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Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic and volcanic activity. Island arcs and archipelagoes lie southeast and east of the Asian mainland. Although politically a part of India, the Andaman Islands are geographically considered part of south-east Asia.

Southeast Asia
  1. Brunei
  2. Cambodia
  3. East Timor
  4. Indonesia
  5. Laos
  6. Malaysia
  7. Myanmar
  8. Philippines
  9. Singapore
  10. Thailand
  11. Vietnam
  12. Andaman Islands

Name and definition

Southeast Asia frequently refers to the area consist of the following, although in general and certain specific usage, the area it refers to can be broader (e.g. including the southern coastal China) or narrower.

All of the above are members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, except Timor Leste, which is an observer.

The area, together with part of South Asia, was in the past known as the East Indies or simply Indies.

IATA definition

For international travel, the airline industry looks to IATA for definitions of regions such as Southeast Asia. IATA defines Southeast Asia (often abbreviated SEA) as: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China excluding Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, Chinese Taipei (formerly Taiwan), Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Guam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macao Special Administrative Region, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Philippines, Russia in Asia (as opposed to Russia in Europe), Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam. * This definition is used world-wide for airfare and tax calculations.

Geography

Southeast Asia is geographically divided into two regions, namely Indochina and the Malay Archipelago.

Indochina or sometimes mainland Southeast Asia includes all of:

The Malay archipelago (Malay: Nusantara), variously Malay World, an ethno-cultural notion, or maritime Southeast Asia consists of:

Malaysia is divided by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia is on the mainland while East Malaysia is on Borneo, the largest islands in the region. However, Malaysia is often considered an archipelagic nation.

Geologically the Malay archipelago is very interesting, being one of the most active vulcanological regions in the world. Geological uplifts in the region have also produced some impressive mountains, culminating in Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo with a height of 4,101 metres (13,455 ft) and also Puncak Jaya in Irian Jaya, Indonesia at 4,884 metres (16,024 ft), on the island of New Guinea.

There are various conflicting territorial and/or maritime claims, both among these countries and even involving other parties (notably both Chinas in the case of the Spratly Islands).

Contrary to common misconception, most of the inhabitants of archipelagic Southeast Asia are not Pacific Islanders. However, it is worth noting that the eastern parts of Indonesia and Timor-Leste (east of Wallace line) are geographically parts of Oceania.

Population

Southeast Asia has an area of approx. 4,000,000 km² (1.6 million sq miles). As of 2004, more than 593 million people lived in the region, far over a sixth of them (+114 million) on the Indonesian island of Java, the most densely populated large island in the world. The distribution of the religions and people is diverse in Southeast Asia and varies by country. And about 30 million Overseas Chinese are living here, most prominently Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. see Chinatowns

Ethnic groups in the subregion

Southeast Asians are primarily of Asiatic stock. According to a recent Stanford genetic study, the Southeast Asian population is entirely far from being homogeneous. Although primarily descendants of Austronesian, Tai, and Mon-Khmer-speaking immigrants who migrated from Southern China during the Iron Age, there are overlays of Chinese, European, as well as Papuan genes. The Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore have substantial Eurasian populations.

Religions in the subregion

Countries in Southeast Asia practise many different religions. Mainland SEA countries, that is, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, practise predominantly Buddhism. Singapore is also predominantly Buddhist. In the Malay Archipelago, people living in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei practise mainly Islam. Christianity is predominant in the Philippines, Eastern Indonesia and East Timor.

The religious composition for each country (the percentages may be out-of-date and hence inaccurate) is as follows:

  • Brunei: Islam (67%), Buddhism (13%), Christianity (10%), indigenous beliefs, and others (10%)
  • Cambodia: Theravada Buddhism (93%), Animism, and others
  • East Timor: Christianity (93%), Islam (5%), and others
  • Indonesia: Islam (87%), Christianity (9%), Buddhism, Hinduism, and others
  • Laos: Theravada Buddhism (60%), Animism, and others (40%)
  • Malaysia: Islam (61%), Mahayana Buddhism (20%), Christianity, Hinduism, and Animism
  • Myanmar: Theravada Buddhism (89%), Islam (4%), Christianity (4%), Hinduism (1%), and Animism
  • Philippines: Christianity (92%), Islam (5%), Buddhism and others (3%)
  • Singapore: Chinese Religions (Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism) (51%), Islam (15%), Christianity (14%), Hinduism (4%)
  • Thailand: Theravada Buddhism (95%), Islam (3%), Hinduism, Christianity, and Taoism
  • Vietnam: Mahayana Buddhism (50%), Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam.

