GeoJournalAs you read this chapter, use your journal tolog information about the economies and theenvironmental challenges in Southeast Asia.Note interesting details that show similari-ties and differences among the region’scountries.

Chapter Overview Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at tx.geography.glencoe.comand click on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 31 topreview information about the region today.

Living in Southeast Asia

A Geographic ViewOpen-Air Market. . . I visited the . . . colorful open-air market in Kota Baharu, way upnorth near [Malaysia’s] borderwith Thailand. The merchantswere nearly all women. Wearingfull-length batik sarongs ofbright red, orange, pink, and pur-ple, with coordinated scarves ofemerald green or royal bluearound their heads, they satbeside huge piles of fruit andvegetables, truckloads of fishand chicken, mountains ofrice, and tall wicker baskets filled witheggs—turtle eggs, stork eggs, even chicken eggs.

—T. R. Reid, “Malaysia: Rising Star,” National Geographic, August 1997

This market scene takes place in Malaysia, oneof Southeast Asia’s most rapidly developing countries. Like someother countries in the region, Malaysia is setting up new industries,yet it continues to rely on agriculture for its economic well-being. Inthis section you will learn about how people live and work in South-east Asia today. You will also see how the region’s countries facemany of the same challenges and have come to depend on oneanother for increased economic growth.

AgricultureSoutheast Asia’s fertile river valleys and plains are a major source

of livelihood for its people. Southeast Asians depend on the rich varietyof crops grown in these areas to supply their own food needs as well

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowSoutheast Asia is a region of penin-sulas and islands. How do you thinkpeople living in such areas earn theirincomes?

Read to Find Out• Why is rice farming the most

important agricultural activity inSoutheast Asia?

• Why are the countries in theregion industrializing at differentrates?

• How are the economies of South-east Asia becoming more inter-dependent?

Terms to Know• paddy

• sickle

• subsistence crop

• cash crop

• lode

• interdependent

• Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN)

• free port

Places to Locate• Brunei

• Manila

C h a p t e r 3 1 759

Buildings at night in KualaLumpur, Malaysia

Market in Malaysia

Rice grows well in Southeast Asia becausemost of the region has fertile soil, an abundantwater supply, and a warm, wet climate. Somekinds of rice plants need a continuous supply ofwater from the time they are planted until justbefore harvest. Flooded rivers and abundantrainfall provide this water to Southeast Asia. Inparts of Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, sea-sonal flooding of the Chao Phraya and MekongRivers irrigates paddies, or flooded fields inwhich rice is grown. Rain also provides enoughwater to grow rice in the Irrawaddy River delta inMyanmar and in parts of the Philippines.

Farmers plant rice at the start of the rainy sea-son, usually in May, and the crop is ready to har-vest in October. They can then grow a second ricecrop during the dry season by irrigating rice fieldswith water stored from rains and flooding rivers.Rice farming can be difficult work because manyfarmers do not use modern machinery. They plantand harvest their crops by hand, using simpletools such as sickles—long, sharp, curved knives.Water buffalo or oxen are often used to pull plows.

Other CropsSoutheast Asian farmers grow cassava, yams,

corn, bananas, and other food crops in areas too dryfor a second planting of rice. Some Indonesian farm-ers have begun to grow cassava, an edible root,

as an alternative subsistencecrop because it is easier to growthan rice. A subsistence crop isa crop grown mainly to feed thefarmer’s family. Many familiesin Southeast Asia have smallsubsistence garden plots thatproduce a variety of vegetables,and some people also raise pigsand poultry for food.

Plantations in Southeast Asia’scoastal lowlands provide manyof the region’s cash crops—crops raised to be sold for profit.Rubber is an important cashcrop, and Thailand, Indonesia,and Malaysia lead the world innatural rubber production. Sug-arcane grows in the Philippinesand on the Indonesian island of

as to sell for income. Although Southeast Asia isindustrializing rapidly, most of its workforce isstill involved in agriculture. More than two-thirdsof all workers in Cambodia and Laos are farmers.

