomadic way of life is still preserved, the main type of dwelling is a collapsible yurt or tent.

The prospects for the socio-economic development of foreign Asia are largely related to the prospects for urbanization and the growth of its cities. (Task 5.)

4. Increasing role in the world economy: five centers of economic power.

You already know that if we proceed from the ten-member structure of the world economy, then five of its centers are located within foreign Asia. Among them are three separate countries - China, Japan and India, and two groups of countries - newly industrialized and oil-exporting.

China in its socio-economic development after the proclamation of the People's Republic in 1949 has repeatedly experienced both ups and downs. But at the end of the 70s. in the country - first in the countryside, and then in the city - the implementation of a radical economic reform ("gaige"), based on a combination of planned and market economy, began. It led to such an upsurge in the economy that already in 1990, in terms of GDP, China took 3rd place in the world after the USA and Japan, and a few years later, having overtaken Japan, it took the “second line” in the world economic rating. In terms of gross industrial output, it overtook Japan in 2006.

Although China is still at the industrial stage of development and, in terms of per capita economic indicators, lags behind not only the countries of the North, but also many countries of the South, its impressive socio-economic achievements largely determine the progress of the entire Asia-Pacific region. By 2020, its GDP should increase by 4 times.

Japan, which was defeated in World War II, came out of it with a ruined economy. But then she managed not only to restore her economy, but also to radically rebuild it, becoming the world's "power No. 2", the only member of the "big seven" in Asia. According to many important economic indicators, it has taken a leading position in the world economy (see Figure 59). However, the Japanese "economic miracle" gradually faded away, and the pace of the country's socio-economic development slowed down. And at the end of the 1990s, the financial (currency) crisis that originated in Southeast Asia had a great negative impact on its economy.

India, as one of the key developing countries, also plays a big role in the global economy. In the 90s vols. after the start of the economic reform aimed at the development of a market economy, its development accelerated. Modern India ranks 9th in the world in terms of industrial production after the G7 countries and China. Recently, it has become one of the largest information technology centers in the world. However, in terms of per capita indicators, it still lags far behind most countries of the world.

The group of newly industrialized Asian countries, as you already know, consists of two "echelons". It was customary to refer to the first of them the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, which, due to their rapid economic leap, began to be called the four "Asian tigers" (or "dragons"). Then their example was followed by three more countries - members of ASEAN, which formed, as it were, the "second tier" of the NIS of Asia - Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the economies of these countries were restructured along the lines of the Japanese model. A large automobile, oil refining, petrochemical, shipbuilding, and especially electrical and electronic industries arose in them; Every year, tens of millions of radios, televisions, tape recorders, and video recorders are produced here. The production of other mass consumer products - clothing, fabrics, shoes - is also growing rapidly. The “economic miracle” of these countries is explained both by the activity of local businessmen and by the fact that TNCs have chosen them as an important area for the investment of their capital, focusing primarily on the benefits of their EGP and exceptionally hardy, disciplined and at the same time relatively cheap labor force. But almost all science-intensive and other products are intended for sale in the markets of Western countries.

Example 1 The Republic of Korea, which was still in the middle of the twentieth century. agricultural country, by the beginning of the 1st 21st century, it took 2nd place in the world in the production of marine products and televisions, 4th in the production of plastics and synthetic fibers, 5th in the production of cars, 6th in for steel smelting and electricity generation at nuclear power plants.

Example 2 The city-state of Singapore (Lion City in Sanskrit) has long been known for its seaport, the largest in the world, which is said to be the western gate of the East and the eastern gate of the West. . But recently it has turned from a trading center into an industrial center (oil refining, shipbuilding, electronics and electrical engineering, light industry). It has also become one of the world's largest centers of financial activity and an important tourist attraction.

The oil-exporting countries of the Persian Gulf also occupy an important place in the world economy. Relying on huge oil revenues, these countries in a short time made a "jump through the centuries", thanks to which the Persian Gulf zone turned into one of the important industrial regions with large oil and natural gas production, petrochemistry, metallurgy and other industries. Modern industrial centers appeared on the site of medieval adobe towns. Computer-controlled drip irrigation is widely used. Schoolchildren from childhood are accustomed to working with computers.

