Compare and contrast the South Asian region with the East Southeast Asian Australia and Oceania region Students will demonstrate the ability to Define regions by their physical or human geography or a combination of the two Highlight the major differences between regions this is comparison Highlight the extent of the major differences this is contrast Compose an engaging and articulate essay using clear coherent prose that utilizes the conventions of standard American English makes use of relevant examples and illustrations The grade will be based on the following criteria Criteria Evaluation Define regions under investigation how are they delineated physical or human geography criteria or combination of both 20 Systematic comparisons what are the main differences between the regions 30 Systematic contrasts what are magnitudes of the differences between the regions 30 Use of relevant and topical empirical examples when investigating comparisons and contrasts 10 Essay structure grammar spelling illustrations and appropriate references 10 Define regions by their physical or human geography or a combination of the two south Asia The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan note 2 Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka and the Maldives 6 East Southeast Asian Australia and Oceania Southeast Asia and Oceania comprises Vietnam Laos Cambodia Thailand Myanmar Burma Malaysia Indonesia Singapore Philippines East Timor Papua New Guinea Brunei Australia New Zealand and a number of small island states in the South Pacific Ocean East Asia include China Japan Mongolia North Korea South Korea and Taiwan In the north Mongolia s Altay Mountains the Mongolian Plateau and the Gobi Desert separate the region from Russia In the south the Himalaya Mountains divide China from South Asia and contain the world s highest mountain Mount Everest In the southeast the Arkan Mountains and Naga Hills which stretch across Myanmar and India and the rolling hills of China s Yunnan Plateau separate Southeast Asia from the rest of the continent In general this is a realm of relatively high relief meaning there are significant changes in elevation on the landscape Oceania is the only world region not connected by land to another region The region of Oceania includes Australia the realms of the Pacific Islands and the polar regions of the Arctic and the Antarctic While some regions share a distinct cultural or colonial history and others share a common physical landscape the region of Oceania is connected more by its isolation than by a shared physiography or human experience The islands of the Pacific to the north and east of Australia and New Zealand are divided into three regions see Figure 10 4 New Zealand is part of the islands of Polynesia from the prefix poly meaning many Polynesia is a large triangular region stretching from New Zealand to Easter Island to the Hawaiian and Midway Islands West of Polynesia and to the northeast of Australia are the islands of Melanesia including New Guinea the Solomon Islands and Fiji Europeans called the region Melanesia from the Greek prefix melan meaning black referring to the darker skin they believed characterized the people of this realm North of Melanesia are the tiny islands of Micronesia from the prefix micro meaning small There are over 2 000 islands in Micronesia Highlight the major differences between regions this is comparison Population size As a region South Asia is now the most populous area in the world and is home to over 1 8 billion people Some of the world s largest megacities are located here as well including Delhi India population of 26 million in the entire metropolitan area Karachi Pakistan population of 14 million with some estimating that it is much higher and Mumbai India population of over 21 million Despite the sizeable population however the region remains largely rural Only around 36 percent of people in Pakistan 31 percent of people in India and 28 percent of people in Bangladesh live in cities These relatively low levels of urbanization indicate that most people in the region still practice agriculture Climate In East Asia for example the coastal regions of Central and Southern China Japan and South Korea are primarily a humid temperate climate Southeast Asia is largely tropical with ample rainfall throughout the year The exception to these relatively warm areas are Western China where the cold highland climate dominates and Northeastern Asia is quite cold due to its high northern latitude The most important climatic feature of South Asia is a dramatic weather cycle known as the monsoon see Figure 8 3 The monsoon refers to seasonal shifts in wind that result in changes in precipitation Most of the rain during the monsoon season results from orographic precipitation caused when physical barriers form air masses to climb where they then cool condense and form precipitation see Figure 8 4 Traditions South Asia is a diverse region in terms of its ethnic landscape culture and religious beliefs As shown in Figure 8 7 in the northern portion of the region the Indo European languages like Hindi dominate as a result of the Aryan invasion Along the Himalayas languages in the Sino Tibetan family dominate In southern India however most groups speak a language in the Dravidian family comprised of the indigenous languages of South Asia that were present before the arrival of the Aryans These language families reflect broader differences in culture and ethnicity including particular religious practices and food customs Thus the label Indian cuisine actually encompasses a diverse array of regional and traditional specialties At its heart there are four key features of Hinduism dharma karma reincarnation and worship Dharma refers to the laws and duties of being and is different for every person You might be a student and an employee and a child and a sibling All of those roles have prescribed responsibilities To be a good student for example means to attend class read the textbook and study In Hindu culture there are also restraints and observances for how you interact with other people depending on their status The banks of East and Southeast Asia s rivers provided early settlers with fertile soil and even today provide agricultural irrigation The region s hilly terrain though initially an obstacle to agricultural productivity inspired innovations such as terracing cutting a series of flat surfaces resembling steps on hillsides China in