world geography todaychapter 29 mainland southeast asia preview section 1: natural...

World Geography Today Chapter 29

Mainland Southeast AsiaPreview

Section 1: Natural Environments

Section 2: History and Culture

Section 3: The Region Today

Chapter Wrap-Up


Read to Discover

• What are mainland Southeast Asia’s major landforms and rivers?

• Which climate and vegetation types are found in the region, and what animals live there?

• What are some of mainland Southeast Asia’s main resources?



Question

What are the three landform regions of mainland Southeast Asia?



Mountains

• Located in northern Southeast Asia

• Rugged landscapes

• Fan out from Himalayas and Plateau of Tibet through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam

Plains and Plateaus

• Found in central Southeast Asia

• Cover much of Thailand and Cambodia

• Include Thailand’s Khorat Plateau

River Valleys and Deltas

• Irrawaddy, Chao Phraya, Hong (Red), and Mekong Rivers

• Fertile alluvial soils, heavy farming

• Dense populations, most of the region’s cities

• Rivers used for local transportation



• Region has tropical or subtropical climates, greatly influenced by monsoons

• Coastal areas—Mainly tropical humid with heavy rainfall

• Interior—Tropical wet and dry

• North—Humid subtropical

• Climates support a wide variety of plants and animals


Climates, Plants, and Animals


• Hardwoods—Mahogany, teak, ebony

• Minerals—Iron, manganese, tin, tungsten, gems

• Energy—Natural gas (Thailand), oil (Myanmar), coal (Vietnam), hydropower potential


Main Resources


Read to Discover

• What are some major events in mainland Southeast Asia’s history?

• What are the main cultural features of the region?



• Important early center of plant domestication

• Khmer civilization—arose in A.D. 800s

• Thais entered from China; Buddhism spread

• 1500s—Europeans arrived

• Colonization—British and French set up plantations; Chinese and Indians arrived


Key Historical Events


• World War II—Japanese occupation

• Independence—Burma (Myanmar); French Indochina split up (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)

• Vietnam War


Key Historical Events (continued)


Question

What are the cultural elements of each country in Southeast Asia?



Mainland Southeast Asia’s

Cultures

• Tai language (Thai)• Mostly Buddhist, but Hindu Brahmins lead ceremonies

• Curries common in diet

Thailand

• Austro-Asiatic language (Khmer)

• Mostly Buddhist

Cambodia

• Tai language (Laotian)

• Some animists

Laos

• Sino-Tibetan language (Burmese)

• Many ethnic groups

• Mostly Buddhists, some animists

Myanmar

• Austro-Asiatic language (Vietnamese)

• Many ethnic groups• Mix of Confucianism, Buddhism, some animists

• Varied food tradition

Vietnam



• Each country has one main cultural group, but various minorities.

• Three main language families—Sino-Tibetan, Tai, Austro-Asiatic

• In mountain areas, minority groups maintain traditions.

• Most major cities have large Chinese populations.


Cultural Features


• Buddhism is the dominant faith, but also Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam.

• Rice is the staple food; great variety of dishes, many spicy.

• Buddhist thought and customs have great influence.


Cultural Features (continued)


Read to Discover

• What are the economies and politics of mainland Southeast Asia like?

• What types of agriculture are practiced in the region?

• What issues and challenges do the region’s countries face?



• Thailand has a dynamic market economy and constitutional monarchy.

• Laos is a very poor communist country that is trying to achieve gradual market reforms.

• Cambodia is also very poor, but with an elected government.

• Myanmar has resources but a very closed political system and poor economy.

• Vietnam has a communist system with some capitalist features, but is still poor.


Economic and Political Features


• Paddy farming—Intensive rice production where water is plentiful

• Shifting subsistence farming—In poor-soil areas, farmers shift fields after a few years

• Plantations—Large farms growing export crops

• Opium growing in rugged northern mountains


Types of Agriculture


Question

What crops are produced in each agricultural system in Southeast Asia?



Agriculture of Southeast Asia

Paddy Agriculture

Rice

Plantation Agriculture

Natural rubber,sugarcane,pineapples

Subsistence Agriculture

Rice, cassava, yams, bananas,

pineapples, beans,

sugarcane



• Cambodia is trying to recover from the terrifying period of Khmer Rouge rule.

• Myanmar is a harsh military dictatorship with a poor human rights record.

• Vietnam and Laos are both poor countries trying to enact economic reforms.

• Thailand’s once-booming economy has slowed; economic reforms are underway.


Issues and Challenges


Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas

1. What are the major climates in mainland Southeast Asia, and where are they found?

2. What type of soils have made the region’s river valleys rich farming areas?

3. Which of the region’s countries was never a European colony? What two European countries had colonies in the region?

4. What three major language families are found in the region? Who are some of the primary speakers of the languages in each group?

5. In what areas do most of the region’s people live? What are the large cities of the region like?

world geography todaychapter 29 mainland southeast asia preview section 1: natural...

Documents