Example. Saudi Arabia for a long time lived on income from breeding camels, growing date palms, serving Muslim pilgrims. Now the basis of its economy is oil production, which provides 3/4 of export earnings. Ultra-modern roads, airports, large industrial complexes of Al-Jubail and Yanbu, and well-appointed cities have been built in the Arabian Desert. . (Task 6.)

Among the other countries of foreign Asia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, and the DPRK stand out in terms of economic development. But there are also countries in the region that are among the least developed. In Southwest Asia, these are Yemen and Afghanistan, in South - Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan, in Southeast - Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

5. Agriculture: areas of different specialization.

In most countries of foreign Asia, the bulk of the economically active population is employed in agriculture. Of course, this industry is distinguished by some features that are characteristic of the entire region. These include a combination of commodity and consumer economy, landownership and peasant land use, a sharp predominance of food crops in the crops. The common thing is that the food problem in many countries has not yet been resolved. First of all, this applies to the countries of South and Southeast Asia, where tens of millions of people are constantly on the verge of starvation.

Nevertheless, as you understand, on such a vast territory, the most diverse areas of agriculture could not fail to develop.

The most important of them is the rice-growing region, covering the entire monsoon sector of East, Southeast and South Asia. Annually fertilized by floods of the rivers of the delta and the valley of the Yangtze, Xijiang, Hongxa, Mekong, Irrawaddy, Ganga and Brahmaputra, the lowlands of about. Java (see Figure 64), Japan are typical "rice landscapes". For thousands of years, they have been feeding hundreds of millions of people leading a truly difficult-intensive year-round economy: spring rice is followed by autumn rice, and winter rice after autumn. . No wonder they say that rice is grown not only in flooded fields, but also in the hands of peasants. And the delta regions themselves are figuratively called rice bowls or rice baskets.

Example. The main rice granaries of Vietnam, whose cultural landscape is made up of rectangular checks of rice fields, dams, dams and irrigation canals, its two "baskets", i.e., the Hong Xa and Mekong deltas. Here, farmers harvest two crops of rice a year - in May and November.

The higher parts of this region are characterized by the "tea landscapes" of China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka. .
Due to the lack of grazing land and fodder, commercial animal husbandry is poorly developed; the peasants keep mainly draft animals.

The economy of the region as a whole is characterized by the following features:

1. Most countries are characterized by a transitional period from feudalism to capitalism.

2. The economy of most countries is developing quite rapidly, which ensures an increase in the role of the region as a whole in the world economy.

3. The specialization of the countries of the region is very diverse.

4. In the international division of labor, Asia abroad acts primarily as a major supplier of mineral and agricultural raw materials to the world market. The share of foreign Asia in the manufacturing industry of the world, especially heavy industry, is small. Its leading industries (ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical and textile industries) are mainly represented by their enterprises in Japan and China and in a small group of developing countries that have recently made significant progress in developing their economies (India, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey, Iran, Iraq). Large metallurgical plants have been set up in India, China, Japan and Turkey.

5. The leading sector of the economy of the vast majority of countries in Foreign Asia is agriculture. Most of the economically active population is employed in agriculture.

Agriculture of Foreign Asia.

Peculiarities of agriculture in foreign Asia are the combination of commodity and consumer economy, landowner and peasant land use, as well as the predominance of food crops over industrial crops and animal husbandry.

The main food crop of Foreign Asia is rice. Its countries (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, etc.) account for over 90% of the world's rice production. The second most important grain crop in Foreign Asia is wheat. In coastal, well-moistened areas, winter wheat is grown, in the arid continental part - spring wheat. Among other grain crops, corn and millet are significant. Despite the fact that Foreign Asia produces the vast majority of rice and about 20% of the world wheat harvest, many of its countries are forced to buy grain, since the food problem has not been solved in them.

Foreign Asia occupies a prominent place in the world in the production of soybeans, copra (dried coconut pulp), coffee, tobacco, tropical and subtropical fruits, grapes, various spices (red and black pepper, ginger, vanilla, cloves), which are also exported.

The level of development of animal husbandry in Foreign Asia is lower than in other regions of the world. The main branches of animal husbandry are cattle breeding and sheep breeding, and in countries with a non-Muslim population (China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan) - pig breeding. Horses, camels, yaks are bred in desert and high mountain regions. Export livestock products are insignificant and mainly consist of wool, hides and skins. Fishing is of great importance in coastal countries.