Religions and peoples are diverse in Southeast Asia and not one country is homogeneous. In the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia, Hinduism is dominant on islands such as Bali. Christianity also predominates in Philippines, Papua and Timor. Pockets of Hindu population can also be found around Southeast Asia in Singapore, Malaysia etc. Garuda (Sanskrit: Garuḍa), the phoenix who is the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu, is a national symbol in both Thailand and Indonesia; in the Philippines, gold images of Garuda have been found on Palawan; gold images of other Hindu gods and goddesses have also been found on Mindanao. It should be noted that Balinese Hinduism is somewhat different from Hinduism practised elsewhere as Animism and local culture is incorporated into it. Christians can also be found throughout Southeast Asia; they are in the majority in East Timor and the Philippines, Asia's largest Christian nation. In addition, there are also older tribal religious practices in remote areas of Sarawak in East Malaysia and Irian Jaya in eastern Indonesia. In Myanmar, Sakka (Indra) is revered as a nat. In Vietnam, the form of Mahayana Buddhism practiced is heavily influenced by the Animism and tribal religions, of the native peoples of the region. With a heavier importance placed upon Ancestor Worship that is different from many of Vietnam's cultural neighbours.

Languages in the subregion

It should be noted that each of the languages have been influenced by cultural pressures due to trade and historical colonization as well. Thus, for example, a Filipino, educated in English and Tagalog, as well as in his native tongue (ex., Visayan), might well speak another language, such as Japanese for economic reasons; a Malaysian might well speak Chinese as well as English, again for economic reasons.

The official languages have been bolded

  • Brunei: Malay, Chinese dialects, indigenous Borneian dialects
  • Cambodia: Khmer, Chinese dialects, Vietnamese, Chamic dialects
  • East Timor: Tetun, Portuguese, Mambae, Makasae, Tukudede, Bunak, Galoli, Kemak, Fataluku, Baikeno, other Timorese dialects
  • Indonesia: Bahasa Indonesia, Acehnese, Batak, Sundanese, Javanese, Sasak, Tetum of Timor, Dayak, Minahasa, Toraja, Buginese, Halmahera, Ambonese, Ceramese, and several Irianese languages. Chinese dialects like Hokkien, Hakka and Mandarin and Dutch, 583 others.
  • Laos: Lao, Miao, Mien, Dao, Shan, and other Tibeto-Burman derived languages
  • Malaysia: Malay, English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, other Indian languages, various indigenous languages (of the Orang Asli and natives of Sabah and Sarawak).
  • Myanmar: Burmese, English, Shan dialects, Karen dialects, Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, Chinese dialects (Hokkien, Cantonese), Mon, Indian languages, hilltribe languages
  • Philippines: Filipino, English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Bicolano, Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausug, Kinaray-A, Chabacano, Lán-lâng-oē, other Philippine languages and dialects, Spanish and its dialects and creoles, other Chinese dialects, Indian languages, Arabic dialects
  • Singapore: Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil, English, other Chinese dialects, other Indian languages, Arabic dialects.
  • Thailand: Thai, Chinese dialects, Isan, Shan, Lue, Phutai, Khmer, Mon, Mein, Hmong, Karen, Jawi
  • Vietnam: Vietnamese, Tay, Muong, Khmer, Chinese dialects, Nung, Hmong, Tai Dam, and other languages and dialects.

Environment

The animals of Southeast Asia are diverse; on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the Orangutan (man of the forest), the Asian Elephant, the Malayan tapir, the Sumatran Rhinoceros and the Clouded Leopard can be also found. The bearcat can be found on the island of Palawan.

The Water Buffalo, both domesticated and wild, can be found all over Southeast Asia, where once it was found in much greater extent in South Asia, for example. The mouse deer, a small tusked deer as large as a toy dog or cat, can be found on Sumatra, Borneo and Palawan Islands.

Birds such as the peafowl and drongo live in this subregion as far east as Indonesia. The babirusa, a four-tusked pig, can be found in Indonesia as well. The hornbill was prized for its beak and used in trade with China. The horn of the rhinoceros, not part of its skull, was prized in China as well.

The Indonesian Archipelago is split by the Wallace Line. This line runs along what is now known to be a tectonic plate boundary, and separates Asian (Western) species from Australasian (Eastern) species. The islands between Java/Borneo and Papua form a mixed zone, where both types occur, known as Wallacea.

The shallow waters of the Southeast Asian coral reefs have the highest levels of biodiversity for the world's marine ecosystems, where coral, fish and molluscs abound. The whale shark can be found in the South China Sea.

The trees and other plants of the region are tropical; in some countries where the mountains are tall enough, temperate-climate vegetation can be found. These rainforest areas are currently being logged-over, especially in Borneo.

