Transcript Welcome to Southeast Asia in Pictures!

Welcome to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
•Southeast Asia is east of India and South of China.
•It consists of a mainland and island areas.
•The mainland is a giant peninsula, which is south of the
rest of Asia, and the islands run east to west between
the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
•The mainland is made up of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar and Thailand.
•The region is about 1/5 of the size of the US.
•Forests and mountains cover up much of the land. The
mountains run north and south and most people live in
the narrow river valleys between the mountain ranges.
•The rivers flow from the north and provide the river
valleys with water and minerals necessary to grow crops.
Southeast Asia Continued..
•Five major islands makeup the island region of SE
Asia.
•The islands are: Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore,
Indonesia and the Philippines.
•The smallest is Singapore and the largest is
Indonesia.
•The islands are part of the “Ring of Fire” which is a
region of volcanoes and earthquakes surrounding the
Pacific Ocean.
•Most of the islands here are mountainous because
they are actually the peaks of underwater volcanoes.
•People live here with the fear that a volcanic
eruption will destroy their home.
Southeast Asia’s Physical
Features
•The Himalayas form a border between South Asia
and the rest of the continent. They stretch 1,550
miles from east to west. Mt Everest (worlds tallest
mountain) is in the Himalayas and it rises 20,028
feet.
•The Himalayas were formed when 2 sections of the
Earth’s crust collided. This collision formed great
folds in the Earth’s surface. Over time, the
movement of these sections pushed the folds higher
and higher. This process is still going on today.
Scientists estimate that Mt. Everest is growing 2
inches per year.
Physical Features Continued..
•The Himalayas provide the subcontinent with life giving
rivers. The 2 most important in South Asia are the Ganges
and the Indus Rivers.
•The Ganges River flows in a wide sweeping arc across
northern India. The Brahmaputra River joins it going
southward as they continue to flow through Bangladesh
and empty into the Bay of Bengal.
•The Indus River flows westward from the Himalayas into
the country of Pakistan. The lower part of the Indus flows
through the hottest and driest part of India.
•Rivers carry from the mountains the water and minerals
necessary for good farming. The plains around the rivers
are very fertile which lends to the fact that they are very
populated.
Indonesia
•Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast
Asia. Its 13,660 islands stretch some 3000 miles
between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
All of Indonesia lies on the equator.
The location is at the junction of several tectonic
plates, which makes Indonesia the most active
volcanic region on Earth. The nation has more
than 150 volcanoes, about 50 of which are active.
Although volcanoes present a danger, they also
provide the lava and ash that enrich the islands
soils.
India
The Caste System
•Most rural villages are still based on the caste system. This is a
social system that divided India’s society into 4 major classes, or
castes, based on their occupation.
•Brahmins were the highest caste. It consists of priests and
intellectuals and they were the only people who could read and
write.
•Below them were Kshatriyas, or warriors, then the Vaisyas, the
traders and the merchants, then the Sudras who were the farmers
and laborers.
•Below these 4 classes were the “untouchables” who were
considered so lowly as not to be a part of any caste. They were not
allowed to enter temples and they performed the most unpleasant
of tasks.
•Under the caste system, a person is born into a caste and cannot
move into another. Some believe that marrying or taking a job with
another caste is a violation of moral code and must be punished by
rebirth into another life.
Caste System Continued..
•Since India’s independence from British rule, the
government has worked hard to abolish the caste
system.
•It declared that poor treatment of the untouchables
was illegal.
•Mohandas Gandhi, who helped free India from British
rule, saw the untouchables as human beings, who
deserved to be treated with respect and dignity, just
as the people of the other castes.
•Gandhi called the untouchables the “children of God.”
India’s Geography
•Water surrounds much of India. Water is vital to the
interior of the country. India’s major rivers act as
lifelines.
•The Ganges, which flows from the Himalayas to the
Bay of Bengal, is called the “mother river” and is scared
to Hindus.
Malaysia
Malaysia Geography
•The South China Sea divides the country of
Malaysia into 2 parts.
•Western Malaysia occupies part of the narrow
Malay Peninsula and is connected to mainland SE
Asia.
•Eastern Malaysia lies on the southern part of the
island of Borneo.
