Transcript 120-12-4-se asia

Today
• SE Asia
Physical environments
Cultural history
Population
© T. M. Whitmore
Last time – Questions?
• South Asia
Culture
Population
Development & industry
© T. M. Whitmore
Southeast Asia
• Plate tectonics in SE Asia
• Earthquakes & Volcanoes
© T. M. Whitmore
Banda Aceh before
Banda Aceh after
Tambora
Southeast Asian environments II
• Other land forms
Indochina (mainland) mountains
Highlands of Borneo and New
Guinea
Coastal mangrove swamps of E
Sumatra and parts of N Guinea
and Borneo
Major rivers of Indochina
© T. M. Whitmore
Mainland mountains
Mainland mountains
Mainland mountains
Red R.
Mekong R.
Irrawaddy
Salween
Cho Phraya
Mainland lowlands
Mainland lowlands
Mainland lowlands
Life on the water in mainland SE Asia
Life on the water in mainland SE Asia
Life on the water in mainland SE Asia
Southeast Asian Climates
• Climate regimes
Tropical wet/dry and equatorial
climates (Af, Am) — warm and
moist year around
Mainland highlands- Aw; more
seasonal wet-dry
© T. M. Whitmore
Vegetation and soils
• Highlands in Indochina
• Lowland equatorial rainforest
•
Much of the most moist area under
“classical” tropical rainforest
Huge trees; much biodiversity; high
biomass/area
Yet — all this on poor soils mostly —
how?— high temperatures and rainfall
Commercial threats to tropical
rainforests increasing
Volcanic Soils
© T. M. Whitmore
Volcanoes in insular SE Asia produce
fertile soils but also natural hazards.
Volcanoes in insular SE Asia produce
fertile soils but also natural hazards.
Volcanoes in insular SE Asia produce
fertile soils but also natural hazards.
Agriculture in SE Asian soils
• 1st Strategy:
Swidden
Mainland highlands
• 2nd Strategy: Modification of
Landscapes (paddy rice)
Volcanic islands & river deltas
• 3rd Strategy: Plantations
Malaysian peninsula
© T. M. Whitmore
Rice terraces, Java
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Rice terraces, Java
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Rice harvest, Java
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Tea plantation, Malaysia
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Export-oriented plantations
Export-oriented plantations
Oil Palm plantation in Malaysia
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Mineral Resources
• “Tin Belt”
• Gas and Oil
S. China Sea (Spratly Islands)
EEZ: Exclusive Economic Zones
© T. M. Whitmore
Pre-Colonial History
• Early Cultural Groups
• Chinese Influences
Ancient
Modern Chinese Diaspora
• Indian Influences
Buddhist & Hindu
• Islamic Influences
© T. M. Whitmore
SE Asia is linguistically and culturally diverse.
737 languages are spoken in Indonesia alone.
Southeast Asia by 1500s
(pre-colonization)
• Buddhist Kingdoms
Thai, Shan, Vietnamese, Lao,
Burma, Cambodia (Khmer)
• Muslim Areas
Malaccan in S. Malay peninsula
Indonesian Archipelago
• Animist
Philippine Archipelago
© T. M. Whitmore
Buddhist influence, SE Asia
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Buddhist influence
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Hindu influenced Angkor Wat
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Islamic influence, Malaysia
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Chinese influence, Malaysia
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
• European
Colonization
Portuguese
Spain
British
French
• Japanese
• US
Philippines
© T. M. Whitmore
Japanese Empire in WW II
The Vietnam War
• The civil war ending French colonial rule
•
•
•
of Vietnam led to the division of the
country between the Communist north and
the Western-allied south.
Beginning in 1963, the US sent troops to
assist the south
600,000 US troops, 60,000 US casualties,
and millions of Vietnamese casualties.
By 1973 the US was forced to withdraw
and the south was later captured by the
north.
© T. M. Whitmore
Herbicides such as Agent Orange were
used by US forces to defoliate large areas
of South Vietnam. This released chemicals
known as dioxins, leading to health
effects and birth defects for US soldiers
and Vietnamese.
Hundreds of thousands
fled South Vietnam
after the arrival of
northern forces, many
in small boats who
became known as “boat
people”.
Current Population Issues
• Uneven Spatial Distribution
• Primate Cities
Rangoon (Burma)
Bangkok (Thailand)
Manilla (Philippines)
• Chinese Minority Populations
© T. M. Whitmore
China town in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
© 2002 Manfred Leiter
Population Growth
• Religion NOT a major factor
• Higher Rates (~2 %/year)
•
Cambodia - Buddhist
Brunei - Muslim
Malaysia - Muslim
Philippines – Roman Catholic & Muslim
Lower Rates
Vietnam - Buddhist
Singapore – Muslim
Thailand - Buddhist
© T. M. Whitmore
Indonesia - Muslim