Rice CultivationFor 2,000 years, the Ifugao people of the Philippines

have worked in terraced fields that follow the con-tours of the mountains. They plant their fields withrice, the most important crop in Southeast Asia.Southeast Asian farmers use more than half of theregion’s farmable land to grow this crop. A majorfood source for the region, rice is also a leadingexport product of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam,and Myanmar. A journalist traveling in SoutheastAsia describes Thailand’s rice trade:

“ Since most rice is eaten in the countrieswhere it’s grown, the amount in worldtrade is small, only about 4 percent. Thebiggest exporter is Thailand, with 4.5million tons a year. . . . [A]t Bangkok . . .[m]illed rice arrives by truck from thenorth—I see 100-kilo bags stacked 27high—to be . . . packed for shipment tothe Middle East, Europe, Africa.”Peter T. White, “Rice, the Essential

Harvest,” National Geographic, May 1994

Thai Rice Field A farmeruses the simple technology of a water buffalo and a wooden plow to pre-pare his field for planting.

Region Why does rice grow well in the region?

Java. The Philippines is also one ofthe largest producers and exporters ofcoconuts. Other regional exportsinclude coffee, palm oil, and spices.

Forests and MinesForestry, which includes jobs in log-

ging, transporting logs, and manufac-turing finished goods, is important tomany Southeast Asian countries. It is amajor industry in Vietnam, where fac-tories produce plywood and lumber,pulp and paper, and furniture prod-ucts. Myanmar leads the world inteakwood exports. Teakwood, ebony,mahogany, and bamboo, in the formof lumber and finished products, arevital to the economies of Malaysia, thePhilippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.Although excessive logging has con-tributed to deforestation in the region,several Southeast Asian countries areworking to make their economic goalscompatible with environmental goals.

Mineral WealthRich mineral deposits lie within Southeast Asia’s

numerous mountains. Workers in several coun-tries drill and blast their way to deposits of tin, ironore, manganese, and tungsten. Malaysia, Thailand,and Indonesia are three of the world’s leading pro-ducers of tin. Iron ore is excavated in Malaysia andthe Philippines. Manganese, used to strengthensteel, is mined in the Philippines and Indonesia.Tungsten, used for electrical materials and in steelalloys, is found in Myanmar and Thailand.

The economies of Southeast Asia also benefitfrom oil extraction. Malaysia is rich in petroleumand natural gas reserves. Crude oil, natural gas,and petroleum products account for 95 percentof the export income of Brunei (bru•NY). Thissmall country also has one of the world’s largestnatural gas plants. Indonesia, the largest pro-ducer of petroleum in the region, is one of thetop ten producers in the Organization of Petro-leum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Economicdevelopment in the Indonesian-owned westernpart of New Guinea and on the Indonesian

C h a p t e r 3 1 761

islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo has beenspurred by the building of pipelines. These pipe-lines carry oil from drilling sites to the coasts forshipping.

Economics

Irian Jaya’s ResourcesIndonesia’s government has set aside large areas

of Irian Jaya for resource development. Located onthe western half of New Guinea, Irian Jaya has tim-ber resources and rich lodes, or deposits of miner-als. Many international companies are logging inmangrove swamps in Irian Jaya and surveying forgold, natural gas, oil, and uranium elsewhere.

Although Irian Jaya is rich in minerals, many of itspeople are poor. Groups favoring independenceclaim that the Indonesian government has allowedforeigners to extract resources but has invested littlein improving health, education, and public services.

IndustryIndustry is growing rapidly in Southeast Asia. In

many places, workers are leaving farms to work

Timber in MalaysiaLogging is a major economic activity in East Malaysia.

Place Which economies are dependent on lumber and finishedproducts?

