(Redirected from Southeastern Asia)
'Southeast Asia'
| Area | 4,523,000 km² |
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| Population | 568,300,000 |
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| Density | 126 per km² |
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| Countries | 11 |
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| Territories | 12 |
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| GDP | $900 billion (exchange rate) $2.8 trillion (purchasing power parity) |
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| GDP per capita | $1,584 (exchange rate) $4,927 (purchasing power parity) |
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| Languages | Indonesian, Filipino, Vietnamese,Thai, Burmese, Malay, Khmer, Lao, Tetum, Nicobarese, Mandarin, English, Tamil, Portuguese, Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Telugu, Javanese, Sundanese, Tagalog, Cebuano, Madura, Cantonese, Min, Taiwanese (Min Nan), and many others |
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| Time Zones | UTC +9:00 (Indonesia) to UTC +5:30 (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) |
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| Largest Cities | Jakarta Manila Bangkok Ho Chi Minh City Kuala Lumpur Singapore Hanoi Bandung Yangon |
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'Southeast Asia' or 'Southeastern Asia' is a
subregion of
Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of
China, east of
India, and north of
Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic and volcanic activity.
Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: the Asian mainland, and
island arcs and
archipelagoes to the east and southeast. The
mainland section consists of
Cambodia,
Laos,
Myanmar,
Thailand, and
Vietnam; the population of which are primarily
Tai peoples and
Austroasiatic peoples and the dominant religion is
Buddhism, followed by
Islam. The
maritime section consists of
Brunei,
East Timor,
Indonesia,
Malaysia, the
Philippines, and
Singapore.
Austronesian peoples predominate in this region, and the dominant religion is
Islam followed by
Christianity.
Divisions
Political
Southeast Asia frequently refers to the area consisting of the following, although in general and certain specific usage, the area it refers to can be narrower or broader (e.g., including the southernmost coastal regions of
China as well as
Bangladesh,
Pakistan ,
South India,
Sri Lanka, and
Maldives).
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All of the above are members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), except
East Timor, which is a candidate. The area, together with part of
South Asia, was previously known as the
East Indies or simply
Indies.
Although politically external territories of Australia,
Christmas Island and the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands are culturally part of Southeast Asia since they are mostly inhabited by
Cocos Malays. The
Andaman and Nicobar Islands of
India are also considered to part of the region geographically. Meanwhile,
islands in the South China Sea, such as the
Paracel Islands,
Pratas Islands,
Macclesfield Islands,
Spratly islands, and
Scarborough Shoal, are currently disputed between the two
Chinas and several Southeast Asian countries and are therefore included.
Hainan Island and parts of southern China, on the other hand, has a tropical moist monsoonal climate, unlike the rest of China and
East Asia on the rest of the continent.
West Papua, however, is politically part of Southeast Asia through Indonesia, geographically it is often considered as part of
Oceania.
Geographical

Location of Southeast Asia.
[1]
Southeast Asia is geographically divided into two regions, namely
Mainland Southeast Asia (or
Indochina) and the
Maritime Southeast Asia (or the
Malay Archipelago Malay: ''
Nusantara).
Mainland Southeast Asia includes:
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Cambodia
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Laos
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Myanmar
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Thailand
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Vietnam
Maritime Southeast Asia includes:
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Brunei
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East Timor
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Indonesia
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Malaysia
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Orchid Island
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Philippines
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Singapore
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. Also, the eastern parts of Indonesia and Timor-Leste (east of Wallace line) are considered to be geographically parts of Oceania.
Sometimes the region might also include
Hainan Province and parts of southern China due to its tropical climate and geographical location on the South China Sea. It could also include the disputed
South China Sea Islands.
Hainan Province includes:
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Hainan Island
South China Sea Islands includes:
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Macclesfield Bank
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Paracel Islands
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Pratas Islands
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Scarborough Shoal
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Spratly Islands
History
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.
[2]
The peoples of Southeast Asia, especially those of
Austronesian descent, have been seafarers for thousands of years, some reaching the island of
Madagascar. Their vessels, such as the
vinta, were ocean-worthy.
Magellan's voyage records how much more manœuvrable their vessels were, as compared to the European ships.
[3]
Passage through the
Indian Ocean aided the colonization of Madagascar by the
Malay race, as well as commerce between
West Asia and Southeast Asia. Gold from
Sumatra is thought to have reached as far west as
Rome.
