The Natural Regions

The peculiar conditions of the monsoons and their reaction on human life mark off the area which they influence from the rest of Asia. But certain climatic features which are not characteristic of monsoons cause variations, and ‘Monsoon Asia’ may be subdivided into (1) a Monsoon Equatorial Region, (2) a Tropical Monsoon Region, (3) a Subtropical Monsoon Region, and (4) a Temperate Monsoon Region. The whole area covered by these regions may be denned as those parts of south and eastern Asia which are shown in black in the July rainfall map on page 124. Outside the monsoon regions, there are seven regions whose numbers in the following list will, for convenience of reference to the map on page 132, be given as continuous with those of the monsoon area. They are (5) the Subtropical West Coast, (6) the Toplands, (7) the Subtropical Interior Lowlands, (8) the Mediterranean Lands, (9) the Temperate Interior, (10) the Temperate East Coast, and (11) the Cold North Coast. These will now be dealt with in detail.