Environments and People - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 35

126 nautical miles. The EEZ of each country ranges from
4 to 63 nautical miles. Nevertheless, disputes are com-
mon in such narrow passages partly because of the mul-
titude of islands found in these waterways.
The case of the Timor Gap provides an example. In
1989, Australia and Indonesia struck a deal to explore and
exploit the seabed between them. Here is thought to be one
of the world' s largest reserves of hydrocarbons. This per-
ceived breakthrough followed years of controversy . In
1972, Australia and Indonesia agreed to formalize their sea
boundaries along the deep Timor T Trough. However, Timor-
Leste was still controlled by Portugal. Both Australia and
Portugal made conflicting claims to the seabed, issuing
overlapping exploration licenses to oil companies. This
disputed section became known as the Timor Gap. After
Timor-Leste became independent in 2002, it signed a deal
with Australia allowing Timor-Leste 90 percent of royalties
from the shared zone of exploration.
Another point of controversy is the amount of terri-
tory that islands can claim. A small island can claim
rights to fish and minerals such as manganese and oil
over a disproportionate sea area. This makes possession
of islands, no matter how small, critical. Jurisdiction
over islands fuels tensions and conflicts in the Indian and
Pacific Oceans.
The Law of the Sea T Treaty also guarantees ships in-
nocent passage while passing through the waters of one
country to the next. Passages such as the Strait of
Malacca are vital to world shipping. T To close these nar-
row waterways would be a relatively simple task in a time
of conflict.
There are those who proclaim oceans and seas to be
humanity' s common heritage, a concept introduced by
the Dutch as mare liberum in the sixteenth century . Un-
fortunately , this ideal is impractical in a commercial
world, and the “scramble for the seas” has intensified.

south, different islands and even parts of islands receive
more or less precipitation. Examine both January and
July wind and precipitation patterns on a more detailed
map in an atlas. This information is critical when plan-
ning a trip. Y ou probably do not want to arrive in Bali in
the wet period.
Another feature of equatorial regions is convectional
rainfall.The combination of solar energy and abundant
moisture availability in oceans and biotic communities
causes rapid evaporation. Warm, tropical air rises, cools,
and condenses. The inability of cool air to hold as much
moisture as warm air produces rain. This convectional
rainfall occurs nearly every day in the hotter, wetter
months. In the drier months when evaporation rates are
lower, several days might pass without a deluge.
Prior to rain, the humidity builds to an intolerable
level. There is so much moisture in the air that 78

F

(26 C). As the day wears on,

storm clouds fill the sky , and in late afternoon, torrential
rains wash the landscape and relieve the humidity . This
is one reason why people work their farms in the early
morning. Midday is a time to seek relief from the sun' is
intensity .
Latitudinal position is also significant, affecting both
moisture availability and temperatures. In general, mois-
ture decreases and temperature ranges increase inland
and away from the equator. For example, average yearly
precipitation at Guangzhou, on China' s southern coast,
is about 27 inches (686 mm). At Hohhot, capital of Inner
Mongolia in China' is interior, it is 17 inches (432 mm).
Guangzhou' is yearly temperature range is 56

C) feels like 100 F (38

F to 83 F

(13 C).

Both rainfall and temperatures are critical criteria for
agriculture because they determine the need for irrigation
and the length of growing season.A growing season is the
number of consecutive, frost-free days in a year.
What causes the monsoon seasons? The size of the
Asian landmass or continentality , combined with its prox-
imity to the Indian Ocean, are keys to explaining varia-
tions in air pressure and related upper-air circulation.
Because it is such a large landmass, extreme measures
of air pressure form over the land in winter and summer:
As the earth gets colder in the winter, cold, heavier air
forms a high-pressure zone over the landmass. In sum-
mer, as the land gets warmer, the air gets warmer too and
as warm air rises, a lower air pressure zone is generated.
T Typically, , winds blow from high to low pressure zones. In
general, winter brings cold, dry air from the continental
interior and summer brings moist, warm air from the sur-
rounding ocean. Water bodies have modifying influences

C to 28 C). Hohhot' is is 8 F to 71 F (-13 C to 22

Monsoon Asia

South, East, and Southeast Asia have been termed
MonsoonAsia by geographers and other scientists. This
is because these realms are affected by the monsoon —
intense, seasonally shifting wind systems that involve an
annual cycle of wet and dry seasons. Beyond equatorial
regions, summers are wet and winters are dry (Figure 2-9).
Equatorial regions experience year-round rainfall,
although there are “wet” and “less wet” periods. This de-
pends on the position of the sun, prevailing winds at the
time, and topography . As wind systems shift north and