SOUTHEAST ASIA - CHAPTER 29
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY - AKS 30-52
Pacific "Ring of Fire"
· Many volcanoes are still active - these constant eruptions gave way to the many archipelagoes (island groups)
· Craters in Indonesia and Philippines
1. Indonesia has 327 (Krakatoa-1883)
2. Philippines - Mt. Pinatubo, 1991 is just 55 miles north of Manila. This was the most powerful volcanic eruption in the 20th century.
Agriculture
· RICE
1. Fertile soil
2. Abundant
3. Warm, wet climate
4. primitive tools like sickles are still used
5. seasonal flooding
Other Crops: Bananas, Yams, Sugar Cane, Rubber
Natural Resources
· Tin - Malaysia has the world's largest deposits
· Rubber - Malaysia is the world's leading producer of rubber
Climate
· A tropical climate influenced by the monsoons. Heavy rains often cause flooding of rivers..but, that is good for wet rice cultivation
History of the Vietnam War
· By the mid-1800's this area became known as French Indochina - under French control: Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
· Japanese took over during the 1930's - 1940's - World War II
· After World War II fighting broke out between the French and the Vitenamese resistance fighters - Vietminh
· Leader of the Vietminh was Ho Chi Minh
· 1954--French were losing - Battle of Dien Bien Phu
· Peace conference held in Geneva - Results of Peace Conference:
1. Laos, Cambodia would be independent
2. Vietnam was divided into two parts with the North as communist and the South as non-communist. Later, an election would unite the entire country.
· In the U.S. - strong opposition to communism - Cold War
· US fear of the "Domino Theory"
· The U.S. supports Ngo Dinh Diem and Vietnam becomes two countries
· The U.S. began sending money and weapons to support Diem
· In South Vietnam, the Vietcong move against the Diem's gov't
· Ho Chi Minh leads the North / Communist
· By 1965 --- large-scale war has evolved
· 1969---over 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam
· 1973---Cease-fire signed
· 1975---Communists took over Saigon
Presidents - Eisenhower / JFK / Johnson / Nixon
SOUTHEAST ASIA - CHAPTER 30
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY - AKS 30-52
POPULATION PATTERNS OF SE ASIA
· 484 million people / about 9% of the world population
· Varies from Indonesia - 200 million to Brunei - 300,000
· Population will double in about 37 years
Population Density - What determines the population density?
· Most people live in the river valley lowlands or the coastal plains
· Population Density varies from:
1. Indonesia - 288 per sq./mile
2. Singapore - 12,000 per sq./mile (U.S.A. is 75 per sq./mile)
Population Growth Rate - Table on page 612
· Some countries want to increase - for example, Cambodia lost 38% of their population in the mid 1970's (Khmer Rouge gov't)
· Malaysia has a goal to increase its population from 20 million to 70 million by the year 2095 - an annual growth rate of 2.3%
(The U.S. annual growth rate is 1%)
· Some countries want to decrease their growth rate - for example, Indonesia asks families to limit their size
· Singapore has tried to slow their growth rate by the government cutting child care payments to parents having 3 or more children
Rural & Urban Populations
· Most arable land is on the mainland - therefore, 75% of the mainland population is rural and works in agriculture
· the population shift has been from rural to urban - very normal !
HISTORY & GOVERNMENT OF SE ASIA
Outside Influences in the region
· The biggest (early) cities were developed by the European powers as colonial ports - we should all know about early colonization by the western powers (Europeans) - imperialism
· South Asians introduced Hinduism & Buddhism around 100 A.D.
· China controlled trade routes from 100 - 900's - mainly around the Hong (Red) river
· Islam was introduced by the Arabs in the 1300's - the Malay peninsula grows into an "Arab center"
· "The west" came to trade, spread Christianity & claim territory
Colonization Table on page 617
What was the only place not to become a colony?
· Many changes took place due to the outside influence:
1. small traditional farms were displaced by large plantations
2. western powers boosted economic production for their profit only
3. Europeans built roads & railways to link inland production to overseas trade
Independence and Conflicts
· By World War II, Japan had forced the western powers out
· After W.W. II, the western powers tried to regain control - the west was not successful - all countries in SE Asia are now independent
· Governments Today -
1. Republics - Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines
2. Constitutional Monarchies - Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia
(Cambodia held its first free elections in 1993)
3. Socialist Republics - Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar
CULTURES & LIFESTYLES OF SE ASIA
Languages
· Hundreds of languages spoken in SE Asia - many are a result of colonization & migration throughout history... such as:
1. Philippines - Tagalog & English are the official languages but Spanish is still spoken
2. Malaysia - English is most often used but the government is making Malay the official language
3. Vietnam - French, Chinese, English, Russian and Vietnamese are all spoken
4. Singapore - Chinese, Malay, Tamil & English are all official languages
Religions
· Buddhism is the major religion on the Indochina Peninsula
· Islam is #1 in Indonesia & the Malay Peninsula
· Roman Catholic dominates the Philippines
Lifestyles
· Despite the recent growth of cities, most SE Asians are still rural farmers who live in small villages
· Typical village has about 25-30 houses made of bamboo or wood
· In coastal lowland areas, houses are built on raised platforms supported by wooden poles for protection from insects, animals & flooding
· Longhouses - house up to 100 people - extended family dwellings
· Most rural housing lacks running water & electricity
Since Achieving Independence -
· the "quality of life" has improved for almost everyone - - Singapore has the best overall health conditions
· Per capita income has increased
· Life expectancy has risen - although Cambodia still is only age 50 compared to 74 in Singapore
· Education has improved - although the average number of years of schooling range from 2 in Cambodia to 8 in Brunei
· Thailand has the highest literacy rate - 89% with Cambodia the lowest - 50%