While Southeast Asia is rich in flora and fauna, Southeast Asia is facing severe deforestation which causes habitat loss for various endangered species such as orangutan and the Sumatran tiger. At the same time, haze has been a regular occurrence. The worst regional haze occurred in 1998 in which multiple countries were covered with thick haze. In reaction, several countries in Southeast Asia signed the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in order to combat haze pollution.

Culture

Rice paddy agriculture has existed in Southeast Asia for thousands of years, ranging across the subregion. Some dramatic examples of these rice paddies populate the Banaue Rice Terraces in the mountains of Northern Luzon in the Philippines, and in Indonesia. Maintenance of these paddies is very labor-intensive. The rice paddies are well-suited to the monsoon climate of the region.

Stilt houses can be found all over Southeast Asia, from Thailand and Laos, to Borneo, to Luzon in the Philippines, to Papua New Guinea.

Calendars
Buddhist
Burmese
Chinese
Hindu
Indonesian
Islamic
Thai (lunar)
Thai (solar)

The chief cultural influences over the Southeast Asian peoples in past few millennia have been from India as evidenced by the forms of writing, such as the Balinese writing shown on split palm leaf called lontar, below:

The antiquity of this form of writing extends before the invention of paper 100 CE, in China. Note each palm leaf section was only several lines, written longitudinally across the leaf, and bound by twine to the other sections. The outer portion was decorated. The alphabets of Southeast Asia tended to be abugidas, until the arrival of the Europeans, who used words that also ended in consonants, not just vowels. Other forms of official documents, which did not use paper, included Javanese copperplate scrolls. This would have been more durable in the tropical climate of Southeast Asia.

Besides writing and weaponry, such as the distinctive Kris, other metalworking was used for musical instruments; the gamelan instruments consisted of gongs and other tonal, but percussive music. Most of the traditional music is based on a pentatonic scale as per Chinese influences.

Dance in Southeast Asia also includes movement of the hands, as well as the feet. Puppetry and shadow plays were also a favoured form of entertainment in past centuries. The Arts and Literature in South East Asia is deeply influenced by Hinduism brought to them centuries ago. In Indonesia and Malaysia, though they converted to Islam, they retained many forms of Hindu influenced practices, Cultures, Arts and Literature. An example will be the Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppet) and literatures like the Ramayana. This is also true for mainland South East Asia (excluding Vietnam). Dance movements, Hindu gods, Arts were also fused into Thai, Khmer, Laotian and Burmese cultures. In Vietnam, the Vietnamese share many cultural similarities with the Chinese. Examples would be the national costume of Vietnam, Ao Dai influenced by the Qi pao (Cheong Sam) of China and the Mahayana form of Buddhism which the Chinese and Vietnamese alike adhere to.

The peoples of Southeast Asia were trained to carry burdens on their heads; it was a common sight to see a child balancing a small object like a bowl on her head, in distinction to her mother or aunt balancing a much larger load.

As a rule, the peoples who ate with their fingers were more likely influenced by the culture of India, for example, than the culture of China, where the peoples first ate with chopsticks; tea, as a beverage, can be found across the region. The fish sauces distinctive to the region tend to vary.

Cuisine
Cambodian cuisine
Indonesian cuisine
Laos
Malaysian cuisine
Myanmar
Filipino cuisine
Singaporean cuisine
Thai cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine

The religion of Southeast Asia was originally animist, then Theravada Buddhist (525 CE) and Hindu. Later influences in Indonesia and Malaysia were from Islam (1400s) and Christianity (1500s). The last Hindu court in Indonesia was to retreat to Bali by the later 1400s. In Mainland South East Asia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand retained the Theravada form of Buddhism that was brought to them from Sri Lanka and fused Buddhism with Hindu influenced Khmer culture. Countries in South East Asia, like Thailand, also eschewed from Christianity even though Christian missionaries were widespread. However, the Thais absorbed the science and technology from these Christian missionaries from the west so as to resist colonialism. King Mongkut (Rama IV) once remarked to a Christian missionary friend: "What you teach us to do is admirable, but what you teach us to believe is foolish".

The peoples of the South East have been seafarers for thousands of years, some reaching the island of Madagascar where their descendants live to this day. Their vessels were ocean-worthy well before the explorers from Europe were to reach them. Magellan's voyage records how much more manœuvrable their vessels were, as compared to the European ships.

Chinese merchants have followed the winds and currents of the monsoon season across Southeast Asia for thousands of years. Magellan's voyage records that Brunei possessed more cannon than the European ships; it was Chinese engineers who fortified Brunei, before 1521.

Peranakans

The Peranakan are a unique Straits Chinese community that are found mostly in Malaysia and Singapore, though many can also be found in Indonesia. Large communities of the Peranakans can be found in Penang and Malacca (Malaysia) and Singapore. They have roots tracing to that of Hokkien from Fujian province, Southern China who intermarried with non Muslims Malay people like the Bataks and Balinese. Others say they were descendents of servants of Hang Li Poh who intermarried with locals. They retained the names, religions and cultures of their Chinese fathers while absorbing the language, food and culture of their Malay mothers.

