1 The total area of Asia is 44.579 million square kilometers. Asia (etymology ancient Greek: α σ? α; Latin: Asia), once translated as "Asia Asia" and "Asia West Asia", is the largest and most populous of the seven continents. It accounts for 8.7% of the total area of the earth (or 29.4% of the total land area). The total population is about 4 billion, accounting for 60.5% of the world population (20 10).
Most of Asia is located in the northern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. The dividing line between Asia and Africa is the Suez Canal. East of Suez Canal is Asia. The dividing line between Asia and Europe is the Ural Mountains, ural river, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, Turkish Strait and Black Sea. East of the Urals Mountains and south of the Great Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea are Asia.
The mainland is located in the Bering Strait at Zhinev Point in the east (169 39 ′ 7 ″ w, 66 4 ′ 45 ″ n) and Tanjung Biya in the south (1031′ e,116 ′ n). Spanning a vast latitude and longitude, the time difference between east and west reaches 1 1- 13h. The west is connected with Europe, forming the largest land on earth-Eurasia.
Asia is the birthplace of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, the three major religions in the world.
Second, the geographical environment
1
zone
The topography of Asia fluctuates greatly, with high in the middle and low around. There is a longitudinal colorful island arc in the east. With an average elevation of about 950 meters, it is the highest continent in the world except Antarctica. Mountains, plateaus and hills account for about 3/4 of the total area, of which the elevation above 1000 meters accounts for 1/3. The peaks above 8000 meters above sea level in the world are all distributed in the Karakorum Mountains and the Himalayas. The plain accounts for 1/4 of the total area, accounting for100000 square kilometers. The whole continent is centered on the Pamirs, and a series of tall mountains radiate to the continental margin. owner
The topography of Asia
There should be Tianshan Mountain, Kunlun Mountain, Himalayas, Altai Mountain, Hindu Kush Mountain, Elbers Mountain, Jinniu Mountain and Zagros Mountain. There are Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Mongolia Plateau, Iran Plateau, Anatolia Plateau, Deccan Plateau, Arabian Plateau, Central Siberia Plateau, Tarim Basin, Junggar Basin and Qaidam Basin.
Beyond the mountains and plateaus are vast plains, mainly including the Northeast Plain, the North China Plain, the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Indus Plain, the Ganges Plain, the Mesopotamian Plain and the Western Siberia Plain. Asia not only has the highest plateau (Qinghai-Tibet Plateau), mountains and peaks (Mount Everest, 8844.43 meters above sea level), but also the world-famous plains (Western Siberia Plain) and depressions (Dead Sea).
Asia not only has extreme ups and downs on the land, but also shows extreme ups and downs on the arc islands on the eastern edge of the mainland and the submarine part of the Pacific Ocean. The mountains on the island are connected with deep ditches. The height difference between the highest peak in Asia and the deepest trench in the adjacent waters is about 20 kilometers.
2 center
The most central point in Asia, the geographical center of the Asian continent, is located in Baojiacaozi Village, Yongfeng Township, urumqi county, the southern suburb of Urumqi. Geographical coordinates are 43 40' 37 "north latitude and 8719' 52" east longitude.
The geographical center of the Asian continent refers to the point in a balanced position within the Asian continent, which is farthest from the coastline around the continent and most continental. Xinjiang Institute of Geography, China Academy of Sciences, after more than two years of calculation and field investigation, determined it as 43 40' 37 "north latitude and 8719' 52" east longitude. Baojiacaozi Village, Yongfeng Township, located on the alluvial fan at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain, is about 30 kilometers northeast of Urumqi city center, with accessible roads. A 18-meter-high, highly representative "Heart of Asia" symbol tower with typical Asian regional characteristics stands proudly at the "Heart of Asia" point.
