Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres.

It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled. Asia differs very widely among and within its regions, due to its vast size and huge range of different ethnic groups, cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems. Asia has been the historical birthplace of all major world religions. The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East

EAST ASIA-East Asia or Eastern Asia (the latter form preferred by the United Nations) is
a subregion ofAsia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it COVERS about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe. More than 1.5 billion people, about 38% of the population of Asia or 22% of all the people in the world, live in geographic East Asia, about twice Europe's population. The region is one of the world's most populated places, with a population density of 133 inhabitants per square kilometre (340 /sq mi), being about three times the world average of 45 /km2 , although Mongolia has the lowest population density of a sovereign state.[5] Using the UN subregion definitions, it ranks second in population only to Southern Asia. EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES:

China Hong Kong Japan Macau, Mongolia North Korea South Korea Taiwan (ROC)

CHINA
The People's Republic of China (PRC), commonly known as China, is the most populous state in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. It is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China (CPC). The PRC exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly administered municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two highly autonomous special administrative regions (SARs) Hong Kong and Macau.

Located in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, China is the world's third largest
country, after Russia and Canada map is like a rooster

With an area of 9.6 million square kilometers and a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, its shape on the China is bordered by 14 countries -- Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Marine-side neighbors include eight countries -- North Korea, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

An autonomous region is a first-level administrative subdivision of People's Republic of China. Like Chinese provinces, an autonomous region has its own local government, but an autonomous region theoretically has more legislative rights. In practice, they only have the right to appoint the governor (from the local minority) GEOGRAPHY:

The vast land expanses of China include plateaus, plains, basins, foothills, and mountains Defining rugged plateaus, foothills and mountains as mountainous, they occupy nearly two-thirds of the land the physical features are as described, people tend to divide China into four regions, that is, the North, South, Northwest and the Qinghai-Tibetan areas. Because of geographical differences, residents of each region have distinctive life styles and customs. The North and South regions are located in the Eastern monsoon area and are divided by the Qin Mountains-Huai River. Nearly 95 percent of the Chinese population lives here. The other two regions, the Northwest and Qinghai-Tibetan regions that occupy 55 percent of the land, have fewer people, although most of the ethnic groups cluster there.

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

China has numerous rivers and lakes. According to statistics, more than 50,000 rivers have drainage areas that exceed 100 square kilometers; more than 1,500 exceed 1,000 square kilometers The Yangtze, the longest in China and even in Asia, is the third-longest in the world. Acting as the largest water system in China, Yangtze River is historically, economically andculturally important to the country. Generally, people consider the Yangtze River a dividing line between North China and South China. Areas to the north and the south of the river have many differences in climate, scenery, economics, culture and folk customs. The Yellow River, 'Mother River of the Chinese People', is just behind the Yangtze, both flowing into the Pacific Ocean. Yellow River is a melting port, because there are more than 30 branches and countless streams feeding it through its course. This magnificent river flows quietly, like a shy girl in this section, irrigating the farmlands and nurturing the people. It is agreed upon by almost all the Chinese people that the Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese civilization, the spiritual home of the Chinese people. It is the waters of the Yellow River and its spirit that nurture the whole Chinese nation. For thousands of years, the Yellow River has been admiring by literary giants, artists, as well as by the common people. The Yellow River is not just several letters, nor is it just the name of a yellow-ochre-colored river. It bears special significance: the symbol of the Chinese nation, the spirit of the Chinese people and more importantly, civilization itself. Many lakes in the northwest are salty. Qinghai Lake, a beautiful natural salt-water lake, is the largest. In southeast China, most lakes are fresh water. Poyang Lake is the largest fresh-water lake in China. Poyang Lake is rich in aquatic plants, which create a hospitable environment for many rare species of freshwater fish. In addition, many kinds of rare birds are attracted to the lake, making it a popular destination for birdwatchers. Dongting Lake, China's second-largest freshwater lake, is located in northeastern Hunan Province. It is a large, shallow body of water surrounded by mountain chains. It is also known as 'eight- hundred Li Dong Ting Lake' (The Li is a Chinese length unit equal to 500 meters or about 1,640 feet). The area around the lake has tremendous agricultural production ability with a long history of development. Since the plain is graced with fertile soil, proper temperature and plentiful rain, Dongting Lake is also called 'a land flowing with milk and honey'. Taihu Lake is the third largest freshwater lake in China. Taihu Lake is a famous scenic spot in China and is famed for its lake, its hills and its splendid man-made scenery. It crosses Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, where 48 islets of different sizes and 72 peaks and peninsulas along the lake combine to form a panorama of great natural beauty. The best place to view the beautiful Taihu Lake is on the Turtle Head Islet. Turtle Head Islet is an islet stretching into the lake, whose shape is really like the head of a turtle protruding from the water. Taihu Lake is an abundant source of fish. Traveling there, you can taste the famous delicious food known as 'Taihu Lake Three Whites', including white shrimp, whitebait and whitefish.