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in urban manufacturing and service industries. Still,the industrial growth rate varies widely throughoutthe region. While Laos and Cambodia are mainlyagricultural, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and thePhilippines are Southeast Asia’s major industrializ-ing countries. A center of world trade, Singaporefocuses on producing goods for export. Factories inMalaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailandmanufacture textiles, clothing, and automobiles.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the industrializ-ing countries of Southeast Asia enjoyed an economicboom. This prosperity was based on plentiful nat-ural resources, an abundant supply of inexpensivelabor, and increased foreign investment. Massivedebts, political corruption, and financial misman-agement, however, led to an economic crisis in theregion in late 1997. Economic reforms allowed Thai-land to emerge fairly quickly from the crisis. Sincethe crisis, both Thailand and the Philippines havehad to balance industrial growth with investment intraditional economic activities such as agricultureand fish farming.

Terraced Farming In hilly areas such as inIrian Jaya, terracing makes steep and rugged landsuitable for agriculture.

Human-Environment Interaction In addition to farmland, what other resources are found in Irian Jaya?

Economics

Singapore and MalaysiaSingapore has Southeast Asia’s most developed

economy. Its location and harbors make it amajor port and manufacturing center. In addition,Singapore’s government and businesses havecarried out several policies that have led to strongeconomic growth. After independence in 1965,Singapore set up free-trade zones that attractedforeign investment. More recently, businesses havefocused on developing communications, informa-tion, and financial services––activities less depen-dent on foreign investment. Singapore’s economyalso has moved away from labor-intensive indus-tries, such as textiles, into electronics and oil refin-ing. To ensure a supply of skilled workers for theseindustries, the government has made a strongcommitment to education.

Singapore’s neighbor, Malaysia, also has diversi-fied, or increased its economic activities. AlthoughMalaysia remains a major producer of naturalrubber and palm oil, it now also manufactures avariety of goods, such as electronic and electricalproducts, cement, chemicals, and processed foods.The country also has developed heavy industries,such as steelmaking and automobile assembly.These manufactured products—along with nat-ural rubber and palm oil—account for most ofMalaysia’s export earnings. Malaysia is also theworld’s largest exporter of microchips, making itan important center for information technology.

Less Industrialized CountriesSince the late 1990s, political instability and a

rapidly growing population have slowed economicgrowth in Indonesia. The country supplies rawmaterials for world markets and is a major exporterof textiles and garments. Its labor force, however,currently lacks the technical skills and knowledgerequired for industrialization. Therefore, Indonesiadepends heavily on foreign aid and investment todevelop its industries.

Industrialization in other Southeast Asian coun-tries, such as Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, andMyanmar, is developing even more slowly than inIndonesia. Wars and political changes slowed eco-nomic growth in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodiafor many years. Landlocked and without ocean har-bors, Laos remains largely agricultural. However,

the attempt by its communist leaders to collectivizefarming reduced incentives for farmers to produce.The country is rich in mineral resources but lacksup-to-date mining technology. Laos’s future eco-nomic growth may depend on its rivers, whichcould provide hydroelectric power for the region.

Rapid population growth and inadequatetransportation have hurt Vietnam’s economicdevelopment. The country, however, has a largepotential workforce in its literate population.Another possible boost to Vietnam’s economy isits beautiful coastline, which is well suited to thedevelopment of tourism. Cambodia’s economysuffers from outdated factories and the lack of atrained, experienced workforce. Myanmar’s self-imposed isolation from world markets has longslowed its economic growth. Myanmar’s grossnational product per person is one of the lowest inthe world, and manufacturingaccounts for just one-tenth ofthe country’s gross domesticproduct.

InterdependenceIn recent years Southeast

Asian countries have becomemore interdependent, or relianton one another. As they drawcloser together, economic andpolitical developments in onecountry can affect other coun-tries in the region. Two organi-zations formed to promoteregional development, trade,and greater economic stabilityreflect this increasing interde-pendence. They are the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) andthe Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN).

The ADB, based in thePhilippines’s capital of Manila,provides international loans toaid the economies of Asianmember countries. In SoutheastAsia these ADB loans supportagricultural, transportation, andindustrial development projects.