Accommodation agriculture in the vast area of ​​foreign Asia is in the strongest dependence on the factors of the natural environment. In general, several agricultural areas have formed in the region.

1. The monsoon sector of East, Southeast and South Asia is the main rice growing area. Rice is sown in river valleys in flooded fields. In the higher parts of the same sector there are tea plantations (China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, etc.) and opium poppy plantations (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand).

2. Area of ​​subtropical agriculture - Mediterranean coast. Fruits, rubber, dates, almonds are grown here.

3. Area of ​​pasture animal husbandry - Mongolia and Southwest Asia (here animal husbandry is combined with agriculture in oases).

In most developing countries of foreign Asia industry represented mainly by mining industries. The reason for this is their good supply of mineral resources and the general low level of development of manufacturing (closing) industries.

However, the differences in the level of development of the economy of various countries and regions of Foreign Asia are so significant that it is advisable to consider the economy of the region region by region.

If we proceed from the ten-member structure of the world economy, then there are five centers within the limits of Foreign Asia (among them, three centers are separate countries):

3. Newly industrialized countries;

   oil exporting countries.

China in the 1970s, he began an economic reform (“Gaige”) based on a combination of planned and market economy. As a result, there has been an unprecedented growth of the country's economy. In 1990, China was already ranked 3rd in terms of GDP after the US and Japan, and by 2000 it was ahead of Japan. However, based on the calculation of GDP per capita, China still lags far behind the leading countries. Despite this, China largely determines the progress of the entire Asia-Pacific region. Modern China is a powerful industrial and agricultural country that occupies an important position in the world economy (first place in the extraction of coal and iron ore, steel smelting, production of cotton fabrics, televisions, radios, gross grain harvest; second place in the production of electricity, chemical fertilizers, synthetic materials, etc. The face of China is primarily determined by heavy industry.

Japan came out of the 2nd World War with a completely destroyed economy. But it not only managed to restore the economy, but also to become the No. 2 power in the world, a member of the G7, and come out on top in many economic indicators. The industry of Japan at first developed mainly along an evolutionary path. Based on imported raw materials, such basic industries as energy, metallurgy, automotive, shipbuilding, chemical, petrochemical, and construction industries were practically recreated. After the energy and raw material crises of the 1970s, the revolutionary path of development began to prevail in Japan's industry. The country began to limit the growth of energy-intensive and metal-intensive industries and focus on the latest high-tech industries. It has become a leader in the field of electronics, robotics, biotechnology, and has begun to use non-traditional energy sources. In terms of the share of spending on science, Japan ranks first in the world. Since the 90s, the “Japanese economic miracle” has come to naught and the pace of economic development has slowed down, however, the country still retains a leading position in many economic indicators.

India is one of the key countries in the developing world. She began economic reform in the 1990s and achieved some success. However, it remains a country of very great contrasts. For example:

in terms of total industrial production, it ranks fifth in the world, but in terms of national income per capita, it ranks 102nd;

powerful enterprises equipped with the latest technology are combined with tens of thousands of handicraft industries (“industry at home”);

in agriculture, large farms and plantations are combined with millions of small peasant farms;

India ranks first in the number of cattle and one of the last in the consumption of meat products;

in terms of the number of scientific and technical specialists, India is second only to Russia and the United States, but occupies a leading position in the "brain drain" that has affected almost all areas of science and technology, while half of the population is illiterate;

In India's cities, modern, well-groomed neighborhoods coexist with slums that are home to millions of homeless and unemployed people.

India's industry employs 20% of the economically active population. From a country of light and food industries, India has become a country with a developed heavy industry. India produces machine tools, diesel locomotives, cars, tractors, televisions, as well as the latest electronics, equipment for nuclear power plants and space research. In the development of the nuclear industry, India ranks first in the developing world.

India's agriculture employs 60% of EAN. In recent years, as a result of public investment and the use of the achievements of the Green Revolution, the harvest of grain has increased significantly and the country has become mainly self-sufficient in grain, albeit at a very low level of consumption (250 kg per person).