Attractions in China. The Great Wall There is a well-known Chinese saying written on the Great Wall, "He Who Has Not Climbed the Great Wall Is Not a Real Man" There are two high peaks, generally called the south high peak and the north high peak. The highest point is about 1,000 meters above sea level. The base of the wall was made of granite and lump of soil and the top was paved with square bricks. The great wall averages 7.8 meters in height and is 6.5 meters wide at the base and 5.7 meters at the top. The width is enough for five horses to go side by side. On both sides of the road there are dwarf walls called "parapet wall". The 1.7-meter-high "crenel wall" is the outer wall. On its top, there are battlements for patrolling and watching. Below the battlements are peepholes, used for firing at the enemy. Every other 300 to 500 meters, there are fortresses. There are two kinds of fortresses. One is two-storied fortress called fighting tower. The ground floor was used for living, storing weapons and the top floor was used for watching and shooting. Another kind is fighting terrace or enemy terrace, which was used for patrolling and fighting. Many piers or castles, which also called smoke pier or beacon tower, were set up on the higher part and important fort along the Great Wall. In ancient time, soldiers made smoke in daytime and fire at night if they found the enemies. The soldier that saw the fire in another beacon tower faraway would ignite fire immediately and the next beacon tower would do the same. The message could be transmitted in a short while to the command post. It was one of the means for communication in the ancient times. The Great Wall has a history of more than 2,000 years. As early as the Warring States Period, in order to self-protect, rival kingdoms built walls around their territories. This is the earliest Great Wall. It is an indisputable fact that the Great Wall of China is the longest defense wall in the world. From the aspects of culture and history, the wall is an ancient masterpiece that you can fully enjoy.

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

The Forbidden City

It is the Forbidden City - the largest, best-preserved, mass group of palaces in China. In the past, it was named the Forbidden City. After PRC was established, it was renamed the Palace Museum Why is the Forbidden City so enchanting? First of all you should know its history. It used to be the palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties. Altogether 24 emperors lived here. Construction of the Forbidden City started in the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Yongle (1406) of Ming Dynasty and was completed 14 years later. This rectangle-shaped palace is 960 meters long from south to north, 753 meter wide from west to east. It occupies an area of 720,000 square meters, among which the total floor space is 155,000 square meters. Counting the space enclosed by four pillars as a "room", there are more than 9900 rooms in nearly 900 buildings. Tradition has it that there are altogether 9999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City, only half room less than the Heavenly Palace, which belongs to the Jade Emperor in the heaven. So it is said that the Forbidden City is the largest palace in the world. You will see the Hall of Supreme Harmony. "Supreme Harmony" was quoted from a famous Chinese religious book "Zhouyi". According to "Zhouyi", supreme harmony means all things in the universe are harmonious and satisfactory. According to some people, visiting the Forbidden City is a test of eyesight and foot. It is worthy of the name "City in City". The structure is a unique combination of artistic tastes, mechanics, architecture, and craftsmanship The Bund