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,and Thailand formed ASEAN in 1967 as an eco-nomic and political alliance. Brunei joined in 1984,and Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar allbecame members by the late 1990s. ASEAN’s maingoals are to promote economic growth and toencourage cultural exchanges among member coun-tries. ASEAN also provides an outlet for cooperationin a region that has long known economic and polit-ical conflict, although full political or economicunity is not its main focus.

ASEAN’s founding members generally havehad greater economic success than have othercountries in Southeast Asia. Development hasbeen slow or nonexistent in countries that joinedASEAN later and also in East Timor, which hasnot yet joined. ASEAN member countries try tobalance diverse national goals while struggling

C h a p t e r 3 1 763

Making Silk A worker inVietnam feeds mulberry leaves to silkworms. The fiber that silkwormsproduce is valuable in making finished silk (see inset above right).

Place What factors have hindered economic development in Vietnam?

764 U n i t 1 0

for regional unity. In 1992 they agreed to establisha free-trade area and to reduce tariffs on nonagricul-tural products by 2008.

TransportationSoutheast Asia’s peninsulas, islands, long coast-

lines, and many rivers make water transportationthe most common way to move people and goods inthe region. However, rain-swollen rivers in the trop-ical forests sometimes make travel slow and diffi-cult. In some remote areas, such as Indonesia’sterritory of Irian Jaya, people receive supplies by airas well as by water.

Southeast Asia has long been the crossroads ofmajor ocean trade routes. Today most shippingbetween Europe and East Asia passes through theStrait of Malacca, near Singapore. This transporta-tion “choke point,” or strategic location, enablesSingapore to prosper as a free port, a place wheregoods can be unloaded, stored, and reshipped freeof import duties. Other regional ports include theIndonesian cities of Palembang, on Sumatra, and thenational capital, Jakarta, on Java. Manila, in thePhilippines, is a major center for maritime trade inAsia. Vietnam’s major international shipping port isHo Chi Minh City.

Throughout Southeast Asia the quality of landtransportation varies widely, partly because of dif-ferences in economic development. For exam-ple, Cambodia’s original highway network wasdesigned by French planners to link agriculturalareas to the port of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam). Although the network no longer servesCambodia’s economic needs, the country lacks theresources to dramatically redesign the system. Incontrast, the industrializing countries of Malaysia,Singapore, and Thailand, with their more successfuleconomies, are able to fund improvements to roads.

Highways and railroads on Southeast Asia’speninsulas and larger islands generally link onlymajor cities. Many people travel on bicycles, motorscooters, and oxcarts. In urban centers such asJakarta, Indonesia, and Bangkok, Thailand, pavedroads are also choked with trucks, automobiles,motorcycles, and buses.

A Quiet Street Buddhist monks in Myanmarfile past a family eating breakfast.

Region What physical features influence travelin most of rural Southeast Asia?

Student Web Activity Visit the Glencoe World GeographyWeb site at tx.geography.glencoe.com and click on Student WebActivities—Chapter 31 for an activity about life in Vietnam.

Checking for Understanding1. Define paddy, sickle, subsistence

crop, cash crop, lode, interdepen-dent, Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN), free port.

2. Main Ideas On a table like the onebelow, list products and industriesthat support the economies ofeach of the region’s countries.

Critical Thinking3. Making Comparisons How is a coun-

try’s workforce affected by growingcash crops? Subsistence crops?

4. Making Generalizations Whatmight other Southeast Asiancountries learn from Singapore’seconomic success?

5. Predicting Consequences Howmight rural ways of life change inSoutheast Asia as communicationsservices are developed? Provideexamples to support your answer.

Analyzing Maps6. Place Study the economic activity

map on page 713. What geographicfeature is common among mostmanufacturing and trade centers?Explain this relationship.

7. Water Transportation Thinkabout different kinds oftransportation in SoutheastAsia. Write a paragraph inwhich you discuss the day-to-day impacts of relying onwater transportation.