3 environment
The coastline of the Asian continent is long and tortuous, with a coastline of 69,900 kilometers. It is the longest continent in the world. Coastal types are complex. There are many peninsulas and islands, and it is the largest continent on the peninsula. Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world (with an area of about 3 million square kilometers). The general feature of Asia's topography is that the surface fluctuates greatly, with mountains in the middle, and mountains, plateaus and hills account for about 3/4 of the whole continent. The average elevation of the whole continent is 950 meters, which is the highest in the world except Antarctica. The whole continent is roughly centered on the Pamirs, and a series of tall mountains extend in all directions, the highest of which is the Himalayas. There are many vast plateaus and basins between high mountains. Beyond mountains and plateaus, there are vast plains.
There are many famous mountain peaks in Asia, among which Mount Qomolangma, the highest peak in the world, is 8844.43 meters above sea level, which will gradually increase. It is estimated that the height of Mount Everest will set a new historical record in one hundred years. Asia has the lowest depressions and lakes in the world-the Dead Sea (which is 392 meters below the Mediterranean), and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is called the "roof of the world".
Asia has the most volcanoes in the world. The islands around the eastern edge have the most volcanoes in the world. Earthquakes are frequent in eastern coastal islands, Central Asia and northern West Asia. Many great rivers in Asia originate from the central mountains and flow into the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Arctic Ocean respectively. The internal flow areas are mainly distributed in Central Asia and West Asia. The longest river in Asia is the Yangtze River, which is 6397 kilometers long. Followed by the Yellow River, 5464 kilometers long; The Mekong River is 4500 kilometers long. The longest inland river is Volga River (the longest in the world) (3,690 kilometers), followed by Amu Darya River and Tarim River (2 179 kilometers). Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in Asia and the deepest lake in the world.
The islands in Asia are mainly concentrated in the southeast sea. There are tens of thousands of islands with a total area of 3.2 million square kilometers, including six big islands (kalimantan island, Sumatra, Guinea, Sulawesi, Java and Honshu) with an area of over 654.38 million square kilometers.
Asia is the continent with the largest concentration of major rivers in the world, with 58 rivers exceeding 1000 km in length, of which 5 rivers exceed 4,000 km (Yangtze River, Yellow River, Mekong River, Irtysh River (ob river) and Heilongjiang).
Rivers originate in the mountains of the central plateau and flow radially to the surrounding oceans.
4 climate
The Asian continent spans cold, warm and hot areas. The main features of climate are complex and diverse climate types, typical monsoon climate and obvious continental nature. The southeast half of East Asia is a humid temperate and subtropical monsoon region, while Southeast Asia and South Asia are a humid tropical monsoon region. Central Asia, West Asia and East Asia are inland arid areas. It is between the above-mentioned humid monsoon region and inland arid region, while most parts of North Asia are semi-humid and semi-arid regions.
In most parts of Asia, the temperature is very low in winter. The area with the highest average temperature below 0℃ in Leng Yue accounts for about 2/3 of the whole continent. In June+10/October, 5438, the average temperature of Yongsk and Oymyakon was below -50℃, and the extreme minimum temperature of Oymyakon was as low as -7 1℃, which was the lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere and was called the cold polar region in the northern hemisphere. The temperature generally rises in summer, and the average temperature in the hottest month is between 10- 15℃ except the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The area above 20℃ accounts for about 50% of the whole continent.
The extreme maximum temperature in Basra, Iraq reaches 58.8℃, which is the hottest place in the world. The regional distribution of precipitation varies greatly, and the main trend is decreasing from the humid southeast to the dry northwest. It is rainy all the year round around the equatorial belt, with annual precipitation exceeding 2,000 mm. The average annual precipitation in Kilapanche in northeast India is as high as 1 1430 mm, making it one of the wettest areas in the world. Southwest Asia and Central Asia have no rain all year round, and the annual precipitation in most areas is below 150 ~ 200mm. During the period of 65438+1October from September to June, strong cold air (cold wave) often moves southward over Siberia and Mongolia Plateau, and most parts of East Asia are vulnerable to invasion. 65438+ 10 A typhoon occurred in the western part of the Central Pacific Ocean, attacking the eastern coastal areas of East Asia and Southeast Asia; Hurricanes in the Bay of Bengal hit the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal from May to June. It often causes serious disasters.