Filipinos

The Filipinos have a culture that is distinct from the rest of the other Southeast Asian peoples. Theirs is a culture that is characterized as a mixture of Asian, European (particularly Spanish), and American. The vast majority of Filipinos have been brought up and raised with knowledge of or within American culture and traditions. As such, Filipinos are sometimes considered as 'Little Brown Americans'. Filipino Mestizos, or Filipinos with mixed Spanish, American, Chinese, or other foreign blood, are even more complicated in their cultural mixture. Other immigrants, such as Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, and Koreans, have also contributed to the cultural mix of the Filipinos.

History

Main articles: History of Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian Buddhism, Hinduism in Southeast Asia, History of Asia, History of present-day nations and states, History of Brunei, History of Cambodia, History of Indonesia, History of Laos, History of Malaysia, History of Myanmar, History of the Philippines, History of Singapore, History of Thailand, History of Vietnam

Solheim and others have shown evidence for a Nusantao (Nusantara) maritime trading network ranging from Vietnam to the rest of the archipelago as early as 5000 BCE to 1 CE)

Oppenheimer and others have shown evidence for Indonesia as the original location for the Pacific Islanders.

Historical ties with the rest of the world

The Indian Ocean is comparatively more tranquil than the Southern Ocean, which aided the colonization of Madagascar by the Malay people, and the commerce between West Asia and Southeast Asia. The Indian Ocean is far calmer and thus opens to trade earlier than the Atlantic or Pacific. The powerful monsoons also meant ships could easily sail them west early in the season, then wait a few months and return eastwards.

The gold from Sumatra reached as far west as Rome, two thousand years ago. Gold coins were in use on the coasts, but not inland of Sumatra. By the 1500s, European explorers were reaching Southeast Asia from the west Portugal and from the east Spain. A regular trade between the sailing ships east, from the Indian Ocean and south from mainland Asia provided goods in return for natural products such as honey and hornbill beaks from the islands of the archipelago.

A Chinese emperor who wished to maintain ties with Southeast Asia sent a princess, Hang Li Po, with a retinue of 500 to Malacca, to marry its Sultan after he was impressed by the wisdom of King Mansur. Hang Li Po's well (constructed 1459) is now a tourist attraction there, as is Bukit Cina, where her retinue settled. The strategic value of the Strait of Malacca, which was controlled by Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th and early 16th century, did not go unnoticed by Portuguese writer Duarte Barbosa, who in 1500 wrote "He who is lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice".

But today strategic value also lies in manufacture of the world's microprocessors, for example, much of which lies in Southeast Asia, and in the shipments of oil in the region.

Relationship to Australasia

The Australasian continental plate defines a region adjacent to Southeast Asia, which is also politically separated from the countries of Southeast Asia. But a cultural touch point lies between Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua, which shares the island of New Guinea with Papua New Guinea. A considerable colonization effort of Papua is underway.

Literature of Southeast Asia

Main articles: Literature of Southeast Asia, S.E.A. Write Award

The history of Southeast Asia has led to a wealth of different authors from both within and without writing about the region/

See also

Economy references

  • Tiwari, Rajnish (2003): Post-crisis Exchange Rate Regimes in Southeast Asia, Seminar Paper, University of Hamburg. (PDF)
The reason why people think that South East ASia is the way it is right now is because their geographical situation.

General References

  • Solheim, Journal of East Asian Archaeology, 2000, 2:1-2, pp. 273-284(12)
  • Oppenheimer and Richards, Science Progress 2001, 84 (3), pp.157–181
  • Laurence Bergreen, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, HarperCollins Publishers, 2003, hardcover 480 pages, ISBN 0066211735

External links



Asia | Southeast Asia

جنوب شرق آسيا | Tang-lâm-a | Sydøstasien | Südostasien | Sureste Asiático | Sud-Orienta Azio | Asie du Sud-Est | Sueste asiático | 동남아시아 | Jugoistočna Azija | Asia Tenggara | Suðaustur-Asía | Sud-est asiatico | דרום-מזרח אסיה | სამხრეთ-აღმოსავლეთი აზია | Asia Tenggara | Zuidoost-Azië | 東南アジア | Sørøst-Asia | Azja Południowo-Wschodnia | Sueste asiático | Юго-Восточная Азия | Southeast Asia | Jugoistočna Azija | Kaakkois-Aasia | Sydostasien | Timog-silangang Asya | เอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ | Đông Nam Á | Güneydoğu Asya | 東南亞 | 东南亚

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Southeast Asia".

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