The Scenery
Singapore
The City
•This is one of the wealthiest countries in SE Asia.
•It sits off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
•Singapore is the name of the nation, its major city and the
island on which the city is located..
•The city is the center of trade and banking for SE Asia, and its
industries produce refined-oil products, ships, textiles,
electronics and many high-tech products.
•Its people are generally prosperous and well educated.
•It is known to have some of the harshest laws- we will see that
later…
The Scenery
Myanmar (Burma)
Burma’s History
•Burma gained its independence from Britain in 1948 and in 1962
a military government took over all business and trade and
created a socialist economy cut off from all foreign influence.
•In 1989, the military government changed the country’s name
from Burma to Myanmar, but the US government still recognizes
the country as Burma.
•Although pro-democracy protests have taken place in Burma,
the military government still remains in power.
•Government troops continue to battle minority and rebel groups
in the northern mountains and thousands have fled the country.
•To strengthen its position and the economy, the government
now seeks foreign investment.
The Conflict
Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of the
National Democratic League, which won
the last general election in 1990. She
was never allowed to take power and is
currently in “protective custody,” which
has caused an uproar around the globe.
The world anxiously waits now for her release.
Thailand
The Geography
•Means “Land of the Free”
•Thailand occupies the central part of the Southeast
Asian mainland and extends south into the Malay
Peninsula.
•The Mekong river forms its eastern border with
Laos.
•All of Thailand is subject to seasonal monsoon
rainfall.
Vietnam
Vietnam’s History
•Along with Laos and Cambodia, Vietnam was part of French
Indochina. When the French returned to SE Asia after WWII
they found the Communist forces had gained power in the north.
•The Communist group was referred to as the Vietminh and they
were under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.
•There were 8 years of fighting and in the end the Vietnamese
defeated the French. As a result, Vietnam was divided along the
17th parallel.
•North Vietnam established a Communist government with it’s
capital at Hanoi.
•South Vietnam established a government friendly to that of the
United States with it’s capital at Saigon.
History Continued..
•Both governments wanted re-unification but they
could not settle on the terms.
•In 1963 the north invaded the south and the US
military came in to support the south.
•During the Vietnam War, more than 55,000
Americans and more than 2 million Vietnamese were
killed.
•Due largely to the high human coast of the war, the
US withdrew its troops in 1973.
•Soon after, the South Vietnamese government
collapsed and in 1975 the Northern forces occupied
Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City.
•The country was officially united in 1976 as the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The Vietnam War
Cambodia
The History
•During the Vietnam War, the US bombed North Vietnamese supply lines in Cambodia.
•The Khmer Rouge was the government in place at the time and they isolated them
and they launched a program to establish a “Khmer peasant nation.” The goal of this
program was to achieve a “pure and simple society.”
•They emptied the cities, the educated were executed, families were separated and
citizens were forced into labor.
•Their own government killed more than 1 million Cambodians and others, such as
Vietnamese.
•Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia in 1978. They overthrew the Khmer Rouge and
set up a government friendly to that of Vietnam.
•Today, the nation is trying to rebuild after years of warfare.
•The United Nations troops are stationed in Cambodia to oversee the country’s
peaceful transition to democracy.
•They are receiving economic aid from Japan and other countries.
Laos
The History and Resources
•Laos is one of the poorest nations in the world.
•Until 1954 it was under French rule.
•It was severely damaged because during the Vietnam
War, the US bombed parts of the country because there
were routes that the North Vietnamese were using to get
to the South.
•In 1975, Communist forces took over the monarchy and
formed the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
The Scenery
Nepal
Nepal’s Geography
•Nepal rises from north to south
•Mt Everest lies above Nepal’s border with China.
•Due to its geographic location, snow covers more than
15% of Nepal’s total land year round.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s Geography
•Bangladesh is surrounded by India on the north, west
and east. Its only other neighbor is Burma.
•To the south, the coastline is marshy along the Bay
of Bengal.
•A complex network of more than 5000 miles of
waterways make river transportation the most
common form of travel.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Geography
•Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka is a pear shaped
tropical island located just off the southern tip of
India.
•It sits on the continental shelf of the Indian
subcontinent.