Originally most people were
animist. This was later replaced by Brahmanic Hinduism. Theravada Buddhism soon followed in
525. In
1400s, Islamic influences began to enter. This forced the last Hindu court in Indonesia to retreat to
Bali.
In Mainland South East Asia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand retained the Theravada form of Buddhism, brought to them from Sri Lanka. This type of Buddhism was fused with the Hindu-influenced Khmer culture.
Indianized kingdoms
Main articles: Indianized kingdom
Very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards. Prior to the
13th century,
Buddhism and
Hinduism were the main religions in Southeast Asia.
The
Jawa Dwipa Hindu kingdom in
Java and
Sumatra existed around
200 BCE.
The history of the Malay-speaking world begins with the advent of Indian influence, which dates back to at least the 3rd century BC. Indian traders came to the archipelago both for its abundant forest and maritime products and to trade with merchants from China, who also discovered the Malay world at an early date. Both Hinduism and
Buddhism were well established in the Malay Peninsula by the beginning of the 1st century CE, and from there spread across the archipelago.
Cambodia was first influenced by Hinduism during the beginning of the
Funan kingdom. Hinduism was one of the
Khmer Empire's official religions. Cambodia is the home to one of the only two temples dedicated to
Brahma in the world.
Angkor Wat is also a famous Hindu temple of Cambodia.
The
Majapahit Empire was an
Indianized kingdom based in eastern
Java from 1293 to around 1500. Its greatest ruler was
Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked the empire's peak when it dominated other kingdoms in the southern
Malay Peninsula,
Borneo,
Sumatra,
Bali, and the
Philippines.
The
Cholas excelled in maritime activity in both military and the mercantile fields. Their raids of
Kedah and the
Srivijaya, and their continued commercial contacts with the
Chinese Empire, enabled them to influence the local cultures. Many of the surviving examples of the
Hindu cultural influence found today throughout the Southeast Asia are the result of the Chola expeditions.
[4]
Chinese trade
Chinese merchants have traded with the region for a long time as evidence of Magellan's voyage records that
Brunei possessed more
cannon than the European ships so it appears that the Chinese fortified them.
Malaysian legend has it that a Chinese Ming emperor sent a princess, Han Li Po to Malacca, with a retinue of 500, to marry Sultan Mansur Shah after the emperor was impressed by the wisdom of the sultan. Han 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".''
Western colonization
Western influence started to enter in the
1500s, with the arrival of the Portuguese and Spanish in Moluccas and the Philippines.
European explorers were reaching Southeast Asia from the west and from the east. 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.
Europeans brought Christianity allowing
Christian missionaries to become widespread. Siam also allowed Western science and technology to enter their country.
Present
Regional integration through
ASEAN is one of the goals of Southeast Asian countries today.
Currently, 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).
Geography
Geologically, the
Malay archipelago is 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
Papua, Indonesia at 4,884 metres (16,024 ft), on the island of
New Guinea.
Boundaries
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 region of
Papua, which shares the island of
New Guinea with Papua New Guinea. A considerable colonization effort of Papua is underway.
Climate
The climate of Southeast Asia is mainly tropical – hot and humid all year round. There is a lot of rainfall. Southeast Asia has a wet and dry season caused by seasonal shift in winds or
monsoon. The
tropical rain belt causes additional rainfall during the monsoon season. The rain forest is the second largest on earth (with the Amazon being the largest). Exception to this type of climate and vegetation is the mountain areas in the northern region, where high altitudes lead to milder temperatures and drier landscape.
Environment

Mount Kinabalu.

Water Buffalo.

Wallace's hypothetical line between Australasian and Southeast Asian fauna.
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
Bornean 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. The
gaur, a gigantic wild ox larger than even wild Water buffalo, is found mainly in Indochina and Malaysia.
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.
Economy
The region is also one of the most productive in manufacturing
microprocessors. Reserves of
oil are also present in the region.
Seventeen telecommunications companies have contracted to build a new submarine cable to connect Southeast Asia to the U.S.
[5] This is to avoid the disruption caused by the cutting of the undersea cable from Taiwan to the U.S. in a recent earthquake.
