Fill in the blanks
Question 1
Tibetan plateau is known as the Roof of the World.
Question 2
Ural mountains form the western boundary of Asia.
Question 3
Equatorial forests are also known as evergreen rainforests.
Question 4
Fur bearing animals are found in Taiga region.
Question 5
Yak is found in the cold desert of Tibetan plateau.
Answer in one word
Question 1
Countries having no direct access to the sea.
Answer
Landlocked countries
Question 2
Plateaus surrounded by mountains.
Answer
Intermontane plateau
Question 3
Trees bearing needle like leaves.
Answer
Coniferous trees
Question 4
A body of land surrounded by water on all four sides.
Answer
Island
Question 5
The region within the Arctic Circle having very cold climate.
Answer
Tundra region
Give reasons
Question 1
The monsoon winds blow in summer from South West to North East.
Answer
The monsoon winds blow in summer from South West to North East as during summer, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer, the main landmass of Asia develops low pressure. The surrounding seas being cooler, develop high pressure. Since the winds blow over the oceans, they pick up a lot of moisture and give heavy rainfall in South Asia. These are known as southwest monsoon winds as they blow from southwest to northeast.
Question 2
The ocean currents affect the climate of a region.
Answer
The cold and warm ocean currents affect the climate of a region. The climate of a region becomes cold if a cold current flows near it such as the cold Oyashio current washes the western coast of Japan and makes it extremely cold, whereas if a warm current flows near a region, the winter becomes milder, as is the case with eastern coast of Japan which is washed by the warm Kuroshio current.
Question 3
The climate of Indonesia is equatorial type.
Answer
The climate of Indonesia is equatorial type because Indonesia lies near the equator and receives a large amount of rainfall due to hot and wet climate.
Differentiate between the following
Question 1
Tundra and equatorial type of vegetation.
Answer
| Natural vegetation of Tundra region | Natural vegetation of Equatorial region |
|---|---|
| This type of vegetation is found in northern Russia, bordering the Arctic ocean. | Evergreen rain forests are found in Malaysia, Indonesia and parts of Philippines. |
| The vegetation consists of mosses and lichens. This area is covered with snow for most of the year. | These forests consist of a variety of trees, palms and ferns with dense undergrowth of shrubs and creepers. Examples of trees are rosewood, ebony etc. This area receives a large amount of rainfall due to hot and wet climate. |
Question 2
Deciduous and desert vegetation.
Answer
| Deciduous vegetation | Desert vegetation |
|---|---|
| The areas receiving 100 to 150 cm rainfall consist of broad leaved deciduous forests. Species like teak, sal, sandalwood, peepal etc., are found here. | Desert vegetation is characterised by cactus like plants and thorny bushes and shrubs. The plants have long, wide roots that absorb rainwater before it gets soaked away underground. |
| The trees shed their leaves in dry winter season. | The leaves of these plants have spines to conserve water. |
Question 3
Monsoon and taiga type of vegetation.
Answer
| Monsoon type of vegetation | Taiga type of vegetation |
|---|---|
| Monsoon type of vegetation is found in south, southeast and east Asia. | Taiga forests are found in a broad belt in the central part of Siberia, located to the south of Tundra region. |
| Monsoon forests consists of broad leaved deciduous forests. Species like teak, sal, sandalwood, peepal etc., are found here. | The main trees of this region are pine, fir, cedar and spruce. |
| The trees shed their leaves in dry winter season. | These trees have needle shaped leaves and can withstand extremely cold climate. |
Answer the following questions in brief
Question 1
Describe the factors that affect the climate of Asia.
Answer
The factors that affect the climate of Asia are-
- Latitudes — The vast extent of Asia covering 10°S to 80°N latitudes experiences all the types of climate ranging from hot and wet Equatorial type in the south to dry and cold Tundra type in the north.
- Distance from the sea — Places close to the sea experience moderate climate, whereas places in the interior experience extremes of climate.
- Monsoon winds — During summer, the southwest monsoon winds blow onshore. They pick up moisture from the Arabian sea and give heavy rainfall. During winter, they blow offshore as dry northeast monsoons and do not give any rainfall.
- Direction of the mountain ranges — The east west trend of Himalayas in South Asia, prevents the cold winds from Central Asia to enter the subcontinent in winter. They force the monsoon winds to shed their moisture in the south during the rainy season.
- Ocean currents — The cold and warm ocean currents affect the climate of a region. For example, the cold Oyashio current, which comes from the north and washes the western coast of Japan, affects the climate of Japan by making it extremely cold, whereas the east coast of Japan is washed by the warm Kuroshio current that makes the winter milder.
Question 2
Compare and contrast the summer and winter conditions of Asia.
Answer
| Summer conditions in Asia | Winter conditions in Asia |
|---|---|
| During summer, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer, the main landmass of Asia develops low pressure. The surrounding seas being cooler, develop high pressure. Since the winds blow over the oceans, they pick up a lot of moisture and give heavy rainfall in South Asia. These are known as southwest monsoon winds as they blow from southwest to northeast. | During winter, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, Central Asia becomes extremely cold and develops high pressure. The surrounding oceans are relatively warm and have low pressure over them. The winds start blowing from land to sea. The winds are dry and do not bring rain. These cold winds blowing southward are checked by the Himalayas in South Asia. During winter, northeast monsoon winds blow from northeast to southwest. They pick up moisture from Bay of Bengal and give rainfall to eastern coast of India. In the south western part of Asia, western disturbances originating in the Mediterranean Sea bring winter rainfall. |
Question 3
Where are the coniferous forests found in Asia?
Answer
Coniferous forests are found in a broad belt in the central part of Siberia, located to the south of Tundra region.
Question 4
Compare and contrast the natural vegetation of equatorial region and Tundra region.
Answer
| Natural vegetation of Equatorial region | Natural vegetation of Tundra region |
|---|---|
| Evergreen rain forests are found in Malaysia, Indonesia and parts of Philippines. | This type of vegetation is found in northern Russia, bordering the Arctic ocean. |
| These forests consist of a variety of trees, palms and ferns with dense undergrowth of shrubs and creepers. Examples of trees are rosewood, ebony etc. This area receives a large amount of rainfall due to hot and wet climate. | The vegetation consists of mosses and lichens. This area is covered with snow for most of the year. |
Question 5
How do Himalayas affect the climate of Asia?
Answer
The east west trend of Himalayas in South Asia, prevents the cold winds from Central Asia to enter the subcontinent in winter. They force the monsoon winds to shed their moisture in the south during the rainy season.