World GeographyWorld Geography

Chapter 33

Southeast Asia

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

World GeographyWorld Geography

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Section 1: Historical Influences on Southeast Asia

Section 2: The Countries of Southeast Asia

Chapter 33: Southeast Asia

Historical Influences on Southeast Asia

How has the migration of people into Southeast Asia over the centuries affected the culture of that region?

How did Europeans change the economy, environment, and political boundaries of Southeast Asia?

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Vocabulary barbarian paddy indigenous insurgent doi moi heterogenity

MigrationIndian Influence Merchants from India

brought Hindu and Buddhist monks with them.

The culture of the region absorbed many aspects of Hinduism and Buddhism, but rejected others such as the caste system.

Muslim Influence Traders from Arabia and

India brought Islam to the region.

Islam created strong ties between the peoples of Malaysia, Indonesia, the southern Philippines, and other Muslim lands.

Chinese Influence• The Chinese had little impact on the region, as the Chinese

viewed their culture as superior, and considered foreigners to be barbarians, or people without manners or civilized customs.

• The Vietnamese were influenced by Chinese culture, but never lost their own cultural identity.

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Europeans Bring Change Europeans at first established trading posts, and then in

the 1700s and 1800s began expanding their colonies deeper into Southeast Asia.

The Europeans cleared forests and built plantations for cash crops and encouraged wealthy local landlords to grow rice for export, forcing many small farmers out of business.

The Europeans sold factory-made goods to their colonies, undercutting local artisans and making the colonies dependent on industrialized countries for manufactured goods.

The Europeans financed construction of inland roads and railroads to transport goods to port cities, which began growing rapidly.

Growing port cities attracted people from China and India, and tensions sometimes developed between the immigrants and indigenous Southeast Asians.

Colonies were carved out of Southeast Asia with little attention paid to existing ethnic boundaries.

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Foldable On the outside draw a picture that would pertain to the

given country, or countries. On the front inside write the name of the country, or

countries. On the back inside write 3 facts about the country, or

countries. Pick 4 of the following for your foldable.

• Myanmar• Thailand• Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia• Indonesia• Philippines• Singapore• Malaysia and Brunei• Papua New Guinea

Myanmar and ThailandMyanmar When the British took

control in the late 1800s, they unified Burma politically but not culturally.

When Burma gained independence in 1948, the country lacked unity, and various ethnic groups have fought the government since then.

Myanmar’s economic growth has been slowed by warfare with ethnic insurgents and by its repressive military government

Thailand Thailand preserved its

independence by signing treaties with Western powers in the late 1800s.

Since World War II, Thailand has had strong ties with the United States.

The country depended heavily on agriculture until the 1960s, when Thailand began to diversify the economy.

Tourism has become a major source of income, and Bangkok has become the transportation hub for the entire region.

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Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

After World War II, the region became involved in a series of wars, the first of which secured independence from France.

The second war, between North and South Vietnam, drew in the United States, as well as Laos and Cambodia, and ended with Vietnam united under Communists.

Communists also took control of Laos and Cambodia, and in all three countries the Communists killed huge numbers of non-Communists.

In 1986, Vietnam began doi moi, a program designed to attract foreign investors, and during the 1990s the economy boomed.

In 1995, the United States resumed diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and Vietnam joined ASEAN that same year.

Laos and Cambodia have turned away from strict government-controlled economies, but have not attracted investment on the scale of Vietnam.

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Cultural heterogeneity challenges Indonesia and the Philippines

Indonesia and the Philippines

Indonesia Indonesia has more than 228

million people living on islands spread over 3,200 miles of ocean.

A strong government, backed by the military, has used force to maintain unity.

Oil resources have lifted Indonesia’s per capita income and provided money to spend on roads, airports, and schools.

Indonesia experienced an economic slowdown in the late 1990s.

The Philippines The Philippines were ruled by

Spain, and then the United States, until independence in 1946.

Under Spanish rule, the majority of Filipinos converted to Roman Catholicism, and intermarriage spread Spanish culture among ethnic groups.

U.S. rule introduced a new educational system, the English language, and democratic institutions.

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Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Papua New Guinea Singapore has a deep natural harbor, and is

located in the center of an important trade route.

Singapore is a thriving center of international trade and an important manufacturing center.

Malaysia and Brunei are wealthy countries with large reserves of oil and natural gas.

Oil income has allowed Brunei to modernize, and Malaysia has a diverse economy exporting machinery, raw materials, and oil.

Papua New Guinea is an ethnically diverse country in which most people practice agriculture with traditional tools, yet modern machines are used to mine gold and copper ore.

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