Demographics
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, more than a fifth of them (125 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. Some 30 million
Overseas Chinese also live in Southeast Asia, most prominently in
Christmas Island,
Malaysia,
Singapore and
Thailand, and also, as the
Hoa, in
Vietnam.
Ethnic groups
Southeast Asians are considered as members of
Southern Mongoloid stock, though modern genetic research shows that Southeast Asians are as genetically distinct to the
East Asians as they are to the
Caucasians, thus disproving the existence of a single
Asian (Mongoloid) race.
According to a recent
Stanford genetic study, the Southeast Asian population is far from being homogeneous. Although primarily descendants of Austronesian, Tai, and Mon-Khmer-speaking immigrants who migrated from Southern China during the Bronze Age and Iron Age, there are overlays of Arab, Chinese, Indian, European, Polynesian and Papuan/Melanesian genes. The
Philippines has Asia's largest
Eurasian (mixed ancestry),
American, and
Amerasian population, and is continuously growing. Other countries with substantial
Eurasian populations include Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
There are also large pockets of intermarriage between indigenous Southeast Asians and those of Chinese descent. They form a substantial part of everyday life in countries such as
Thailand and the
Philippines. Indonesia and Malaysia also has a few mixed Southeast Asian-Chinese populations.
Religions
Countries in Southeast Asia practise many different religions. ''Mainland'' SEA countries, that is, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, 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 Philippines has the largest Roman Catholic population followed by Vietnam, both ex-colonies of European powers.
The religious composition for each country is as follows. Some values are taken from the
CIA Factbook:
[6]
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism |
| Brunei | Islam (67%), Buddhism (13%), Christianity (10%), others (Indigenous beliefs, etc.) (10%) |
| Cambodia | Theravada Buddhism (93%), others (Animism, etc.) (7%) |
| Christmas Island | Buddhism (36%), Islam (25%), Christianity (18%), Taoism (15%), others (6%) |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Sunni Islam (80%), others (20%) |
| East Timor | Roman Catholicism (90%), Islam (5%), Protestant (3%), others (Buddhist, Hindu, etc.) (2%) |
| Hainan Island | Animism, Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, Protestant, Roman Catholicism, Taoism, Nonreligious, others |
| Indonesia | Islam (86.1%), Protestant (5.7%), Roman Catholicism (3%), Hinduism (1.8%), others including Buddhism, or unspecified (3.4%)[Indonesia - The World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html] |
| Laos | Theravada Buddhism (60%), others (Animism, etc.) (40%) |
| Malaysia | Islam (60.4%), Mahayana Buddhism (19.2%), Christianity (9.1%), Hinduism (6.1%), Animism (5.2%) |
| Myanmar | Theravada Buddhism (89%), Islam (4%), Christianity (4%), Animism (1%), others (2%) |
| Orchid Island | Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Taoism |
| Philippines | Roman Catholicism (81%), Islam (5%), Evangelical (2.8%), Iglesia ni Cristo (2.2%), Aglipayan (2%), other Christian (4.5%), others (Animism, Buddhism, Nonreligious, etc.) (2.5%) |
| Singapore | Buddhism (42.5%), Islam (15%), Taoism (8%), Roman Catholicism (4.5%), Hinduism (4%), Nonreligious (15%), other Christian (10%), others (1%) |
| South China Sea Islands | Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Taoism, Nonreligious |
| Thailand | Theravada Buddhism (94.6%), Islam (4.6%), others (1%) |
| Viet Nam | Mahayana Buddhism (78%), Roman Catholicism (7%), Theravada Buddhism (5%), Cao Dai (2%), Protestant (1%), others (Animism, Hoa Hao, Islam, Nonreligious, etc.) (7%) |
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. 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
Papua in eastern Indonesia. In Myanmar, Sakka (
Indra) is revered as a ''
nat''. In Vietnam, Mahayana Buddhism is practiced, which is influenced by native animism but with strong emphasis on
Ancestor Worship.
Languages
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 Filipino, as well as in his native tongue (e.g., 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 language composition for each country is as follows: ('The official languages have been bolded'.)