Applying Geography

In most parts of rural Southeast Asia, travel isdifficult because of dense forests, rugged terrain,and the seas that separate the region’s islands.Outside major urban areas, unpaved roads areoften impassable during heavy rains.

CommunicationsAs with transportation, communications in

Southeast Asia depend on a country’s level ofindustrialization. Singapore’s largely prosperousand urbanized population has a well-developedcommunications system. Rural dwellers in partsof Cambodia and Laos, however, have little accessto newspapers, television, or the Internet.

In Southeast Asia’s cities, good communicationsservices help advance economic growth. The Internet and wireless communication have also ben-efited Southeast Asian commerce. Partly because ofthe region’s rugged terrain, telecommunicationsservice remains poor in rural areas. Satellite com-munication, however, is improving television andtelephone transmissions.

Post offices, newspapers, books, and magazinesare located in major urban centers such as Bangkok,Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Govern-ments typically own and control radio stations andtelevision networks. Most people own or haveaccess to a radio, but television sets are less com-mon. Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines havethe greatest number of television sets per person.

C h a p t e r 3 1 765

Urban Transportation City streets in Jakarta,Indonesia, are crowded with automobiles, buses, andpedestrians.

Region How is the distribution of communications similar to that of transportation in the region?

Although most of Southeast Asia’s countries aredeveloping modern communications systems, itwill take time for effective communications to reachevery part of the region.

Country Products/Industries

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowMuch of Southeast Asia has experi-enced rapid industrialization. Whateffect might industrial growth haveon a region’s natural surroundings?

Read to Find Out• What dangers are posed by volca-

noes, floods, and typhoons inSoutheast Asia?

• How has economic progressincreased environmental pollutionin the region?

• What efforts are under way to protect the environment in Southeast Asia?

Terms to Know• cyclone

• typhoon

• shifting cultivation

Places to Locate• Ring of Fire

• Bali

People and TheirEnvironment

A Geographic ViewTraffic BalletNikorn Phasuk, a Bangkok policeman who is also known as Plastic Man, stepsonto a stage of asphalt under the glare of a blazing sun. He crouches, thenretreats with mincing footwork as hecoaxes vehicles toward him with fluidarm gestures, part of an artful ballet he uses to keep traffic rolling, no small feat in the city that may havethe most congested streets in theworld.

—Noel Grove, “The Many Faces of Thailand,”National Geographic, February 1996

In the heart of Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, you canexperience noisy, crowded, traffic-choked streets and intense heat ris-ing from sunbaked pavement. Like other places in Southeast Asia,Bangkok faces a variety of environmental challenges. In this sectionyou will learn about the natural and human factors that affect SoutheastAsia’s environment. You will also learn about the efforts of govern-ments and citizens’ groups to protect it.

Nature’s MightAs you learned in Chapter 29, much of Southeast Asia is part of the

Ring of Fire, the area of earthquake and volcanic activity that rimsthe Pacific Ocean. Residents of places along the Ring of Fire periodi-cally face volcanic eruptions, flash floods, and typhoons. These nat-ural disasters take their toll on human lives and on economicdevelopment. People’s efforts to cope with the effects of disasters arepart of everyday life in many parts of Southeast Asia.

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Rush hour in Bangkok, Thailand

VolcanoesVolcanic mountains rise on

most of the larger islands in thePhilippines. Several of the vol-canoes are active, and manyFilipinos must cope with the con-stant threat of volcanic activity. InFebruary 2000, thousands fledtheir homes as the Mayon Vol-cano, which had last erupted in1993, spewed ash and lava overthe landscape.

Another Philippine volcano,the 5,770-foot (1,759-m) MountPinatubo, erupted in June 1991.Scientists in the Philippines pre-dicted the eruption, and govern-ment authorities ordered theevacuation of nearby towns.Still, the eruption killed morethan 900 people and destroyedabout 100,000 homes. Clouds ofash and dust blown into theatmosphere affected weather pat-terns worldwide.

