482
Southeast Asia is the part of Asia
to the south of China and east
of India. The mainland portion
has an area of 640,000 sq miles
(1.6 million sq km). The region
continues to the south as a chain of
islands that separate the Pacific and
Indian oceans. The island of
Sumatra is 1,070 miles (1,720 km)
long; other islands are tiny.AT ITS SouTheAST Corner, the continent
of Asia extends far out into the sea, in two great
peninsulas and a vast chain of islands. In this region, which
is called Southeast Asia, more than 637 million people live in
11 independent countries. The area has a rich and varied
culture, and music and dancing are particularly important.
Their performance is often governed by strict rituals and rules,
some of them religious. There are several different religions in
the area: most people on the mainland are Buddhist; Indonesia
is chiefly Muslim; and Christianity is the religion of most
people in the Philippines. For much of last century, the lives
of many Southeast Asian people were disrupted and
destroyed by wars. The fighting made normal trade,
agriculture, and industry impossible and turned Laos and
Cambodia into the two poorest nations on earth. Conflict
between the government and Islamists in the
southern Philippines continues to claim lives.
other Southeast Asian countries, such as
Singapore, have become
more peaceful
and prosperous.JAvA
The country of Indonesia is made
up of 13,677 islands. Java is the most
populated island, with 140 million
people. Many are farmers
producing large quantities of
rice. The capital city, Jakarta, is a
center for the textile industry.
The island has much unique
wildlife, including a species
of rhinoceros found
nowhere else.SIngAPore
The tiny island state of Singapore occupies just
269 sq miles (697 sq km) off the coast of Malaysia.
The nation is highly industrialized and very
rich. Most of Singapore’s 5.6 million
people earn their living from industries
such as textiles and electronics.Plantation workers drain the sticky
sap from the trees in the morning
when the flow of sap is fastest.
ruBBer
one of the most important products of Southeast Asia is rubber.
The industry began about a century ago, when British traders
brought rubber trees to the region from Brazil. The sap of the
trees is collected and then mixed with acid to form solid sheets
of latex, which are hung out to dry.BoroBudur TeMPLe
A massive Buddhist monument in Java,
the Borodubur Temple was constructed
between 778 and 850 ce. From about
1000 bce, it was buried under volcanic ash
until its discovery by the english lieutenant
governor Thomas Stamford raffles in 1814.
A team of dutch archaeologists restored
the site in 1907-11 and a second restoration
was completed by 1983.The Borobudur Temple
was built with about
2,000,000 cubic ft
(56,600 cubic m) of
gray volcanic stone.Sap is extracted by tapping—
cutting or shaving the bark with
a sharp knife.ThAILAnd
There are about 68 million people in
Thailand, and the country is among
the wealthiest in the region. Most
people in the cities work in mining
and industry; in the countryside
most are farmers growing rice, sugar,
and rubber trees. The country’s rich
heritage includes ritual temple
dances and beautiful architecture.Southeast Asia 482-
Singapore City began as a small
British trading station; today
giant skyscrapers dominate
the skyline.US_482_SE_Asia_1.indd 482 22/01/16 4:49 pm