East Asia



From the information of each country, you should principally focus on the geography, the capital, the population, the extension and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (the GDP is the value of the total production of goods and services of a given country within a national territory, divided by the average population. Per capita = per head, per habitant. Data of the World Development Indicators, World Bank)

China

Hymn

Population: 1,336,310,713 inhabitants
Land surface: 9,598,060 km2
Currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi
GDP per capita: US$ 6,757
Language: Chinese
Official name: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo.
Capital: Beijing, 10,848,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Shanghai 12,900,000; Tianjin 9,200,000; Xianggang (Hong Kong) 8,087,700; Shenyang 6,326,000.
Government: socialist republic
Religion: 59.2% of the population claims to be non-religious. The combination of mystical elements of Buddhism and Taoism, Confucianism (which is a moral code, not a religion) and other rites and popular beliefs constitute what might be called the prevailing "belief". The main formal religion is Buddhism (6%). There are Muslim and Christian minorities.

   Geography. In China, there are three distinguishable regions: Central Asian China (Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Sin Kiang) composed of high plateaus that are frozen during the winter and covered by steppes and meadows during the summer. Northern China, where the great plains of Manchuria and Hoang-Ho extend, has large plantations of wheat, barley, sorghum, soybeans and cotton. Moreover, it has gone from having a surplus of agricultural products to becoming a net importer. The north is also characterized by its deposits of coal and iron; the Manchurian region is the main metallurgic region of the country. And finally, Southern China is a region of hills and is crossed by the Yangtze Kiang and Si-kiang rivers. It has a warm and humid climate and it is also characterized by monsoons. The country has large mineral resources: coal, oil, iron and non-ferrous metals.

Japan

Hymn

Population: 127,937,999 inhabitants
Land surface: 377,910 km2
Currency: Yen
GDP per capita: US$ 31,267
Language: Japanese
Religion: Buddhism and Shintoism 84%.
Official name: Nihon.
Capital: Tokyo 34,997,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Yokohama 3,518,000; Osaka 2,641,000; Nagoya 2,243,400; Kyoto 1,488,800.
Government: parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

   Geography. The Japanese archipelago consists of 3,400 islands, of which Hokkaido, Kyushu and Handoikoku are the most important. The terrain is mountainous and volcanic, dominated by the so-called Japanese Alps. As 85% of the land is made up of steep and uninhabitable mountains, 40% of the population is concentrated in only 1% of the territory in the narrow plains of the Pacific coast. There, the population densities are always higher than 1,000 inhabitants/km2. The climate is subtropical in the south, temperate in the center and cold in the north. Located at the meeting point of two marine currents (one hot and one cold), the seas of Japan are conducive to fishing, which represents one of the pillars of its economy. Intensive and mechanized agriculture is practiced in the coastal plains and the main crops are rice, soybeans and legumes. Excessive use of fishery and agricultural resources is leading to their extinction. The mineral resources available are limited. The country, which is highly industrialized, has a large foreign trade activity. It exports manufactured goods and imports large amounts of raw materials.

Taiwan

Hymn

Population: 22,370,000 inhabitants
Land surface: 35,980 km2
Currency: Taiwanese Dollar
GDP per capita: US$ 24,650
Language: Chinese (Mandarin)
Official name: Republic of China (Taiwan, capital Taepei)
Capital: Taipei (T’aipei) 2,478,000 inhabitants (2003)
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Kaohsiung 2,478,600; Taichung 2,070,300; Tainan 770,100 (2000).
Government: presidential
Religion: more than half of the population is Buddhist, in its Chinese version; almost 25% are Taoist and there are also small minorities of Muslims and Christians; in some areas remain indigenous cults.

   Geography. Taiwan is located 160 km southeast of continental China. It is integrated within a chain of volcanic islands of the west of the Pacific, which also integrates the islands of Japan. Mountains stretching from north to south occupy the central part of the island. The main agricultural region of the country is a narrow plain on the west coast, where rice, sugar cane, bananas and tobacco are grown. Forests cover more than two thirds of the island. It has some mineral resources: coal, natural gas, marble, limestone and some amounts of copper, gold and oil.

