C.J. Cox
Instructor
Southeast Asia
 Ten
Geographic
Qualities
 Physical
Geography
 Cultural
Geography
 Regions & States
Ten Geographic Qualities

1. Land is
fragmented into
numerous
peninsulas &
islands

2. Cultural
Fragmentation
(linguistic &
religious
geographies)
Ten Geographic Qualities

3. Powerful Foreign
Influences

4. Political instability &
conflict

5. Population strongly
clustered even in rural
areas
Ten Geographic Qualities
6. Poor Intraregional communications
 7. Agricultural mainstay of the econonmies
 8. No dominant state although China & India have
exerted powerful influence

Ten Geographic Qualities
9. Emergence of Newly Industrialized
Countries of Singapore
 10. Former Colonial Domination of this region

Relative Location of Southeast
Asia
Centrally located
between South Asia,
and the Pacific
Ocean
 North of Oceania
Asia and south of
China & Japan

Southeast Asia
 Ten
Geographic
Qualities
 Physical
Geography
 Cultural
Geography
 Regions & States
Physical Geography of
Southeast Asia
Plate Tectonics
 Plateaus
 Deserts
 Mountains
 Rivers
 Lakes
 Climates

Physical Geography

Plate Tectonics
– Subduction of the
Eurasian, Indian
and Philippine
Plates have
created the
Philippine &
Indonesian
archipelago
Physical Geography of
Southeast Asia

Rivers
– Mekong River
– Irriwaddy

Landforms
– Volcanic Archipelagos - Volcanic Islands
– Himalayan foothills extend into Myanmar &
Thailand
Physical Geography of
Southeast Asia

Climates
– Tropical Rainforest
Climate dominates
Malaysia & Indonesia
– Tropical Savanna Climate
dominates the northern
portion of SE Asia
including Thailand,
Cambodia & the southern
part of Vietnam
Southeast Asia
 Ten
Geographic Qualities
 Physical Geography
 Cultural Geography
 Regions & States
Cultural Geography of
Southeast Asia
– Population
– Languages
– Religion
– Agriculture
– Economics
– Historical
Geography
Cultural Geography of
Southeast Asia
 Population
– 1/2 billion
– concentrations on
coasts & rivers
– large concentration
on the island of
Java
Southeast Asia
 Population
Characteristics
– Birth rates 24/1000
– Death rates 8/1000
– Natural Increase 1.6. %
– Infant Mortality 55/1000
– Doubling Time 42yrs
– Pop <15 35%
– Pop > 65 4%
Cultural Geography of
Southeast Asia
 Languages
– Sino-Tibetan
Languages of Thai,
Burmese and
Vietnamese
dominate in the
north
– Malayo Polynesian
Language Family
dominates in the
southern portion of
SE Asia
Cultural Geography of
Southeast
Asia
 Religion
– Buddhism dominates
northern SE Asia

Thailand, Myanmar,
Vietnam, Laos &
Cambodia
– Islam dominates
Malaysia &
Indonesia
– Christianity in the
Philippines
Cultural Geography of
Southeast
Asia
 Religion
– Religious
landscapes
Cultural Geography of
Southeast Asia
 Agriculture
– subsistence farming

intensive rice farming
Aqua farming in Thailand
Thrashing the grains from the shafts
in Northern Thailand
Cultural Geography of
Southeast Asia
 Economy
– primary industries
dominate
– resource rich

oil in Indonesia &
Brunei
– manufacturing &
labor source for the
developed world
–
Cultural Geography of
Southeast Asia
 Economic
Contrasts
– Extreme poverty in
Laos, Myranmar &
Cambodia
– Relative prosperity in
Thailand and
Malaysia
– Wealthy Singapore
& Brunei
Historical Geography
 Colonial
Colonization & Trade
– Important in transPacific shipping
– Spain - Philippines 1571-1898
– Dutch - Indonesia 17th century to 1949

spice Islands
– British - Burma (Myanmar( & Malysia)
– France - Indochina (Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia
Historical Geography
 Japanese
Empire of the 20th Century
 Japanese Economic Imperialism
 China & Japan as world powers
 Emergence of NIC’s known as the
lesser dragons or powers of Asia
Southeast Asia
 Ten
Geographic
Qualities
 Physical
Geography
 Cultural
Geography
 Regions & States
Political Geography
 Elongated
Vietnam
 Prorupt Burma &
Thailand
 Fragmented Indonesia
& Philippines
 Divided Malaysia
Southeast Asia
 Ten
Geographic
Qualities
 Physical
Geography
 Cultural
Geography
 Regions & States
C.J. Cox
Instructor