Chapter 20

Indochina

  • Rice is common throughout Asia, but the countries of Southeast Asia depend on it even more than their larger neighbors.
  • The mainland portion of Southeast Asia is a peninsula called Indochina.
  • Yangon (formerly Rangoon) lies in the lowlands on the delta of the Irrawaddy River.
  • The Middle Way requires following an eightfold path of moral principles, such as self-control, respect for life, and resisting evil. Those who succeed reach a state of complete happiness and rest called nirvana.
  • Burma is responsible for at least 60 percent of the world’s trade in illegal heroin.
  • The poppy fields are centered in the remote Golden Triangle, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand meet.

French Indochina

  • French Indochina includes Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
  • The Communist leader Ho Chi Minh led Vietnamese rebels to victory at the battle of Kien Bien Phu.
  • Any nation controlling the Spratly Islands has a strong claim to the undersea oil reserves.
  • The Vietnamese troops stationed in Laos still wield the real power behind the puppet government.
  • Fewer than one-half of the people read, giving Laos the lowest literacy rate in Southeast Asia.
  • Thailand is the oldest country in Southeast Asia. Its name means “Land of the Free.”
  • Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never controlled by a European country.

Malay Archipelago

  • The Malay Archipelago is the largest group of islands in the world. It includes two major groups of islands: the East Indies and the Philippines.
  • The Malays resent the Chinese wealth and have kept control of the government away from the Chinese.
  • The term entrepot describes intermediate ports.
  • The large population and small area give Singapore the highest population density in the world.

Malay Archipelago

  • During the Madjapahit Kingdom Indonesia enjoyed its Golden Age of art and music.
  • Indonesia is now the largest Islamic country in the world.
  • Jakarta has over eight million people. It is the largest city in Southeast Asia and the only one larger than Bangkok.
  • Indonesia contains all or part of four of the world’s eleven largest islands. These are collectively called the Greater Sunda Islands.
  • Bali is the most famous island in this chain. It is the center of Balinese Hinduism.
  • The Dutch captured Moluccas Islands from the British in the 1620s and made Ambon the commercial center.
  • The Philippines remained under Spain’s control for almost five hundred years, and the Spanish influence is still evident today.
  • About 83% of Filipino people remain Catholic, a reflection of their Spanish heritage.
  • Because of the U.S. emphasis on schooling, the Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in all of Southeast Asia. Most people speak English as well as Filipino, the two official languages.
  • Luzon is the largest and most populous island.
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