5 water system
There are many big rivers in Asia, most of which originate from the mountains in the middle and flow radially in all directions. Rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean include Heilongjiang, Yellow River, Yangtze River, Pearl River and Mekong River. The Indus, Ganges, salween, Irrawaddy, Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow into the Indian Ocean. Ob river, Yenisei River and Lena River flow into the Arctic Ocean. Inland rivers are mainly distributed in arid areas of Central Asia and West Asia, including Syr Darya, Amu Darya, Ili River, Tarim River and Jordan River. The biggest waterfall in Asia is the Qiaoge Waterfall on the Shrabati River on the southwest coast of India, with a drop of 253 meters.
Compared with other continents, there are not many lakes in Asia, but many lakes have their own characteristics and are world-famous. For example, Hulihai Lake in Asia and Europe is the largest lake in the world and the largest saltwater lake. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake in Asia. The Dead Sea is the lowest depression in the world. Lake Balkhash is an inland lake with both fresh water and salt water. Asian lakes are widely distributed, which can be roughly divided into five lakes: North Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Most rivers in Asia originate in the central mountains and flow into the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Among them, there are 7 rivers with a length of more than 4000 kilometers. The longest river is the Yangtze River, followed by ob river, and its source is the Irtysh River. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, while Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in Asia and the deepest and oldest lake in the world. The deepest elevation of the lake bottom1295m. The Amu Darya River, with a total length of 2,540 kilometers, is the longest inland river in Asia. The Tigris River, the Euphrates River, the Yellow River and the Indus River basins are all the earliest cradles of human civilization. Ganges is the sacred river of Hinduism and Buddhism. Mekong River is an important international river, and the countries in the Mekong River basin include China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
Three. natural resource
Mineral resources: There are many kinds of minerals in Asia with large reserves, mainly including oil, coal, iron, tin, tungsten, antimony, copper, lead, zinc, manganese, nickel, molybdenum, magnesium, chromium, gold, silver, rock salt, sulfur and precious stones.
Among them, the reserves of oil, magnesium, iron and tin rank first in all continents.
Forests and grasslands: The total forest area accounts for about 13% of the total forest area in the world. More than two thirds of timber forests have been developed and utilized. Artificial afforestation has developed. The Asian part of Russia, the northeast of China and the north of Korea are coniferous forest areas widely distributed in the world, with abundant reserves and many precious timber trees. There are abundant plants in South China and Southwest China, the southern slope of Japan and the southern slope of Himalayas, including palm, mallow, Taxodium, Metasequoia and so on. Tropical forests in Southeast Asia occupy an important position in the world forests and are famous for their constant and rich plant communities. Its main tree species are Dipterocarpaceae, and there are also "living fossils" such as Tilia amurensis, Ginkgo biloba and Cycas. The total grassland area in Asia accounts for about 15% of the total grassland area in the world.
Hydroelectric power generation: The annual power generation of exploitable hydropower resources in Asian countries is estimated to be 2.6 trillion kWh, accounting for 27% of the world's exploitable hydropower resources.
Marine fishery: The area of coastal fishing grounds in Asia accounts for about 40% of the total area of coastal fishing grounds in the world. Here is rich in salmon, trout, cod, bonito, mackerel, small yellow croaker, large yellow croaker, hairtail, squid, sardines, tuna, mackerel and whales. The famous fishing grounds are Zhoushan Islands, Taiwan Province Island, Xisha Islands, Hokkaido Island, Kyushu Island and Sea of Okhotsk. The area of coastal fishing grounds in China accounts for nearly 1/4 of the total area of coastal fishing grounds in the world.