Transcript Southeast Asia

Geography of Southeast Asia
Mainland Southeast Asia
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Mostly mountainous
running north and
south
In between lie valleys
containing vast river
systems– the
Irrawaddy, Salween,
Chao Phraya, and
Mekong
The rivers deposit soil
from the mountains
Island Southeast Asia
• Archipelagos- chains of islands
a. Indonesia includes more
than 13,500 islands
b. Philippines has more than
7,000 islands
Located on the “Ring of Fire” or
the line of volcanoes around
the Pacific Ocean.
a. Philippines have 12 active
volcanoes
b. Krakatoa erupted in 1883;
36,000 died
Climates of Southeast
Asia
 The region climate’s is hot
and humid
a. The average temperature
varies 1 to 3 degree year
round in Singapore
b. Two seasons (wet & dry)
 Monsoon winds bring heavy
rain to the region from June to
September
a. Southeast Asia averages
40 inches a year
b. Not fertile because of the
rain, however, rivers bring
nutrients down to the
lowlands
A Diverse Region
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The geography of
Southeast Asia has
contributed to ethnic and
cultural diversity
a. Laos is home to Lao,
Tai, Hmong, Yao, Mon,
and Khmer
Upland versus lowland
a. Upland people seen as
less civilized
b. Empires in the
lowlands
The Importance of
Religion
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Animism, the belief
that spirits live in
the natural world
Over the centuries,
many elements of
animism have
blended with
foreign beliefs
brought to
Southeast Asia
Hinduism
• Indian traders spread the
beliefs throughout the region
• Many people blended Hindu
gods and goddesses with
their own spirits
a. Accepted the Hindu belief
in reincarnation
b. rejected the rigid caste
system
c. Today, Hindus are fond in
Bali and parts of Malaysia
Buddhism
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Theravada Buddhism
a. Brought from India in the
early centuries A.D. and
took root in Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos, and
Cambodia
b. Monasteries and Buddhist
traditions shaped their
culture
c. Boys entered the
monasteries at an early age
to learn how to read and
write and became monks
until they leave to marry
d. Some women joined
Buddhist orders as nuns
Monasteries and Temples
Mahayana Buddhism
Chinese Buddhists carried
Mahayana Buddhism to
Vietnam
a. Mahayana Buddhists place
less emphasis on monastic life
b. Ordinary men can achieve
nirvana, the condition of
wanting nothing, by meditation
c. Women cannot reach
nirvana
Monasteries are temples are
centers of village life.
a. Farmers turn to monks for
advice and sometimes political
leadership.
Islam
 900 A.D. Arab
traders brought Islam
to the Malay
Peninsula and
islands of Sumatra,
Java, and Borneo
 Islam is the official
religion of Malaysia
and Indonesia
Christianity
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In the 1500s,
Christian missionaries
accompanied
European traders to
Southeast Asia
 Spain conquered and
converted majority of
Filipinos to the
Roman Catholic faith
How the West took Southeast Asia
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Four shifts in the West
affecting Southeast Asia
1. Rise of capitalism
a. Economic
transformation based on
the ideals of private
ownership and supply and
demand
2. Industrialism
a. Fueled by
capitalism (capital and
technology), it is a shift
from farming to
manufacturing society
Four Shifts (cont.)
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3. Improvement in
communication and
transportation
a. Emergent of the steam
ship and railroads
b. 1869- opening of the
Suez Canal; don’t have to
go around Africa, 1867
from London to Singapore
116 days, 1879- 42 days
4. Philosophy and Social
Belief Changed
a. Social Darwinism- Racial
and scientific superiority;
French Civilization Mission