Eurasia

Eurasia is the largest continent and a "continent of records": here are the highest peak on Earth, the lowest point on land, the largest and the deepest lakes, the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere and some of the wettest places on the planet. It is washed by four oceans and lies in every climate belt. Its vast size and complex structure give it extraordinarily varied nature. Uzbekistan lies on this continent too. Exams ask about the continent’s records, its relief, grouping rivers by ocean basin, how climate changes from west to east and identifying sub-regions from a description.

§1. Position

The continent lies wholly in the Northern Hemisphere (some nearby islands extend into the Southern) and mainly in the Eastern. Its extreme points are Cape Chelyuskin in the north, Cape Piai (Malay Peninsula) in the south, Cabo da Roca (Iberian Peninsula) in the west and Cape Dezhnev (Chukotka) in the east. It stretches from near the equator to the Arctic, so it contains every climate belt from arctic to equatorial.
The conventional boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern foot of the Urals, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Kuma-Manych Depression, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and the Bosporus and Dardanelles. Europe is the smaller, western part of the continent; Asia the larger.

Worked example

Cape Chelyuskin lies at about 77.7° N and Cape Piai at about 1.3° N. Roughly how long is the continent from north to south?

1. Both points are in the Northern Hemisphere, so subtract: 77.7 − 1.3 = 76.4°.
2. Along a meridian 1° ≈ 111 km.
3. Length: 76.4 · 111 ≈ 8,480 km. Answer: about 8,500 km.

§2. Relief and minerals

Eurasia is built of several ancient platforms (East European, Siberian, Chinese, Indian, Arabian) with fold belts between them, so its relief is the most complex of any continent and its mean height is second only to Antarctica.

• Mountains: in the south the Alpine–Himalayan fold belt — the Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus, Pamirs and Himalayas (Chomolungma, 8,848 m, the highest point on Earth); the belt is young and seismically active. Inland are the Tien Shan and the Altai; on the Europe–Asia border lie the old, low Urals. On the eastern edge are the volcanic islands of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" (Japan, Kamchatka).
• Plains: the East European (Russian) Plain, the West Siberian Lowland (vast and swampy), the Turan Lowland, the North China Plain and the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• Plateaus: Tibet (the highest and largest), the Central Siberian Plateau, the Deccan and Arabia.
• The shore of the Dead Sea (about −430 m) is the lowest point on land.

Resources: oil and gas (the Persian Gulf, Western Siberia), coal (China, Russia), iron ore and non-ferrous metals (in fold mountains).

§3. Climate

Eurasia lies in every climate belt. Its main climatic features are:

• Continentality increases from west to east: near the Atlantic the westerlies and the warm North Atlantic Drift give a maritime climate (mild winters, cool wet summers); inland winters grow colder and precipitation falls, and Siberia has an extreme continental climate.
• Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk form the cold pole of the Northern Hemisphere; a powerful anticyclone builds over them in winter.
• East and South Asia have monsoons: moist ocean air and heavy rain in summer (Cherrapunji is one of the wettest places in the world), dry air from the land in winter.
• The interior has deserts (the Gobi, Taklamakan, Arabian, Thar and Central Asian deserts).
• The Mediterranean coast has a subtropical climate: hot dry summers and mild wet winters.

Worked example

Approximate data: a Western European city has +4 °C in January and +17 °C in July; Oymyakon has −46 °C and +15 °C. Compare the ranges.

1. Western Europe: 17 − 4 = 13 °C.
2. Oymyakon: 15 − (−46) = 61 °C.
3. Answer: Oymyakon’s range is far larger — continentality grows with distance from the ocean.

§4. Inland waters

Rivers are best grouped by ocean basin:

• Arctic Ocean: the Ob, Yenisei and Lena — they freeze in winter, and in spring their lower courses thaw late, causing ice jams and floods.
• Pacific Ocean: the Amur, the Huang He ("Yellow River", carrying huge loads of silt) and the Yangtze, Asia’s longest river, swollen by summer monsoon rains.
• Indian Ocean: the Ganges, the Indus, the Tigris and the Euphrates.
• Atlantic Ocean: the Danube, the Rhine, the Elbe.
• Inland drainage: the Volga (Europe’s longest river, flowing into the Caspian), the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya.

Lakes: the Caspian (the largest lake in the world), Baikal (the deepest, holding a large share of the world’s fresh water), Ladoga (Europe’s largest lake) and Balkhash. The mountains carry large glaciers, and Siberia and northern Asia have extensive permafrost.

§5. Natural zones

From north to south: Arctic desert → tundra → taiga (the largest forest zone in the world) → mixed and broadleaf forest → forest-steppe → steppe → semi-desert and desert → subtropical forest (the Mediterranean, southern China) → savanna and monsoon forest (India, Indochina) → wet equatorial forest (the Malay Peninsula, the islands of Indonesia).
In Europe and the interior the zones run as east–west bands; on the east coast monsoons carry forests far to the south. Mountains show altitudinal zonation.

§6. Sub-regions

Eurasia is divided into large parts, or sub-regions: Europe (Northern, Western, Southern, Eastern), West (South-West) Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, South-East Asia and North Asia (Siberia). Each has its own nature and economy: West Asia — oil and deserts; South Asia — monsoons and dense population; East Asia — monsoons, great rivers and industry; Siberia — taiga and permafrost.

Worked example

Description: "High mountains border the sub-region to the north; it has a long lowland; a sandy desert in the north-west and evergreen forests in the east; a monsoon climate." Which sub-region is it?

1. High mountains in the north — the Himalayas.
2. A long lowland — the Indo-Gangetic Plain; the Thar Desert lies in the north-west.
3. A monsoon climate and a position south of the Himalayas point to the Indian subcontinent.
4. Answer: South Asia.

§7. Population and economy

Eurasia is home to most of the world’s people — roughly more than two-thirds. The most populous countries are India and China; the largest country by area is Russia. The cradles of ancient civilisation — Mesopotamia (between the Tigris and Euphrates), the Indus and Chinese river valleys and the oases of Central Asia — lie on this continent.
People are spread unevenly: South and East Asia and Western Europe are very dense; Siberia, Tibet and the deserts are sparse. The economy is varied too: high-tech industry in Western Europe and East Asia, oil in the Persian Gulf states, rice growing in monsoon areas. Along the old Great Silk Road, transport corridors linking Europe and Asia are being developed today.

Check yourself

1. Which mountains lie on the border between Europe and Asia?

2. The lowest point on land?

3. Asia’s longest river?

4. In which parts of Eurasia do monsoons blow?

5. The largest forest zone?

6. Where does the Volga flow?

7. January −20 °C, July +18 °C. Annual range?

8. The southernmost mainland point of Eurasia?

Common mistakes

• Naming the Caspian as the lowest point on land — the lowest is the Dead Sea shore.
• Calling the Volga an Asian river — it is Europe’s longest river.
• Thinking continentality decreases from west to east — it increases.
• Putting the Ob, Yenisei and Lena in the Pacific basin — they flow into the Arctic Ocean.
• Treating the Urals as young high mountains — they are old and low.