“ . . . Mount Pinatubo . . . spewed 15 mil-lion tons of ash, rock, and sulfuric acid22 miles into the stratosphere. Withinthree weeks, the debris had veiled theglobe, reflecting sunlight back into spaceand chilling that year’s winter by at leasta full degree. . . .”Jack McClintock, “Under the

Volcano,” Discover, November 1999

Volcanoes also figure prominently in the cultureof some Southeast Asian countries. For example,the Indonesian island of Bali (BAH•lee) is famousfor a volcano that reaches 10,308 feet (3,142 m)high—Gunung Agung. The Balinese peopleregard the volcano as the sacred centerpiece oftheir Hindu faith, and they leave offerings of foodand flowers on the crater’s rim. Despite a 1993eruption that took more than 1,500 lives, manyBalinese still live near Gunung Agung, riskingtheir lives and property.

C h a p t e r 3 1 767

Floods and TyphoonsFlash floods in Southeast Asia kill hundreds of

people a year and ruin about 10 million acres (4 mil-lion ha) of crops. Human activity often magnifiesthe effects of these floods. In 1991 and 1995, forexample, major storms struck the Philippines.Because so much land had been cleared of forest, thestorms caused widespread runoff and mudslides.

The rivers of mainland Southeast Asia undergoseasonal flooding every year. Flooding poses aparticular threat to Bangkok, which is built onunstable land. Some sections of the city sink asmuch as 25 inches (64 cm) each year. The city’smost recent serious flooding occurred in 1983,when one-fourth of its area was under water.

Tropical storms also often strike various partsof Southeast Asia. A cyclone is an area of low

FloodingSoutheast Asians, such as these Buddhist monks in Cambodia, cope with flooded streets during the rainy season.

Human-Environment Interaction What human activitycontributes to the problem of flooding?

atmospheric pressure surroundedby circulating winds extending outfrom 100 to 1,000 miles (161 to1,609 km). Tropical cyclones are particularly deadlystorms. A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that forms inthe Pacific Ocean 8° to 15° N of the Equator, oftenbetween July and November. Typhoon winds circu-late in a counterclockwise direction.

Southeast Asia’s typhoons form in the westernPacific Ocean, north of the island of New Guinea.Some travel north to Japan, while others movethrough the northern islands of the Philippinesand then on to the Chinese mainland. Still otherspass through the Philippines and reach Vietnam.Typhoons may have winds from 150 to 180 miles perhour (241 to 290 km per hour) and may be accom-panied by rain, thunder, lightning, and high oceanwaves that disrupt shipping.

Southeast Asians are taking steps to control thedamage from typhoons. In Thailand, for example,planners in Bangkok are building dams to preventtyphoon-related flooding.

Environmental PollutionWhether facing the commotion of a busy city,

coaxing a modest crop from a small family plot,or taming a river’s floodwaters to protect acash crop, Southeast Asians, like people every-

768 U n i t 1 0

where, affect their environments. In the faceof technological advances and widespread air,water, and noise pollutants, Southeast Asia’s peo-ple today try to balance environmental concernswith economic needs.

CitiesIncreased prosperity in Southeast Asia has

raised people’s expectations about their quality oflife. Economic growth, however, also depletes lim-ited environmental resources. Increased manufac-turing, for example, raises standards of living butalso creates industrial waste. As societies becomewealthier and more people buy automobiles,exhaust systems send toxic fumes into the air.

Growing populations and crowded conditions incities such as Bangkok, Manila, and Jakarta raiseconcerns about adequate housing, water supplies,sanitation, and traffic control. Bangkok, for exam-ple, is a busy city of skyscrapers, factories, noisyexpressways, and traffic jams. Dramatic populationincreases and industrialization even appear to beoverheating Bangkok. In recent years, the city’sheat, humidity, and pollution levels have increasedat a rate higher than the global average. Higher

Environmental Pollution Bangkok (left) struggles with pollution in air and water,whereas Singapore (right) has been more successful in keeping industrial growth from harming the environment.