The natural conditions in India are favorable for the development of agriculture. India has two main agricultural seasons and two main agricultural zones:

the main rice-growing zone is the southeastern part of the Indo-Ghana lowland;

the main wheat zone is the northwestern part of the Indo-Ghana lowland.

In addition to these zones, there are areas for the cultivation of fibrous, oilseed, sugar-bearing, and tonic crops.

India has developed a special territorial structure of the economy, which distinguishes it from other developing countries. There is no single dominant center in the country. There are, as it were, four "economic capitals"

- in the west - Bombay (machine-building, petrochemical, cotton enterprises, nuclear power, the largest port);

In the east - Calcutta (the second industrial center and port after Bombay, stands out for the processing and export of jute);

In the north - Delhi (large industrial, transport, administrative and cultural center);

To the south is Madras.

Newly industrialized countries consist of two layers:

the first echelon - Korea, Singapore, Taiwan (together with Hong Kong - "four Asian tigers");

second tier - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia.

All these countries achieved significant economic success in a short time, especially in the automotive industry, shipbuilding, oil refining, petrochemistry, electronics, electrical engineering, and light industry. In their development, they were guided by the experience of Japan. However, transnational corporations (TNCs), which focused on cheap labor, played a decisive role in their development. Therefore, almost all high-tech products of these countries go to the West.

Oil exporting countries specialize in oil production and petrochemistry. These are the countries of the Persian Gulf, which received rapid development due to oil and very quickly entered from feudalism into capitalism. Most of these countries' income comes from oil and gas exports (Saudi Arabia - 98%)

Among other countries of Foreign Asia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea stand out in terms of economic development.

The least developed countries of the region and the world as a whole include Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia.

6. Overseas Asia transportation- one of the weak links in most countries (with the exception of Japan). The transport system of these countries is not yet fully formed. There is a predominance of one or two modes of transport, a high proportion of pack, horse-drawn and bicycle transport.

Rail transport is most developed in India and Pakistan, pipeline transport in the Middle East, road transport in India and China, maritime transport in Japan, China, Singapore, and the countries of the Persian Gulf.

7. Environmental issues region has become much worse in recent years. The most acute problems are the depletion of water resources, soil erosion, land alienation, deforestation (especially Nepal and India), etc. The main reasons for the aggravation of environmental problems are the transfer of “dirty production” to the region and overpopulation in many countries.

Subregions of Overseas Asia

Southwest Asia;

South Asia;

Southeast Asia;

East Asia (China, Mongolia, North Korea, Korea, Japan).

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY OF FOREIGN ASIA

foreign(in relation to the CIS countries) Asia occupies the south of the Asian continent and the islands adjacent to it in the south, east and southeast (Andaman, Nicobar, Maldives, Lakandiva, Sri Lanka, Japan, Ryukyu, Philippine, Greater and Lesser Sunda, Moluccas).

According to the size of the territory ( 27 million sq. km) Foreign Asia is second only to Africa, and in terms of the number of inhabitants ( 3.5 billion people) far exceeds all other major regions of the world.

On the political map of the world, the region is represented by 46 states, the vast majority of which are developing countries.

In the international division of labor, Asia abroad acts primarily as a major supplier of mineral and agricultural raw materials to the world market. Its share in the production and export of oil, natural gas, tin, tea, jute and natural rubber is especially large.

Physical and geographical position of Foreign Asia

Most of the countries of Foreign Asia have a maritime position, which provides them with access to the seas of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. And only Mongolia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Laos are located in the interior of the continent.

The nature of the physical and geographical position of the region(its northern regions are located in temperate latitudes, the rest - within the subtropical, tropical and equatorial zones) determines the high availability of thermal resources, sufficient to ensure that throughout its territory, with the exception of the temperate zone, to harvest two, and in the tropics - three crops in year.

Countries of Foreign Asia

Currently (2016) on the territory of Foreign Asia (CIS countries are not included) there are 46 states: Abkhazia (partially recognized republic), Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, East Timor, Vietnam, Georgia (most of its territory) , Egypt (partly), Israel, India, Indonesia (most of the territory), Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen (most of the territory), Cambodia, Qatar, Cyprus, PRC, Republic of China (partially recognized republic), DPRK, Republic of Korea , Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (unrecognized republic), Nepal, UAE, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (partially recognized republic) , Turkey (most of the territory), Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Ossetia (partially recognized republic), Japan.

