9.10 GEOGRAPHIC INSIGHTS

East Asia: Review and Self-Test

1. Environment: East Asia’s most serious environmental problems result from its high population density combined with its rapid urbanization and environmentally unsustainable economic development. Climate change may intensify the droughts and floods that have long plagued this region.

2. Globalization and Development: East Asia pioneered a spectacularly successful economic development strategy that has transformed economies across the globe. Governments in Japan and then Taiwan, South Korea, and eventually China intervened strategically in the economy to encourage the production of manufactured goods destined for sale abroad, primarily to the large economies of North America and Europe.

3. Power and Politics: As East Asia has developed economically, the pressure for more political freedoms has grown. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are now among the more politically free places in the world, and demands for political change in China are increasing, especially in urban areas.

4. Urbanization: Across East Asia, cities have grown rapidly over the last century, fueled by export-oriented manufacturing industries. China has recently undergone the most massive and rapid urbanization in the history of the world. Its urban population, now more than 720 million people, has tripled since China initiated economic reforms in the 1980s.

5. Population and Gender: Although East Asia remains the most populous world region, families here are having far fewer children than in the past, resulting in populations that are aging. Meanwhile, the legacy of China’s now largely abandoned “one child” policy, combined with an enduring cultural preference in China for male children, has created a shortage of females.