Welcome back explorers, Bryan here. Are you enjoying your trip through Asia so far?
Great! Because we've still got a lot of exploring to do. We've made stops in southwest, central,
and south Asia, but now we turn to the east. Welcome students to East and Southeast Asia!
Today we'll introduce you to the regions of east and southeast Asia,
identify the nations of each region, identify important political and economic structures,
analyze the populations and their history, identify the primary physical characteristics,
and describe the climates! As you learn today, pay attention especially to how
this region compares to others we've studied in terms of relative location
and political structures. Look for both similarities and differences along the way.
First, let's take a look at East Asia. You know many of these nations already. In the north east
part of the map you see Japan. Moving inland you find the peninsula of North and South Korea,
then China with Mongolia to its north. Along China's southern coast are the administrative
regions of Macau and Hong Kong while off the coast is Taiwan,
self-declared as the independent republic of China.
Southeast Asia begins with Myanmar located south of China. From there the region includes Laos,
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei. Whew!
East and Southeast Asia have a rich history of early civilization rivaling the Fertile
Crescent in southwest Asia. Do you recall some early inventions from these regions?
They include pottery, domestication of rice,
a system of writing, and inventions such as paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass.
Buddhism, east Asia's most common religion, originated in India, but Confucianism and
Taoism both considered by many as a blend of religion and philosophy began here as did Shinto.
These ideas and innovations were shared with the rest of the world thanks to the Silk Road
and heightened in the late 13th century when Marco Polo traveled here from Italy.
In the 1500s, European traders arrived seeking to establish trade and colonize the region.
Eventually they succeeded. Cultural convergences with outsiders are not the only conflict the
region has seen. The nations have at times been at war with each other.
For instance, Japan conquered Korea and parts of China before world war
ii helping to create the diverse political structures found in the region today.
In the 1930s, China faced an inner conflict between communists and nationalists. The issue
was seemingly resolved in 1949 as communists organized the people's Republic of China while
nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan. Later, communist movements took control of both North
Korea and north Vietnam and the U.S. intervened in an attempt to block each move. What do you
know about communism? How does this political theory differ from what has existed in the U.S.?
Vietnam today is communist while Korea split into two countries. North Korea,
like China and Vietnam, is a communist nation. By 1960 the majority of Asia had regained
independence from European nations and most are now either constitutional monarchies or republics.
Like the differences in governments, east and southeast Asia have stark contrasts in
their economies. East Asia is home to some of the world's industrial leaders
and major exporters. Can you identify a couple?
Japan has experienced rapid economic growth since the mid 1900s while China's economic
explosion came later when the nation moved toward more of a market economy in the 1990s.
While some nations boast strong manufacturing and technology,
others are more traditional. Countries such as Laos and Cambodia still have many
subsistence farmers. A common crop, rice is labor intensive and farmed in terraces.
East and Southeast Asia is a land of geographic diversity. You could find
just about every landscape imaginable here, partly as a result of the collision of the
Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates which created the Himalayas. Want more mountains?
Notable examples include the Tian Shan, the Altun Shan, the Kunlun, and the Palmier ranges.
Deserts? Yep, the Gobi in Mongolia and China is the sixth largest in the world. Peninsulas?
How about the Korean or the Indochinese home to nations such as Thailand. Islands? Look no
further than the nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, and others. Plateaus? In western China the region
of Tibet is both the world's highest and largest plateau. River valleys? Among the most prolific
are the Yangtze, the Mekong, and the Yellow. How about volcanoes? Those such as Kyushu Island in
Japan are located on the Pacific's portion of the Ring of Fire. Volcanoes and typhoons
join earthquakes and tsunamis as natural disasters relatively frequent and often devastating in east
and southeast Asia. How do these compare to natural disasters that occur where you live?
The Gobi desert once had riders aboard Bactrian camels stopping at trade centers along the Silk
Road. Now you can still see the camels or locals hunting with a golden eagle.
Nearby are the grasslands of east Asia. They're inhabited by argali sheep
and snow leopards. The dominant ecosystem of these regions may be its forest. For instance,
the tropical island rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo are the only place on earth where tigers,
elephants, orangutans, and rhinos share habitat. In the region's mid-latitudes,
forests are deciduous as the leaves change with the seasons. Wildlife here includes Asiatic black
bears and giant pandas and no, you can't take one home. Further north in the mountains coniferous
trees are the norm and inhabitants there include leopards and red pandas. Just as ecosystems
vary so do the climates. While these two regions receive seasonal rainfall, east Asia's continental
climate shown here in purple is hit with summer monsoons and occasional typhoons. Moving south,
nations like Vietnam and Cambodia receive heavy rainfall. In tropical islands such as Indonesia's,
there's little seasonal fluctuation in the temperature and torrential rains are common.
Temperate coastal areas like Japan see moderate changes in the temperature while inland areas
such as central China with several nearby mountain ranges see the greatest climatological
variations. Hm, why would central china have more variations in climate and precipitation?
If you mentioned the orographic effect from the surrounding mountains, great job!
In these two regions there are billions of people. China, as of early 2022, is home to the world's
largest population with more than 1.4 billion. Other nations here are among the globe's most
populous as well. Indonesia ranks fourth while Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand,
and Myanmar all are among the world's top 26. Cultural convergences from around the globe
have led to one of the most religiously diverse sections of the world. Buddhism is most common
in most of southeast Asia, Mongolia, and much of China including Tibet. Japan features a mixture
of Buddhism and Shinto. Korea, Vietnam, and parts of China are divided between Buddhism and Taoism.
In western China and Mongolia bordering the stan countries of central Asia, Islam is the religion
of choice. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and parts of the Philippines are also mostly Muslim.
In fact, Indonesia has more Muslims than any nation on earth. And the rest of the Philippines
is primarily Christian. One of the world's wealthiest and most modern nations Singapore
features a religious composition that reflects much of what we've learned about these regions.
It's diverse with nearly one-third Buddhist, 19% Christian, 16% Muslim, and 20% citing no religion.
East and Southeast Asia offers a fascinating history with a variety of lands and peoples.
What are the regions to which we've traveled have as much diversity among their lands and people?
That's all for today but come back next time when we keep exploring!