World History, Grades 9-12

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Geography

• Eleven countries are generally
  referred to as Southeast Asia:
  Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor,
  Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
  Myanmar, the Philippines,
  Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Population

• About 9 percent of the world’s
  population lives in Southeast
  Asia.


• Indonesia is the world’s fourth
  most populous country, behind
  China, India, and the United States.

Economics

• Ten Southeast Asian nations—
  Indonesia, Malaysia, the
  Philippines, Singapore, Brunei,
  Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam,
  Myanmar, and Thailand—make
  up a trading alliance known as
  the Association of South-East
  Asian Nations (ASEAN)

1.Drawing ConclusionsWhy might

some countries in Southeast Asia

have more successful economies

than others?

See Skillbuilder Handbook, page R10.

2.Forming and Supporting Opinions

Are the issues facing Southeast

Asians discussed here also a concern

for Americans? Why or why not?

▲▼Markets
As the post-colonial economies of Southeast Asia grow, traditional
markets, like the floating market in Thailand (shown below), give
way to the modern convenience of stores with prepackaged foods,
like this street-side store (above) in Vietnam.

Source: World Trade Organization

ASEAN Exports, 1990–2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

500

600

700

400

300

200

100

0

144

321

427

653

Billions of Dollars