Human-Environment Interaction How has economic growthaffected the environment and levels of pollution in Southeast Asia?

C h a p t e r 3 1 769

Ecosystems are destroyed and

animals are displaced from their

natural habitats.

Smoke from burning forests

creates air pollution/smog.

Respiratory and other diseases

are caused by polluted air/smog.

Tourism has declined as a result

of the smoky atmosphere.

Timber industry cuts down

trees for lumber.

Burning Forests

Plantations clear land for

commercial farming.

El Niño brings unusually dry

conditions.

Individuals clear land for

subsistence farming.

Causes Effects

Southeast Asia’s Burning Forests

CHART STUDY

2. Applying Geography Skills How might the outbreak of fires affect political and socialconditions in the region? Give examples.1. Interpreting Charts What factors have caused

the burning of forests in Southeast Asia?

temperatures affect both humans and their environ-ment, causing health problems and trapping pol-lutants in the air that contribute to acid rain.

Because of strict law enforcement, Singaporeis an exception in a region of polluted cities. Oneobserver describes Singapore as a “world ofalmost surrealistic cleanliness and good behavior,prompted on every public wall by slogans of awatchful state.” In Singapore, littering the side-walk can bring a $250 fine.

Rural AreasIn some parts of Southeast Asia, pollution

extends into the countryside, including theregion’s national parks. In Thailand’s Tai PhiNational Park, for example, 80 percent of the fresh-

water wells are contaminated as a result of poorwaste disposal. The dumping of toxic wasteshas created problems in other countries ofSoutheast Asia. In 1998, thousands of people inrural Cambodia fled their homes after findingout that tons of toxic materials, mislabeled ascement, had been dumped nearby. The waste,containing poisonous mercury, threatened theirwater supplies.

Volcanic eruptions and forest fires also pollute inrural areas, sometimes affecting cities as well. For-est fires on several islands of Indonesia in the1990s, for example, created pollution and respira-tory problems for people as far away as mainlandMalaysia (see chart below). The smoke disruptedair traffic and shipping across the region.

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Avoiding Pollution A vendor sells air masksto protect against air pollution in Indonesia.

Place What are some of the negative results ofburning forests for agriculture?

Logging, Farming,and Mining

In Southeast Asia, some logging, farming, andmining practices have harmed the environment. Thedestruction of habitats and the demand for certainfood items also endanger the region’s wildlife.

Economies

DeforestationDeforestation is a major concern throughout

Southeast Asia. In Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar,teak and other timber provides important sourcesof income. Since the 1960s, commercial loggingcompanies have set up modern logging processesand provided training and jobs for many SoutheastAsians. The region’s economies have benefited, butthe widespread cutting of trees has steadily dimin-ished the region’s forests. Until recently, compa-nies made few efforts to replant as they harvested.Without the trees’ root systems, topsoil is nolonger held in place. Heavy tropical rains easilyerode topsoil, washing it into streams thatcrisscross the region. The topsoil clogs rivers andreduces the amount of water available for irrigation.

Excessive logging also has caused major flood-ing. Without forests to absorb downpours, flashfloods on bare, muddy slopes have swept into val-leys, killing hundreds of people and leaving thou-sands more injured and homeless.

Some farming methods contribute to deforestationand soil erosion. Throughout Southeast Asia, farm-ers carry out slash-and-burn agriculture—cuttingdown vegetation, burning it, and using the ashes forfertilizer. In highlands areas, farmers grow foodcrops by a method known as shifting cultivation,clearing forests to plant fields, cultivating the landfor a few years, and then abandoning it. They thenrepeat the process in a new area.

Fires also have destroyed forested areas. Planta-tion owners in Southeast Asia often burn largeareas of land in order to plant profitable cash crops.These fires are becoming more frequent, and theyoften destroy large areas of forests when, duringperiods of drought, they blaze out of control.