The Bund got its name from a desolate beach outside the old Shanghai City. Tracing back, from the Opium War broke out in 1840 to the 1930's, many foreign businesses snatched the prime area in Shanghai, to establish concessions, banks, headquarters, consul houses and so on. Hence, Shanghai, a small seaside town one hundred years ago, became the largest city in Asia. It also earned the reputation of "The Oriental Wall Street". Even today, visitors can still feel the prosperity of the old Shanghai, when looking at those old buildings. There are group of 52 buildings standing in various styles, Gothic, Baroque, Rome, Renaissance, Classic and the combination of Eastern and Western style. The Bund symbolizes Shanghai and Bund is an epitome of Shanghai's history. Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses About 31 km away from Xi'an, is the place where the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors & Horses were found. Now it has been named "Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terra Cotta Warriors & Horses". in March 1974, farmers from Xianyang village accidentally discovered many broken pottery figures while digging a well 1.5 kilo-meters away to the east of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum. After archaeological excavation and textual research, it was found that this was an oblong pit in which were buried terra cotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty. In 1976, after driling, another two pits were discovered respectively 20 meters and 25 meters to the north of the former one. They were numbered Pit 1,2 and 3 respectively in order of discovery, with a total area of 22780 square meters. Pit No.1 is in oblong shape, covering an area of 14260 square meters. There are five sloping entrances on the eastern and western side of the pit respectively. in Pit No.1 are arrayed in a practical battle formation. In the long corridor to the east end of the pit stand three rows of terracotta warriors in battle tunics and puttees, facing east, 70 in each row, totaling 210 altogether. Armed with bows and arrows, they constitute the vanguard. Pit No.2 is located 20 meters to the north of the eastern end of Pit No.1. The pit is L-shaped and consists of four different mixed military forces in four arrays. It is estimated that there were over 1,000 pieces of pottery figures, 500 horse-drawn chariots and saddled horses. The pit is measured 6,000 square meters. Pit No.3 is located 25 meters to the north of Pit No.1 and to the west of Pit No.2. The plane of the Pit is of concave shape totaling about 520 square meters. Out of the pit were unearthed one chariot, four terra-cotta horses and 68 clay armoured warriors. To it's east, there is a sloping entrance, 11.2 meters long, 3.7 meters wide, opposite which is a chariot and horse house. On both sides of the house, there is a winging room, in which were unearthed 64 pottery figurines. On September 23rd 1978, Hillac, the Prime Minister of France went to the Museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, during its construction.

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

Standing in the No. 1 tunnel and facing the graceful underground array, he said: "Not having seen the pyramid, means you haven't really been to Egypt; not having seen the Warriors and Horses means you haven't really been to China... There're seven wonders in the world, and here is the 8th." Yellow Mountain (Mt. Huangshan) Yellow Mountain is well-known all over the world for its four scenic spots - pine forest, strange stone, Cloud Sea and hot spring. It is one of famous mountains in China. The Yellow Mountain has 72 peaks with different dimensions. The three main peaks - the Lotus Peak, the Bright Summit Peak and the Tiandu Peak are all above 1,800 meters. The main scenic spots of the Yellow Mountain start from hot spring, which is visitors' entertainment center of the Yellow Mountain he name is commonly thought to have been coined in honor of Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor), a legendary Chinese emperor and the mythological ancestor of the Han Chinese; Potala Palace

This was the main residence of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama. The Potala Palace, an administrative, religious and political complex, owns the beauty and originality of its architecture seen nowhere else in the world. The grand palace covers an area of 10,000 square meters and is 115 meters high. The whole complex is 13 stories high and contains about 1000 rooms. It contains a seminary, a printing workshop, living quarters, shrines, reliquary monuments, and an assembly hall for the monks. Potala Palace was built by Songtsen Gampo in Seventh century Dian Chi Lake

The Dian Chi Lake, also called "Kunming Lake", "Kunming Pond", and "Southern Lake of