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 'Nicobarese', 'Bengali', 'English', 'Hindi', 'Malayalam', 'Punjabi', 'Tamil', 'Telugu', Shompen, Andamanese languages, others |
| Brunei | 'Malay', Chinese dialects, indigenous Borneian dialects |
| Cambodia | 'Khmer', Vietnamese, Chamic dialects, others |
| Christmas Island | 'English', Chinese, Malay |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 'English', Cocos Malay |
| East Timor | 'Tetum', 'Portuguese', Mambae, Makasae, Tukudede, Bunak, Galoli, Kemak, Fataluku, Baikeno, others |
| Hainan Island | 'Mandarin (Chinese)', Hainanese, Vietnamese, Hlai, Hmong, Tsat, Zhuang, others |
| Indonesia | 'Indonesian', Acehnese, Batak, Sundanese, Javanese, Sasak, Tetum, Dayak, Minahasa, Toraja, Buginese, Halmahera, Ambonese, Ceramese, Dutch, Papuan languages, Chinese dialects, others |
| Laos | 'Lao', Vietnamese, Hmong, Miao, Mien, Dao, Shan, others |
| Malaysia | 'Malay', English, Tamil, Chinese dialects, other Indian languages, Sarawak and Sabahan languages, others |
| Myanmar | 'Burmese', Shan, Karen, Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, Mon, Chinese dialects, Indian languages, others |
| Orchid Island | 'Mandarin (Chinese)', Tao, Taiwanese |
| Philippines | 'Filipino', 'English', Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Bicolano, Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausug, Kinaray-a, Chabacano, Lán-lâng-oē (Philippine Hokkien), Spanish, Arabic, other Visayan languages, other Philippine languages, others |
| Singapore | 'Mandarin (Chinese)', 'Malay', 'Tamil', 'English', other Chinese dialects, other Indian languages, Arabic dialects, others |
| South China Sea Islands | 'English', 'Filipino', 'Malay', 'Mandarin (Chinese)', 'Vietnamese' |
| Thailand | 'Thai', Vietnamese, Lao, Shan, Lue, Phutai, Khmer, Mon, Mein, Hmong, Karen, Malay, Chinese dialects, others |
| Vietnam | 'Vietnamese', Cham, French creole, Tay, Muong, Nung, English, others |
Culture

The Banaue Rice Terraces in Luzon Island, Philippines.
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
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.
The region has diverse metalworking. This include weaponry, such as the distinctive
Kris, and musical instruments, such as the
gamelan.
Influences
The region's chief cultural influences have been from either
China or
India or both, with
Vietnam considered by far the most
Chinese-influenced.
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.
The Arts
Dance in much of 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 some of South East Asia is quite 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 the Mahayana form of Buddhism which the
Chinese and
Vietnamese alike adhere to, architecture, traditional theatre and music, and so on.
Music
Gamelan instruments are common in the region. these consists of
gongs and other tonal and percussive music. Most of the traditional music is based on a
pentatonic scale.
Writing
The history of Southeast Asia has led to a wealth of different authors, from both within and without writing about the region.
Originally,
Indians were the ones who taught the native inhabitants about. This is shown through
Brahmic forms of writing present in the region such as the
Balinese script shown on split palm leaf called ''lontar'', right:
The antiquity of this form of writing extends before the invention of paper circa
100, 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.
See also
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Southeast Asian Capitals
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Southeast Asian studies
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History of Southeast Asia
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Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
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Japanese foreign policy in Southeast Asia
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S.E.A. Write Award
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Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)
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List of Southeast Asian mountains
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Southeast Asian Leaders
References
1. This map primarily indicates ASEAN member countries, and therefore does not mark the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are also geographically a part of Southeast Asia.
2. Solheim, ''Journal of East Asian Archaeology'', 2000, '2':1-2, pp. 273-284(12)
3. Laurence Bergreen, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, HarperCollins Publishers, 2003, hardcover 480 pages, ISBN 0-06-621173-5
4. The great temple complex at Prambanan in Indonesia exhibit a number of similarities with the South Indian architecture. See Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. ''The CōĻas'', 1935 pp 709
5. 17 Firms to Build 0M Undersea Cable Sean Yoong
6. Field Listing - Religions
★ Tiwari, Rajnish (2003):
''Post-crisis Exchange Rate Regimes in Southeast Asia'' (PDF), Seminar Paper, University of Hamburg.
External links
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Topography of Southeast Asia in detail (
PDF)
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CityMayors.com article
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Southeast Asian Archive at the University of California, Irvine.
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"Documenting the Southeast Asian Refugee Experience", exhibit at the
University of California, Irvine, Library.