The economy of the region as a whole is characterized by the following features:
- Most countries are characterized by a transitional period from feudalism to capitalism.
- 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.
- The specialization of the countries of the region is very diverse.
- In the international division of labor, it 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, Iran, Iraq). Large metallurgical plants have been created in China, Japan and Turkey.
- The leading branch of the economy of the vast majority of countries in Foreign Asia is. Most of the economically active population is employed in agriculture.
Agriculture of Foreign Asia
The features of the agriculture of Foreign Asia are the combination of commodity and consumer economy, landowner and peasant land use, as well as the predominance of crops of food crops over crops of industrial crops and.
The main food crop of Foreign Asia is rice. Its countries (China, India, Japan, etc.) provide 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 ones 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.
The location of agriculture in the vast area of foreign Asia is highly dependent on environmental factors. In general, several have formed in the region.
- 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, etc.) and opium poppy plantations (Laos, Thailand).
- The area of subtropical agriculture - the coast. Fruits, rubber, dates, almonds are grown here.
- The region of grazing livestock - and Southwest Asia (here animal husbandry is combined with in oases).
In most developing countries of foreign Asia, industry is represented mainly by mining industries. The reason for this is their good supply 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):
- China;
- Japan;
- India;
- 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 Japan, and by 2000 it was ahead. 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-agrarian country that occupies an important position in (first place in coal mining and steelmaking, 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 the heavy .
Japan came out of the 2nd World War with a completely destroyed. 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. at first it 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 energy. 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 instance:
- 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.
Among the other countries of Foreign Asia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Israel stand out in terms of economic development.
FOREIGN ASIA
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
PLAN - SCHEME OF THE LESSON
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FOREIGN ASIA
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION
TERRITORIAL COMPOSITION
SUBREGIONS OF ASIA
HETEROGENEITY OF COUNTRIES
POPULATION
DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION
ACCOMMODATION
ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Lesson questions:
1. What are the features of overseas Asian GP?
2. How many states are there in modern foreign Asia?
3. What subregions is Asia divided into?
4. What is the manifestation of the heterogeneity of the countries of foreign Asia?
5. What is the demographic situation in overseas Asia?
6. How is the population distributed on the territory of foreign Asia?
7. What are the levels and rates of urbanization in Asia?
8. What are the features of the ethnic composition of the population?
NATURAL RESOURCES
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF FOREIGN ASIA
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.
Most Asian countries are large, China and India are giants, but there are also microstates - Singapore, Bahrain, Qatar.
In the EGP of the region, one can single out
three features:
1. Neighborhood of countries (unites the region)
2. Coastal position of most countries (provides access to the seas of 3 oceans)
3. Deep position
some countries (makes communication with other countries difficult)
Exercise. Justify these features, give specific examples.
General characteristics of Foreign Asia.
48
states
S U B R E G I O N S
Eastern
and Central
Asia
southeastern
Asia
South
Asia
5 states
11 states
Square
32 million km2
Population
3.7 billion people
1. China
2. Mongolia
3. North Korea
4. South Korea
5. Japan
southwestern
Asia
Medium
Asia
7 states
20 states
5 states
1. Myanmar
2. Laos
3. Vietnam
4. Thailand
5. Cambodia
6. Malaysia
7. Brunei
8. Singapore
9. Indonesia
10 East Timor
11. Philippines
1. Pakistan
2. India
3. Nepal
4. Butane
5. Bangladesh
6. Sri Lanka
7. Maldives
1. Georgia* 12. Iraq
2. Armenia* 13. Kuwait
3. Azerbaijan.* 14. Bahrain
4. Syria 15. Qatar
5. Turkey 16. UAE
6. Cyprus 17. Oman
7. Lebanon 18. Afghanistan
8. Jordan 19. Iran
9. Palestine 20. Yemen
10 Israel
11. Saudi Arabia
1. Kazakhstan*
2. Uzbekistan*
3. Turkmenistan*
4. Tajikistan*
5. Kyrgyzstan*
(* - states
within the CIS)
R E G I O N S A Z I I
Share of Asian regions in area and population
32 million km2 = 20% land
3.7 billion people = 60%
HETEROGENEITY
COUNTRIES OF ASIA The countries of Asia are very different. They differ in the size of the territory and natural resources, level of development, political structure, etc. This is a huge China and India, and a tiny Republic of Maldives. This is Kuwait, in the bowels of which billions of tons of oil are hidden and where per inhabitant
For the annual national income is more than $25,000, and the poorest countries with incomes of less than $200 (Afghanistan, Bhutan). These are semi-feudal monarchies (Nepal), bourgeois and socialist republics, etc.