Yunnan" in ancient times, is a plateau lake with beautiful scenery; the lake is 40 by 8 kilometers and is 1,886 meters above sea level. Being the largest lake in Kunming and the sixth largest fresh water lake in China, Dian Chi Lake is 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) in surface area, 1,885 meters (6,185 feet) in altitude and about 40 kilometers (25 miles) in length (from north to south When the weather is fine, there are white flocculent or massive clouds floating in the cerulean sky, the cyan water waves under the golden sunshine and the surrounding mountains reflect their silhouettes on the water. If you take a walk on the lake shore you will feel intoxicated by the beautiful landscape. PROFILE Geography Total area: 9,596,961 sq. km. (about 3.7 million sq. mi.). Cities: Capital--Beijing. Other major cities--Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, Chengdu. Terrain: Plains, deltas, and hills in east; mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west. Climate: Tropical in south to subarctic in north. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Chinese (singular and plural). Population (July 2010 est.): 1,330,141,295. Population growth rate (2010 est.): 0.494%. Health (2010 est.): Infant mortality rate--16.51 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--74.51 years (overall); 72.54 years for males, 76.77 years for females. Ethnic groups (2000 census): Han Chinese 91.5%; Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5%. Religions: Officially atheist; Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%. Language: Mandarin (Putonghua), plus many local dialects. Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--93%. Labor force (2009 est.): 812.7 million. Labor force by occupation (2008 est.): Agriculture and forestry--39.5%, industry--27.2%, services--33.2%.

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

Government Type: Communist party-led state. Constitution: December 4, 1982; revised several times, most recently in 2004. Independence: Unification under the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty 221 BC; Qing (Ch'ing or Manchu) Dynasty replaced by a republic on February 12, 1912; People's Republic established October 1, 1949. Branches: Executive--president, vice president, State Council, premier. Legislative--unicameral National People's Congress. Judicial--Supreme People's Court. Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (the P.R.C. considers Taiwan to be its 23rd province); 5 autonomous regions, including Tibet; 5 municipalities directly under the State Council. Political parties: Chinese Communist Party, 76 million members; 8 minor parties under Communist Party supervision. Economy GDP (2009): $4.814 trillion (exchange rate-based). Per capita GDP (2009): $3,678 (exchange rate-based). GDP real growth rate (2009): 8.7%. Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest). Agriculture: Products--Among the world's largest producers of rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley; commercial crops include cotton, other fibers, apples, oilseeds, pork and fish; produces variety of livestock products. Industry: Types--mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites. Trade: Exports (2009)--$1.194 trillion: electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textiles, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment.Main partners (2008)-United States 17.7%, Hong Kong 13.3%, Japan 8.1%, South Korea 5.2%, Germany 4.1%. Imports (2009)--$921.5 billion: electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels, optical and medical equipment, metal ores, plastics, organic chemicals. Main partners (2008)--Japan 13.3%, South Korea 9.9%, Taiwan 9.2%, U.S. 7.2%, Germany 4.9%. PEOPLE Ethnic The largest ethnic group is the Han (2000 census). The remaining 8.5% Miao (8 million), Uyghur (7 million), million), Korean (2 Groups Chinese, who constitute about 91.5% of the total population are Zhuang (16 million), Manchu (10 million), Hui (9 million), Yi (7 million), Mongol (5 million), Tibetan (5 million), Buyi (3 million), and other ethnic minorities.

Language There are seven major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. Mandarin (or Putonghua), the predominant dialect, is spoken by over 70% of the population. It is taught in all schools and is the medium of government. About two-thirds of the Han ethnic group are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the six other major Chinese dialects. Non-Chinese languages spoken widely by ethnic minorities include Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and other Turkic languages (in Xinjiang), and Korean (in the northeast).