The population of foreign Asia

More than 50% of all mankind lives in the countries of Foreign Asia and most of the rural population of the world is concentrated. The number of men exceeds the number of women. At the highest density (130 people per 1 sq. km), the population is distributed extremely unevenly. Less than 1/10 of the territory is concentrated 3/4 of the population of the region. Most of the population of Overseas Asia lives in four countries: China, India, Indonesia and Japan. The least populated countries are Mongolia and Saudi Arabia (the average population density is 1 and 3 people per 1 sq. km, respectively). The most densely populated coastal areas and valleys of large rivers (population density reaches 1500 - 2000 people per 1 sq. km).

Exceptionally difficult ethnic and religious compound population Overseas Asia. More than 1,000 peoples live here, belonging to various linguistic families and groups (Indo-European, Semitic, Turkic, etc.). Most countries are multinational states. Foreign Asia is the birthplace of all world religions, the peoples inhabiting it profess Islam (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc.), Hinduism (India, etc.), Buddhism (China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, etc.). ), Judaism (Israel), Christianity (Philippines, Lebanon, Indonesia, etc.), Confucianism (China), etc.

Classification of the countries of Foreign Asia according to the level of socio-economic development

In terms of the level of socio-economic development, the countries of Foreign Asia differ significantly from each other. In some of them (Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait), the GDP per capita is one of the highest (35 - 38 thousand dollars), in others (Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Republic of Maldives, etc.) - the highest lowest (less than $200) in the world.

There is also a group of states whose economy is currently developing particularly dynamically (at a higher rate than in industrialized countries) and which have a significantly higher level of economic development compared to the rest of the group of developing countries. These include states called " new industrial countries", - the Republic of (South) Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey and countries with economies in transition - socialist China and Vietnam.

Natural terms, leading industries rural farms

The leading sector of the economy of the vast majority of countries in Foreign Asia is rural economy.

The location of agriculture in the vast area of ​​foreign Asia is highly dependent on environmental factors.

Most of the territory of Foreign Asia is occupied by mountain systems, uplands and plateaus, which are not very suitable for agriculture. Compared to the vast mountain ranges, the area of ​​the lowlands is small. The low-lying regions of Foreign Asia (all of them are located along its western, southern and eastern outskirts) are well supplied with moisture, as they are located in the monsoonal (eastern and southern part of the region) and Mediterranean (western part of the region) climate zone. High thermal and moisture availability (the amount of precipitation reaches 1000 - 2000 mm per year) in combination with fertile soils of the alluvial plains makes it possible to develop almost any area of ​​agriculture here. More than 90% of its arable land is concentrated in this part of the region.

In the rest of Asia Abroad, the climate is unfavorable for agriculture: it is too humid in the equatorial regions (the total precipitation reaches 3000 mm or more per year) and too dry in the desert, semi-desert and high-mountain regions of Southwestern and Central Asia (the total precipitation barely reaches 50 mm in year). Successful agriculture here is possible only with land reclamation.

home food culture of foreign Asia - rice. Its countries (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, etc.) account for over 90% of the world's rice production. The second most important grain crop in Foreign Asia is wheat. In coastal, well-moistened areas, winter wheat is grown, in the arid continental part - spring wheat. Among other grain crops, corn and millet are significant. Despite the fact that Foreign Asia produces the vast majority of rice and about 20% of the world wheat harvest, many of its countries import grain.

Main export crops Foreign Asia - tea, cotton, jute, sugarcane, natural rubber. Cotton and sugarcane are grown almost everywhere, hevea plantations are located in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The vast majority of world tea production is provided by India, China and Sri Lanka, jute - by India and Bangladesh.

Foreign Asia occupies a prominent place in the world in the production of soybeans, copra (dried coconut pulp), coffee, tobacco, tropical and subtropical fruits, grapes, various spices (red and black pepper, ginger, vanilla, cloves), which are also exported.