The differences became especially sharp after World War II. Japan made an unprecedented breakthrough in the development of productive forces, overtaking dozens of states. Notable successes have been achieved by Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea.
Heterogeneity
Asian countries
Oil producing
country
developing
supercountries
Least
developed
* ERC - economically developed countries
* NIS - new industrial countries
* RS - developing countries
Other
RS*
Israel
Japan
South Korea
Singapore
China
India
The heterogeneity of countries and the colonial past causes an aggravation of territorial, political and interethnic problems in the region.
Territorial disputes:
India - Pakistan
Iran - Iraq
India - China
Japan - Russia
Greece - Turkey
Korea is divided by a demarcation line into North Korea and the Republic of Korea.
Relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are still far from a complete settlement.
In 1948 in Northern
Korea came to power
communist party. Five years of struggle led to the fact that in 1953 the Korean peninsula was divided into two countries.
POPULATION OF ASIA
The reproduction of the population of Asia is characterized by high natural increase (see the map of the atlas "Natural population growth"), in most countries it is more than 20 people / year per 1000 inhabitants. In the countries of East and Central Asia, demographic policy has already led to a significant decline in the birth rate and natural population growth.
Natural population growth
Over 30
- 25 - 30
- 20 - 25
- 15 - 20
- 10 - 15
- 5 - 10
Kazakhstan
Conclusion:
For the reproduction of the population of foreign Asia, the following are typical:
fast pace;
average life expectancy - 64 years
* - gender and age structure
Next
slide
GENDER AND AGE STRUCTURE
POPULATION OF ASIA The high proportion of EAN* has caused labor migration in the region. The countries of Southwest Asia have become the center of attraction for labor migrants. For example, in the UAE, Kuwait, 80-90% of all employed are migrants.
The main areas of activity of migrants:
- oil industry;
- transport;
- services sector;
- building.
* - economically active population
Yu and Yu-V. A.
WORK MIGRATION
ZAP. EUROPE
SEV. AMERICA
Slide #10
POPULATION ACCOMMODATION
The distribution of the population is very uneven, the population density varies from country to country: in Bangladesh it is 950 people/km2, while in Mongolia it is 1.5 people/km2.
Mongolia
Bangladesh
seaside
plains,
valleys and
river deltas
desert,
half empty
no, high
mountains, trails
forests
Analyze the map.
Which sub-region of Asia has the highest population density and which has the lowest?
POPULATION
1. China - 1.3 billion people
2. India - 1 billion people
3. Indonesia - 200 million
4. Bangladesh - 150 million
5. Pakistan - 140 million
6. Japan - 125 million
Slide #11
POPULATION ACCOMMODATION
The main impact on the distribution of the population is the process of urbanization, the share of the urban population is growing rapidly in the region there is an "urban boom", China and India occupy the 1st and 2nd places in the world in terms of the number of city dwellers, however, as the diagram shows share of the population lives in rural areas.
Rural settlement is characterized by a rural form. Among the Mongols, Afghans and other peoples, where a nomadic way of life is preserved, the main type of dwelling is a yurt or a tent.
Philippine
village
LEVELS OF URBANIZATION
Japan - 80%
China - 35%
India - 30%
1st and 2nd place
number of citizens
agglomeration
Tokyo - 18.5 million people
Shanghai - 13.4 million people
Kolkata - 12 million people
Bombay - 11 million people
High growth rates of the urban population lead to the emergence of slum areas, i.e. the process of false urbanization is expressed.