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

JAPAN An archipelago in the Pacific separated from the east coast of Asia by the Sea of Japan. It is approximately the size of Montana. Japan's four main islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government(is a form of government in which a monarch(who typically inherits the throne by birth..) acts as head of state, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia Stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. About 73% of Japan is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for agricultural, industrial, or residential use The islands of Japan are located in a volcanic zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire Japan has 108 active volcanoes, Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several times each century. More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Thoku earthquake, a 9.0-magnitude quake which hit Japan on March 11, 2011, and triggered a large tsunami. CLIMATE The average winter temperature in Japan is 5.1 C (41.2 F) and the average summer temperature is 25.2 C (77.4 F). The highest temperature ever measured in Japan40.9 C (105.6 F)was recorded on August 16, 2007 The main rainy season begins in early May in Okinawa, and the rain front gradually moves north until reaching Hokkaid in late July. In most of Honsh, the rainy season begins before the middle of June and lasts about six weeks. In late summer and early autumn, typhoons often bring heavy rain ECONOMIC As of 2010, Japan is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, Japan has a large industrial capacity, and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronics, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods. Agricultural businesses in Japan cultivate 13 percent of Japan's land, and Japan accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global fish catch, second only to China As of 2010, Japan's labor force consisted of some 65.9 million workers.Japan has a low unemployment rate of around four percent Its main exports are transportation equipment, motor vehicles, electronics, electrical machinery and chemicals Japan ranks 12th of 178 countries in the 2008 Ease of Doing Business Index and has one of the smallest tax revenues of the developed world keiretsu(INTERLOCKING OF BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP) enterprises are influential, and lifetime employment and seniority-based career advancement are relatively common in the Japanese work environment Some of the largest enterprises in Japan include Toyota, Nintendo, NTT DoCoMo, Canon, Honda, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp, Nippon Steel, Nippon Oil, and Seven & I Holdings Co Japan is home to 326 companies from the Forbes Global 2000 or 16.3 percent (as of 2006). HISTORY Legend attributes the creation of Japan to the sun goddess, from whom the emperors were descended The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

DEMOGRAPHIC

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

Japan's population is estimated at around 127.3 million Japanese society is linguistically and culturally homogeneous with small populations of foreign workers Japanese Peruvians(JAPANESE WHO WERE BORN/MIGRATED TO PERU) are among the small minority groups in Japan The most dominant native ethnic group is the Yamato people(is a name for the dominant native ethnic group of Japan.); primary minority groups include the indigenous Ainu (are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia) and Ryukyuan peoples(are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kysh and Taiwan,) as well as social minority groups like the burakumin. ("hamlet people"/"village people") Japan has the longest life expectancy rate in the world Japan has a steady flow of about 15,000 immigrants per year Japan suffers from a high suicide rate.In 2009, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000 for the twelfth straight year. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30.

RELIGION Upper estimates suggest that 8496 percent of the Japanese population subscribe to Buddhism or Shinto, Fewer than one percent of Japanese are Christian LANGUAGE More than 99 percent of the population speaks Japanese as their first language EDUCATION Since 1947, compulsory education in Japan comprises elementary and middle school, which together last for nine years (from age 6 to age 15). The two top-ranking universities in Japan are the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of Japanese 15-year-olds as sixth best in the world. Literacy rate: 99% (2002 est.) CULTURE Japanese culture has evolved greatly from its origins. Contemporary culture combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America. ATTRACTIONS: 1. Akashi Kaikyo Suspension Bridge

also called Pearl Bridge Located in Japan and considered as Japans finest engineering feat. The Akashi Kaikyo Suspension Bridge is designed in such a manner where the earthquakes and harsh sea currents doesnt damage the bridge. The Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995 is the best example for this bridges efficiency. Akashi Kaiko Bridge is the worlds longest suspension bridge in the world with a length of 3911 meters (12,831 ft). The construction was finished in a span of 12 years which actually begin in the year 1986 and completed in the year 1998 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge plays an important role in providing three routes across the Inland sea. Daibutsu in Japanese means Great Buddha and most westerns refer to Daibutsu as the Great Buddha of Kamakura It is made of bronze and it is located in the Kotokuin temple, one of the most famous Buddhist temples of the Pure Land sect in Japan Second largest monumental Buddha in Japan.

2. Daibutsu Great Buddha of Kamakura

3. Tokyo Imperial Palace

Serves as the main residence of the Emperor of Japan and his family. The palace grounds including with the gardens, covers an area of 7.41 square kilometers. Some parks found in the Imperial Palace grounds are open to the public

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor

By: Ms. Kimberley DC Matammu HRTM Instructor