Asia Today

Unit Review Sheet

Facts and Definitions

Lesson 1: Russia East of the Ural Mountains

• Asia includes 48 countries and is home to over 3.8 billion people, which is over 60% of the world population.
• Asia is a vast continent that includes many different climates and terrains, from Arctic tundra to rainforests near the Equator. The continent includes dry deserts, foreboding mountains, fertile river valleys, active volcanoes, and many islands off its coasts.
• Many of the world's major religions emerged in Asia including Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.
• The roles of women vary widely across the continent, depending on the cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and political systems in each country.

Lesson 2: Turkey and Cyprus

• Like the Russian federation, Turkey is partly in Europe and partly in Asia.
• Turkey was once part of the Ottoman Empire.
• There are many different forms of government in Asia.

Lesson 3: The Middle East

• The region of the Middle East near the Mediterranean Sea is important to three main world religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
• The region of the Middle East near the Mediterranean Sea has seen numerous civil wars and conflicts over the past century.
• The region of the Middle East in southwest Asia contains deserts and rugged mountains.
• Oil is a critically important export of the Middle East.
• The governments of several Middle Eastern nations are monarchies.

Lesson 4: Central Asia

• The dry climate of Central Asia poses challenges for farmers. Many nomadic peoples live in this arid region.
• Except for Afghanistan, all of the countries of Central Asia were once part of the Soviet Union.
• Islam is the main religion throughout Central Asia.

Lesson 5: The Indian Subcontinent

• More than one fifth of the world's population lives on the Indian subcontinent.
• The region has many different landscapes and climates and includes the countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.
• More than 200 languages are spoken in India alone.

Lesson 6: East Asia and Japan

• One fifth of the world's population lives in China.
• Rice is native to Southeast Asia and, today, half of the world population depends on rice as a main food crop.
• Japan includes over 4,000 islands.

Lesson 7: Mainland Southeast Asia

• Natural resources are resources that are found in nature.
• Capital resources are resources that must be purchased or built to support economic production.
• Human resources are the people and/or the human attributes (strength, creativity, skills, education) that are required for production.

Lesson 8: Maritime Southeast Asia

• Maritime means "connected with the sea." (Geography of the World, p. 196)

Lesson 9: The Indian Ocean

• The Indian Ocean contains both the saltiest seawater and the warmest seawater.
• An atoll is a circular-shaped coral reef growing around an underwater volcano.

Final Project: A Tour of Asia

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