Slide #12
ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION OF ASIA
Ethnic composition of overseas Asia
very mosaic!
1000 nations
600 languages
MOST COUNTRIES ARE MULTINATIONAL
(INDIA AND INDONESIA - MORE THAN 150 PEOPLES, PHILIPPINES - 100, CHINA - MORE THAN 50, VIETNAM, MYANMAR, THAILAND - MORE THAN 30 PEOPLES.
ASIA - HOMELAND OF ALL RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
The complexity of the ethnic and religious composition of a number of countries leads to the emergence of interethnic
and religious conflicts, many of which proceed under the slogans of separatism - a policy that sets the main goal of creating its own national state entity. (For example, the Kurds are a nation of about 20 million people. Historically, they ended up as part of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. For a long time, the leaders of the Kurdish national movement have been seeking the creation of an independent state of Kurdistan, including by armed means.
World-wide reserves of iron and manganese ores lie in the bowels of India, chromites - in Turkey and the Philippines. From Myanmar to Indonesia stretches the world's largest tin-tungsten belt.
GNP - gross domestic product. Investments of foreign companies, their income exported abroad, wages of foreign workers not included in the calculation of GDP (GNP is low in Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia) GNP - gross national product. Investments of foreign companies, their income exported abroad, the wages of foreign workers not included in the calculation of GDP (GNP is low in Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia)
Developing countries Least developed countries Mongolia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Jordan. Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen MGRT act as suppliers of mineral raw materials. There is practically no modern industry. Industry specialization: mining or light and food industries.
Developing super-countries China, India Have made great strides in economic and social development, but in per capita terms they are far behind the economically developed countries. Industry specialization: multi-industry structure with a predominance of heavy industry.
New industrial countries Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong. As a result of the restructuring of their economy following the Japanese model, they made a rapid economic leap. Industry specialization: petrochemical, automotive, shipbuilding, electronics, light industry
FIVE COUNTRIES OF ASIA'S ECONOMIC POWER
CENTERS
FEATURES OF THE HOUSE
1. China
2. Japan
3. India
4. NIS countries
5. Oil exporting countries
By GDP
1990 - 3rd place in the world
2011 - 2nd place in the world
- Since the 70s of the XX century, a radical economic reform began to be implemented, based on a combination of a planned and market economy.
- It is at the industrial stage of development.
- In terms of per capita economic indicators, it lags behind not only the countries of Europe, but also many countries of the South.
Using figure 59 on page 228, write down in the table, for which types of products is China among the top three in the world?
Robot model from Japan
- GDP - 4th place in the world;
- included in the "big
sevens";
- the pace of socio-economic
the development of the country slowed down;
Using figure 59 on page 228, write in the table for which types of products Japan is among the top three in the world?
The main features of the economic development of modern India.
- GDP - 3rd place in the world (2011);
- ranks 9th in the world after countries
G7 and China in terms of volume
industrial production;
- one of the largest centers in the world
information technologies;
"first tier"
"second tier"
Developed industries:
- automotive
- oil refining
- petrochemical
- shipbuilding
- electrotechnical
- electronic
- South Korea
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Indonesia
Newly industrialized countries are a group of developing countries that have undergone a qualitative leap in socio-economic indicators over the past decades. The economies of these countries in a short time made the transition from backward, typical of developing countries, to highly developed. Now they are competing with the US, Japan and the European Union. In these countries, the proportion of literate people has increased, education has become free and publicly available. Gross domestic income per capita is about $15,000, and its annual growth has stabilized at 7%.
- large areas of oil and gas production;
- developed petrochemistry and metallurgy,
service sector;
- using drip irrigation
controlled computer.
PASTORY LIVESTOCK AREAS
RICE-SOWING AREAS
"TEA LANDSCAPE"
AREAS
SUBTROPIC AGRICULTURE
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 it decreases as the population grows.
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, highlands) 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, almost 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, turning into 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. an agrarian country, by the beginning of the 1st XXI 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.
