CHAPTER 21Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Large as the continental US Population centers around rivers More than half the population lives on islands Part of the “Ring of Fire”

earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis are common

Life is regulated by the climate- monsoons to droughts

Developing into an economic power, but poverty and political instability cause issue

Divided into two major sub regions Indochina Malay archipelago

I. Indochina

Named for dominant powers on either side: China and India Exert strong influence on the culture, politics

and economy of the region Made up of:

Myanmar Thailand Laos Cambodia Vietnam

Myanmar

Formerly known as Burma Changed in 1989 by ruling military junta, still contested UN and others recognize Myanmar, US still uses Burma

Largest country in Indochina- slightly smaller than Texas

Most people live along the rain forest Capital: Yangon Irrawaddy River- runs from uplands to the Andaman

Sea, main river in Myanmar 89% are Buddhists, only 4% profess Christianity Was once the richest country in the southeast, but

adopted socialist economic practices that held them back

Thailand

Known as Siam until 1939 Only country in Southeast Asia to never be

controlled by a European power Strongest economy in Indochina Bangkok: capital city Much of the territory is on the Malay Peninsula-

almost 1000 miles long-control central portion Constitutional monarchy- prime minister is head of

government, but have a traditional king 94% Buddhists Elephants are the national symbol pg 527

Laos

Only landlocked country in Southeast Asia Undeveloped, mountainous, lack of arable land 60% Buddhist, 40% animist or other native religion Mekong River borders with Thailand Capital: Vientiane- still shows French influence In 1975, Pathet Lao, a communist organization,

took over and modeled it after Vietnam Recently tried to move back to a free market

economy—but lack of infrastructure is hindering No railroads, little telecommunications, poor road

system, only urban areas have electricity

Buddhism

Pg. 526 Off shoot of Hinduism Based on teaching of Siddhartha Gautama

Buddha Dharma- saving truth- balance between self

indulgence and self torture 4 Noble Truths and 8 Fold Path of Moral

Principles 1. Right View 2. Right Intention 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood

6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration

Nirvana- state of happiness and rest Seek the “non self”

Cambodia

Has great potential, but never took advantage of it Low, flat plains, much of the land is arable Gained independence from France in 1953 The communist Khmer Rouge took over in 1975 and tried to

erase memories of colonial rule and return to a rural, agricultural lifestyle Tried to rid of all opposition, killed 1.5 million Cambodians Communists in Vietnam were appalled, they invaded in 1978 Khmer Rouge finally surrendered in 99 and were put on trial by the

UN Today, country has a king and a bicameral legislature Future is bright, GDP is equally divided by agriculture, industry

and service and 50% of the population is 20 years old and under

Vietnam

Capital: Hanoi Southern coast along the South China Sea Largest city in the south: Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)

Communist Ho Chi Minh led rebels against the French to gain independence

Not all Vietnamese wanted Communism, South voted to remain free

UN split the country at the 17th parallel, North and South Vietnam Afraid of the Domino Theory (once one country falls to

communism, more will follow) the US went in to help the South fight off the Viet Cong

Too divisive of a battle, US left, South fell, people fled the country Working on expanding economy, still has Communist government

Culture is a mix of Western and Oriental influences 80% profess no religion at all

II. The Malay Archipelago

Largest group of islands in the world

Most islands are volcanic, dominated by mountains

Malaysia

Part on the Malay Peninsula, rest is on the island of Borneo

Major leader among developing countries Capital: Kuala Lumpur- on the peninsula 60% are Muslim Official language: Bahasa Melayu, but English and

Chinese are common In the 70s became a major electronics

manufacturer Batik- hand crafted cloth, part of traditional clothing

Singapore

Only about 3x the size of D.C., but very influential

Singapore—name of island, country and capital

Has the busiest seaport by volume in the world

77% Chinese population, religiously Buddhist and Muslim

Financial and high-tech hub of Southeast Asia

Brunei

On the island of Borneo, wedged between two states of Malaysia

Gained independence from Britain in 1984 Government: Constitutional Sultanate

Legal system based on British law, but Islamic sharia supersedes it in some areas

Sultan and prime minister- hereditary positions, no elections

Islam is official religion Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan

Indonesia

Largest country of Southeast Asia Nation made up of 17,508 islands!

Only 6600 are populated, Stretch across 3000 miles

4th largest population in the world Largest Islamic nation in the world

Big Islands of Indonesia Java- hub of activity, capital Jakarta is

here Sumatra- second most densely

populated island Borneo- 3rd largest island in the world New Guinea- 2nd largest island in the

world

The Philippines

Chain of 7,107 islands that run 1000 miles Only about 900 islands are inhabited

Two big islands on either end: Luzon and Mindanao

Luzon Largest and most populous island Capital: Manila

Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan and was a Spanish colony until 1898, full independence after WWII 80% Roman Catholic