   1. Answer which country the statement refers to: China, Japan or Taiwan

The largest country

It has 3,400 islands

It has deposits of coal and iron

It is a Chinese province

It is the most populous

Two thirds of it is forested

Manchuria has the metallurgic industry

It has the highest GDP per capita

The capital is Taipei

85% of the land is uninhabitable

The capital is Beijing

The capital is Tokyo



North Korea

Hymn

Population: 22,700,000 inhabitants
Land surface: 120,540 km2
Currency: Won
GDP per capita: US$ 1,300
Language: Korean (official in the north and in the south)
Official name: Choson-Minjujuui-Inmin-Konghwaguk (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).
Capital: Pyongyang 3,220,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Hamhung 808,300; Chongjin 663,400; Sinuiju 371,300; Kaesong 195,300.
Government: presidential.

Religion: religious practices are without official approval in the north, but where they are practiced, both in the north and the south, the most widespread religions are Buddhism, Confucianism (more than a religion is a moral code), Cheondoism (combining Buddhist and Christian elements), Christianity, and in the inner regions, traditional shamanic cults.
Geography. North Korea comprises the northern part of the Korean peninsula. It is located to the east of China, between the Japan and the Yellow seas. The territory is mountainous with forested mountain ranges to the east, on the coast of the Sea of Japan. Rice, which is the main agricultural product, is grown in the plains. 90% of the land is worked in a cooperative manner. It is a country rich in mineral resources (coal, iron, zinc, copper, lead and manganese).

South Korea

Hymn

Population: 48,387,832 inhabitants
GDP per capita: US$ 22,029
Currency: Won

GDP per capita: US$ 22,029
Language: Korean
Capital: Seoul (Soul) 9,714,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Pusan 4,266,100; Taegu 2,947,400; Incheon 2,403,700.

Gobierno: presidencialista
Religion: the most widespread are Buddhism, Confucianism (more than a religion is a moral code), Cheondoism (combining Buddhist and Christian elements), Christianity, and in the inner regions, traditional shamanic cults.
   Geography. South Korea is located in the southern region of the Korean Peninsula. Its topography is smoother than the North Korean and has more extensive arable surfaces largely devoted to rice production.

Mongolia

Hymn

Population: 2,653,679 inhabitants
Land surface: 1,566,500 km2
Currency: Tugrik
GDP per capita: US$ 2,107
Language: Mongol khalkha
Religion: Buddhism, Islam, Shamanism, and others
Official name: Bügd Nairamdach Mongol Ard Uls.
Capital: Ulan Bator (Ulaanbaatar) 812,000 inhabitants (2003).
Other cities (inhabitants – 2000): Darhan 75,000; Erdenet 71,200; Choybalsan 37,700; Ölgiy 21,100. Government: parliamentary republic

   Geography. The Republic of Mongolia, also known as "Outer Mongolia", occupies the northern part of Mongolia. The south, or Inner Mongolia, is an autonomous region of China. The great Gobi Desert, located in the center of the country, is limited to the north and south by steppe regions where extensive livestock rearing - and partly nomadic - of sheep, horses and camels is conducted. In the west, lies the mountainous region of the Altai Mountains, which is rich in mineral resources: copper, tin, phosphate, coal and oil

   2. Answer which country the statement refers to: North Korea, South Korea or Mongolia

It is in the north of the Korean Peninsula

It has the highest GDP per capita

The capital is Ulan Bator

It has the Gobi Desert

90% of its work is cooperative

It is the largest

The capital is Pyongyang

It is in the south of the Korean Peninsula

It is the most populated

It raises nomadic livestock

The capital is Seoul

    3. Other countries in Central Asia

Country Population Extension, km2 Capital Currency Language
Kazakhstan 15.531.645 2.724.900 Astana Tenge Kazakh, Russian
Kyrgyzstan 5.376.432 199.900 Bishkek Kyrgyzstani Kyrgyz, Russ
Tajikistan 6.838.716 143.100 Dushanbe Somoni Tajik
Turkmenistan 5.030.872 488.100 Ashgabat Manat Turkmen
Uzbekistan 27.768.983 447.400 Tashkent Uzbekistani Uzbek

   4. Indicate the capitals of the following countries:

China

South Korea

Japan

Mongolia

Taiwan

North Korea



 
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