State of the art animal husbandry in Overseas Asia is lower than in other regions of the world. The main branches of animal husbandry are cattle breeding and sheep breeding, and in countries with a non-Muslim population (China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan) - pig breeding. Horses, camels, yaks are bred in desert and high mountain regions. Export livestock products are insignificant and mainly consist of wool, hides and skins. Fishing is of great importance in coastal countries.

Industry of Overseas Asia

Leading industries industry. In most developing countries of foreign Asia, industry is represented mainly by mining industries. The reason for this is their good supply of mineral resources and the general low level of development of manufacturing (closing) industries.

The role of foreign Asia in the world mining of coal, iron and manganese ores (India and China stand out), tin (Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Thailand), bauxite (India), chromite (Turkey, Philippines), polymetallic, nickel and copper ores ( China, Philippines, Indonesia, etc.), potash (Jordan) and table (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) salt. However, the main thing that determines the importance of this region in international division labor, - extraction and export of oil and natural gas. Oil and gas are produced by many countries of foreign Asia, but the main areas of production are the countries of Western (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, UAE, etc.) and Southeast (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia) Asia.

The share of foreign Asia in the manufacturing industry of the world, especially heavy industry, is small. Its leading industries (ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical and textile industries) are mainly represented by their enterprises in Japan and China and in a small group of developing countries that have recently made significant progress in developing their economies (India, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey, Iran, Iraq). Large metallurgical combines have been set up in India (in Bhilai and Bokaro) and China (the Anshan Combine and others), Japan and Turkey.

Non-ferrous metallurgy is represented by the smelting of tin (China, Malaysia, Thailand), copper (Japan, Indonesia, Philippines), aluminum (India, Japan, Iraq), lead and zinc (Japan, China).

The machine-building complex is dominated by enterprises specializing in the production of household electrical equipment, radio electronics (the production of radio receivers, televisions, tape recorders, washing machines, calculators, vacuum cleaners, etc.), cars and ships. special role in mechanical engineering region belongs Japan, which occupies a leading position in the world in the production of automobiles, is a world leader in the field of electronics, robotics and other industries.

AT chemical complex stand out production of mineral fertilizers (primarily nitrogen), household chemicals and pharmaceuticals, polymeric materials (Japan, India, China, oil-producing countries).

The main branches of the textile industry are cotton and silk fabrics.

Transport of Overseas Asia

Transport. For intra-regional and inter-district transportation, unpaved and motor roads, river routes are of great importance. The length and density of railway lines is small, some countries (Laos, Yemen, Oman, UAE, etc.) do not have railways at all. International transportation is mainly carried out by sea. Japan has a large marine fleet (it ranks first in the world in terms of its tonnage) and oil-producing countries (Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc.).

Foreign Asia includes 48 states and is divided into 5 sub-regions. The sub-regions of Foreign Asia are South-West, South, South-East, East and Central Asia. What are the features and geographical position of these regions?

general characteristics

The area of ​​Foreign Asia is 32 million square meters. km. All 48 states can be divided into island, inland and coastal. Island states include, for example, Japan, the Maldives, etc., coastal states - India, South Korea, etc., inland states - Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, etc.

Rice. 1. Table characteristic of Foreign Asia.

Of the 48 countries, only 4 states can be called economically developed. These are Japan, Singapore, Israel, South Korea. The rest of the countries belong to the group of developing countries.

The climate of Western Asia is varied. The region is located in the subtropical, equatorial (extreme south) and temperate zones (north of the region).

Western Asia is washed by many bays, seas and oceans. Asia has access to all four oceans: in the north it is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean, in the east by the Pacific Ocean, in the south by the Indian Ocean, and in the west by the Red Sea, which belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin.

The natural conditions of the regions are very diverse. The main natural resources are oil (Gulf countries), gas (Gulf countries, Turkmenistan), coal and iron ore (China, India), non-ferrous metal ores. There is an extremely uneven supply of mineral resources in the region. In most countries, there is a shortage of land, and in South-West and Central Asia - water resources.

Industry and agriculture

According to the level of industrial development, 6 groups of countries are distinguished:

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• Japan (second in the world in terms of economic potential) - a high level of industrial development. Israel is also developing rapidly.
• China and India stand out for their large scale of production, but lag behind in the production of goods per share of the population.
• Newly industrialized countries (NIS) (Korea, Singapore). The basis of the economy is the manufacturing industry (including engineering).
• Oil exporting countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait). The basis of the economy is oil production.
• Countries with initial industrialization: mining and light industry (Mongolia, Vietnam, etc.)
• The least developed countries (Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Bhutan), where modern industry is almost absent.

