Key Stage 3 geography · Place knowledge

KS3 place study: a region in Asia explained

A place study looks closely at one region instead of a whole continent. At Key Stage 3 pupils study a region in Asia in depth, asking how its landscape, climate, people and economy affect each other and how they change over time. Schools choose the region, so it might be a river delta in south Asia, the Himalayas, the Mekong region, an island country such as Japan, or the Yangtze delta in China.

Place study: a region in Asia, explained

The National Curriculum asks pupils to understand similarities, differences and links between places through the study of the human and physical geography of a region in Africa and a region in Asia. It also asks them to understand how geographical processes interact to create distinctive landscapes that change over time. It does not name the region, so schools choose one that gives rich material. A school might pick the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta, the Himalayas and Nepal, the Mekong region of south-east Asia, or an island country such as Japan. Your child’s teacher will tell you which.

Whichever region is chosen, the approach is similar. Pupils locate the region and describe its physical geography, including relief, rivers and climate. They then study the people: how many there are, where they live and how they make a living. The key skill is linking the two. Asia adds some special ideas, such as monsoon rains, high population densities and the speed of change in its cities and industries. Pupils use population data, climate graphs, satellite images and photographs, and learn to ask whether each source is reliable and what it leaves out.

One popular choice is the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta, most of which lies in Bangladesh. Rivers that start in the Himalayas carry silt to a flat, low-lying delta, which is the largest in the world. The summer monsoon and melting snow raise the rivers every year, spreading fertile mud over the fields, so farmers grow rice and jute. Bangladesh, most of which is delta, has around 170 million people in an area about the size of England and Wales, which makes it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The same low land is at risk from river floods and from cyclones that form over the Bay of Bengal. In the south, the Sundarbans, a vast area of mangrove forest, shelters coastlines and wildlife such as the Bengal tiger. Bangladesh is also a major exporter of clothing, so the region has direct economic links to shops in the UK.

Landscapes change, and the interaction of processes is where the best geographical thinking happens. Rivers build land over centuries but also move their channels and wash away river banks. Communities have adapted by building homes on raised ground, constructing cyclone shelters, putting up embankments and using warnings sent by phone. Sea level rise and salt water moving into farmland and wells add new pressures. Another region, such as the Himalayas, would give different examples of the same ideas, with glaciers, mountain farming, tourism and landslides in place of floods and deltas.

Words your child will hear

Delta: Low, flat land formed where a river splits into channels and drops its silt as it meets the sea.
Silt: Fine soil carried by a river and left behind when it floods, which makes the land fertile.
Mangrove: A tree that grows in salty water along tropical coasts, with roots that protect the shore from waves.
Cyclone: A large, rotating tropical storm with strong winds and heavy rain. In the Atlantic it is called a hurricane.
Embankment: A raised bank of earth built beside a river or coast to hold back water.
Adaptation: A change that helps people cope with a hazard or a changing climate, such as building on higher ground.
Salt intrusion: Sea water moving into rivers, soil and groundwater, which can make water undrinkable and damage crops.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should be taught to understand geographical similarities, differences and links between places through the study of the human and physical geography of a region in Africa and a region in Asia
Pupils should understand how geographical processes interact to create distinctive human and physical landscapes that change over time.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: answering an enquiry question

How do people in the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta live with flooding?

Explain why flooding happens. The land is very low, three huge rivers meet there, and the summer monsoon and Himalayan snowmelt send large volumes of water downstream. Cyclones can also push sea water inland.
Show that floods are not only a problem. Regular flooding spreads silt over the land, which makes the soil fertile, so farmers can grow rice and jute and the delta supports many people.
Describe the risks. Severe floods can destroy homes, crops and roads, spread disease and force families to move. Poorer families often have little choice but to live on the most exposed land.
Give adaptations. Homes can be built on raised mounds, cyclone shelters are raised above the ground, embankments protect some areas, forecasts and mobile phone warnings give people time to leave, and in some places farmers grow vegetables on floating beds.
Weigh it up. These measures have saved many lives, but they cost money and cannot protect everyone. With sea level rising and more salt in the soil, people may need to change what they grow and where they live.

People in the delta live with floods because the same water brings fertile silt for farming. They reduce the risks by building raised homes and shelters, using embankments, receiving early warnings and trying new ways of farming, but rising sea levels and salt in the soil mean more change will be needed.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing one region stands for the whole of Asia

A place study goes deep into one area, and it is easy to start thinking that what is true of a delta is true everywhere. Asia has deserts, plateaus, islands, cold forests and rainforests.

What helps: After a place study, ask what would be the same and what would be different in another region, such as the Himalayas or Japan.

Thinking floods are always disasters

News coverage focuses on damage. But seasonal floods have been used for farming for centuries, and the problems come when floods are unusually large or people cannot protect themselves.

What helps: Separate the normal annual flood from the extreme one. Ask who benefits from the first and who suffers from the second.

Assuming people live in risky places because they do not know any better

From outside, a flood-prone delta can look like a poor choice. But fertile land, markets, jobs and family ties all draw people there, and moving has real costs.

What helps: List the reasons for staying alongside the risks. Good geography explains why people make choices, rather than judging them.

Explaining high population density only as “overcrowding”

A large number of people per square kilometre sounds like a problem. Fertile farmland can support many people, and density varies hugely between the delta and nearby hills.

What helps: Look at a population density map beside a map of soil or relief and ask what draws people to the densest areas.

How to help at home

Make a mini delta outdoors. In a garden, tip a shallow tray of sand and soil slightly and pour water slowly at the top. Watch where the water carries sand and where it drops it, and notice the fan shape at the bottom.
Measure your own rainfall. Stand a straight-sided jar outside in an open spot for a month and measure the rainfall each day with a ruler. Compare your total with figures for a monsoon region and talk about how a farmer would feel about each pattern.
Read the label. Check clothes and food at home for countries in Asia. Choose one and find where in the country it might have been made or grown, and what the landscape there is like.
Ask both sides. Pick any local hazard, such as heavy rain or snow. Ask what benefits it brings, what damage it can cause and how people adapt, then compare your answers with the delta.

Builds on

Key Stage 2: A region of the United Kingdom
Key Stage 2: A region in a European country
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