Chapter 30

Island Southeast Asia

Section 1 Objectives

• What landforms are found in island Southeast Asia, and what are some physical processes that have shaped them?

• What climates, biomes, and natural resources does the region have?

6 Countries – 20,000 Islands

• Brunei

• East Timor

• Indonesia

• Malaysia

• Philippines

• Singapore

• All these Islands make up the Malay Archipelago.

• New Guinea is the 2nd largest Island in the world, and Borneo is the 3rd.

• Singapore benefits greatly from the Straight of Malacca. This offers many trade opportunities.

Map

Tectonic Forces

• This is one of the most geologically active areas in the world.

• There are several plate boundaries here, which causes a lot of earthquakes and volcanoes.

• Many deep ocean volcanoes formed these islands.

• Underwater earthquakes are common, causing huge tsunamis.

• December 26th, 2004 an Earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra displaced a huge amount of water. The tsunami killed 230,000 people.

Mount Pinatubo

• A volcano on the island of Luzon in the Phillippines erupted violently in 1991.

• It was the largest eruption anywhere in the last 50 years.

Climates and Species

• Much of the region here has a tropical humid climate.

• Some of the islands have relatively high mountains(16000 ft), and here there is relief from the constant heat of lower elevations.

• The Phillipines lie right in the path of typhoons that bring heavy rain and dangerous winds.

• Tropical climates support tropical rainforests.

• Thick Mangrove forests grow in coastal areas.

• Mangroves are trees or shrubs that have exposed roots. • Many species of birds,

fish, and other marine life use the exposed roots as their habitat.

Mangroves/SpeciesEndemic Species to Southeast Asia---

There is a huge variety of unique species in this region

Oragutan, gibbon, red kangaroo, javan rhinoceros, wombat, bird of paradise, komodo dragon.

Komodo Dragon

Resources

• The rain forests contain Southeast Asia’s most valuable resources.

• There are also many good fisheries, and very valuable volcanic soils that are good for farming.

• Rubber tree plantations are very important in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Section 2 Objectives

• Identify the early peoples who migrated to the region

• Analyze how colonialism affected island Southeast Asia’s history

• Describe what the region’s people and culture are like today

Early History

• Human remains in the Phillipines date back more than 30,000 years.

• Hindu’s from what is currently India heavily influenced the area. (700 A.D)

• Chinese merchants sailed to the islands and began to settle in coastal cities.

• By the 1300’s, Arabs from Southwest Asia were also trading in the region.

• They introduced Islam to the coastal merchants, and it eventually spread.

• Islam is the main religion in the islands of Southeast Asia

Colonial Era

• Just as we have seen in most other parts of the world, the Europeans controlled parts of Southeast Asia starting in the 1500’s.

• Portuguese were the first to arrive• Searching for spices such as

nutmeg, cloves, and pepper

• Thus, these islands became known as the Spice Islands.

• 1600’s -1700’s the Dutch drove out the Portuguese

• Portugal lost all of their lands except for the island of Timor.

• Spanish explorer, Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines (Named for King Phillip II of Spain)

• Still today the islands are largely Roman Catholic, which was the religion brought by the Spaniards.

Colonial Era

• The Dutch were not interested in religious convert, but more interested in commerce.

• They controlled the Spice and Tea trade on what we now know as Indonesia.

• The British set up a major port for trading with china in Singapore.

• Japan forces Europeans out of much of the Area, but eventually have to retreat after losing in WWII.

• The Euros try to re-establish dominance, but the locals resist and gain independence.

Culture

• Very diverse population that was created from the regions history of migration and colonization.

• Each country has one or more official languages.

• Singapore has 4 official languages.

• The Philippines were the first U.S territory overseas.

• The Philippines have 2 official languages.(Pilipino and English)

• Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam are all prominent religions in the region.

• In the Philippines, Christians make up more than 90% of the population. (remember the Spanish influence)

Growing Rice

• Farmers grow rice 3 ways – often on terraces

• Paddy (wet-rice) is the most productive and common- farmers allow for controlled flooded on the fields

• Dry Rice cultivation-farmers plow fields and plant seeds.

• Slash and Burn agriculture – burn forests for soil nutrients and eventually the soil is exhausted so they move and do it again.

Section 3 Objectives

• How has island Southeast Asia’s economy changed in recent decades?

• What are the cities of the region like?

• What challenges do the people of the region face?

Economic Development

• Most countries have free market economies

• There has also been a lot of foreign investment.

• Singapore and Malyasia saw huge economic growth in 1990’s.

• Singapore’s GDP per capita is one of the highest in the world.

• Agriculturally, the region is very unique which has allowed them to sell exports at high prices.

• Coffee, Fruit, Sugarcane, Tea

• Rubber Trees – Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are the worlds leading producers of rubber.

Urban EnvironmentsLarge capital cities

• Indonesia

• Phillippines

• Singapore

• Brunei

• Malaysia

• East Timor

• Jakarta

• Manilla

• Singapore

• Bandar Seri Begawan

• Kuala Lumpur (Muddy Estuary)

• Dili

Kuala Lumpur

• The city gets its name from a Malay phrase meaning “Muddy Estuary”

• The city lies near the mouth of a river on the Malay Peninsula.

• Soaring 1,483 feet into the air, the Petronas Towers were ranked as the tallest buildings in the world after they were completed in 1998.

Singapore

• Singapore has grown from a small port in the 1800’s to a densely populated high tech city.

• Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island, widely known as Singapore Island but also known as Pulau Ujong.

Issues and Challenges

• The rapid growth of cities is a huge problem

• Trying to protect personal freedoms and political freedoms.

• Much fighting in the region as countries try to gain independence.

• The 2002 Bali Bombing-