Agriculture is represented by three types:

• Cultivation of rice, tea, sugarcane, etc. (areas with a monsoon climate).
• Subtropical agriculture, which is widespread in the Mediterranean countries (fruits, grapes, citrus fruits, olives, wheat).
• Cultivation of cereals, grazing, widespread in the dry regions of Central, South, South-West Asia.

Rice. 2. Flooded rice fields in China.

For all types, cotton is an important crop, which is largely exported.

The population of foreign Asia

4.2 billion people live on the territory of Foreign Asia. 50% of the world's population is concentrated here. The most populous country is China, with a population of 1.4 billion. Population density is extremely uneven: high density in coastal and island states, low - in desert states (for example, Mongolia and Kazakhstan). The region has a very low level of urbanization.

Among countries, the state with the highest population density is Bangladesh with Dhaka as its capital.

Rice. 3. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh.

The composition of the population of Foreign Asia is ethnically very complex. More than 1 thousand peoples who belong to different language families live on its territory. The largest peoples are the Chinese, Japanese, Biharis, Bengalis.

EGP of Foreign Asia

There are positive and negative aspects in the EGP of Foreign Asia. One of the positive features is the coastal location of most countries in the region. In addition, there are mineral resources that are diverse and are the basis for the existence of heavy and light industry. Due to the large amount of oil produced in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Asia occupies an important place in the global economy.

There are five centers of Overseas Asia:

• China;
• Japan;
• India;
• NIS (newly industrialized countries);
• oil exporting countries).

What have we learned?

Foreign Asia is a large macro-region, which includes five sub-regions. Occupying an area of ​​32 million square meters. km, and having 48 states, this territory plays an important role in the global economy. This article for grade 11 geography provides brief information about the regions, their geographical location and economic features.

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Natural resource prerequisites for the development of agriculture regions are very diverse. The growing season in many countries makes it possible to grow food and industrial crops all year round. However, there are two big problems in the region that significantly reduce the possibilities of agriculture.

1. Lack of land resources. Most of the territory of Foreign Asia is occupied by mountain systems, uplands and plateaus, which are not very suitable for agriculture. Compared to the vast mountain ranges, the area of ​​the lowlands is small. Considering the large number of people in the region, the per capita availability of land resources is very low (provision of arable land is 0.1-0.2 ha per person).

2. Uneven moisture distribution throughout the region. Foreign Asia accounts for ¾ of the world's arable land (China, India, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, the Persian Gulf).

The most favorable for agricultural use are the low-lying regions of Foreign Asia (all of them are located along its western, southern and eastern outskirts) are well provided with moisture, as they are located in the monsoonal (eastern and southern part of the region) and Mediterranean (western part of the region) climate. High thermal and moisture availability (the amount of precipitation reaches 1000-2000 mm per year) in combination with the fertile soils of the alluvial plains makes it possible to develop almost any area of ​​agriculture here. More than 90% of its arable land is concentrated in this part of the region.

In the rest of the territory of Foreign Asia, the climate is unfavorable for agriculture: it is too humid in the equatorial regions (the total precipitation reaches 3000 mm or more per year) and too dry in the desert, semi-desert and high-mountain regions of Southwestern and Central Asia (the total precipitation barely reaches 50 mm). in year). Successful agriculture here is possible only with land reclamation.

Accommodation agriculture in the vast area of ​​foreign Asia is in the strongest dependence on the factors of the natural environment. In general, several agricultural areas have formed in the region.

1. The monsoon sector of East, Southeast and South Asia is the main rice growing area. Rice is sown in river valleys in flooded fields. In the higher parts of the same sector there are tea plantations (China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, etc.) and opium poppy plantations (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand).

2. Area of ​​subtropical agriculture - Mediterranean coast. Fruits, rubber, dates, almonds are grown here.

3. Area of ​​pasture animal husbandry - Mongolia and Southwest Asia (here animal husbandry is combined with agriculture in oases).