MiningThe mining of valuable minerals and metals has

also led to environmental abuses. At Indonesia’slargest gold mine, workers dump large amounts ofrock waste into the Ajkwa River in Irian Jaya. Thisdumping will eventually divert the river from itsoriginal course, flooding more than 50 square miles(130 sq. km) of forest and displacing many people.Pollution from the rock waste has already begun tokill vegetation in the surrounding rain forest.

Environmental ProtectionIn recent years, some Southeast Asian countries

have taken steps to protect their environments. Toprevent further loss of rain forests, Thailand,Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia have lim-ited certain timber exports and have introducedreforestation programs. Such efforts, however,have proved difficult to enforce or carry out, andillegal logging is still taking its toll on the region’sforests. Scientists predict that many unique envi-ronments—with their variety of plant and animalspecies—will be lost within a few years.

In Indonesia, for example, the government in theearly 1980s introduced a plan to set aside largeparts of the country as conservation areas. Inrecent years, however, this plan has been largely

C h a p t e r 3 1 771

Checking for Understanding1. Define cyclone, typhoon, shifting

cultivation.

2. Main Ideas On a cause-effectchart, fill in events, their causes,and their effects on SoutheastAsia’s environment.

Critical Thinking3. Making Inferences How do gov-

ernments in Southeast Asia prepare for natural disasters?

4. Predicting Consequences Whatmight be the consequences ofclearing rain forests for housing in Indonesia?

5. Drawing Conclusions What mighthappen as Southeast Asia’s less-industrialized countries developmanufacturing industries? Explain.

Analyzing Charts6. Human-Environment Interaction

Study the chart on page 769.What types of economic activitiescause the burning of forests inSoutheast Asia?

7. Using Resources Evaluatethe geographic impact ofSoutheast Asian govern-ment policies related to the use of resources.

Applying Geography

abandoned because of the govern-ment’s grant of logging rights to timbercompanies and the outbreak of politicalturmoil.

In addition, illegal logging opera-tions on the Indonesian islands ofSumatra and Kalimantan havedestroyed much of the forests border-ing national parks. Scientists visitingthese areas state that the Indonesiangovernment must enforce its own envi-ronmental laws, and the army mayhave to be used to stop illegal logging.

In other Southeast Asian countries,planned migration or resettlement hasbalanced environmental protection andeconomic development. Laos, forexample, has tried to limit shifting cul-tivation by resettling highlands peoples on morefertile and arable plains.

Southeast Asian governments also are starting todeal with the impact of urban growth on the envi-ronment. Bangkok, Thailand, for example, is amajor example of urban warming, caused byindustrialization, crowded living and workingareas, and the increased use of automobiles andother vehicles. To handle this problem, scientistshave proposed several solutions. One includesthe creation of “green zones,” or areas within a citythat are granted special environmental protection.Another suggests banning the construction of tall

buildings near the sea, allowing winds to blow far-ther into the city and provide more ventilation.Despite enormous challenges, these and other pro-posals are helping Southeast Asians realize thatthey must work hard to protect the environmentwhile developing their economies.

Human Impact on the Environment

Event Cause Effect

Farming Deforested Land Tropical forestscontinue to be cleared for settlement and agriculture,creating major ecological problems in Indonesia.

Human-Environment Interaction What steps haveSoutheast Asian countries taken to protect the forests?

ViewpointCASE STUDY on the Environment

PhilippineSea

SouthChina

Sea

Source: United Nations Environment Program, World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

HighMediumLow

Risk Levelof Reefs

Southeast Asia's Reefs:Southeast Asia’s Reefs:Like underwater cities, coralreefs swarm with life in thewarm, shallow oceans bandingthe Equator. Home to a fourth ofall known marine species, coralreefs rival tropical rain forests inbiodiversity. Like rain forests,too, coral reefs are at riskworldwide. Nowhere are thesefragile habitats in more dangerthan in Southeast Asia, wherelocal people use poisons andexplosives to capture certainkinds of fish. These fish supplyAsian restaurants and a world-wide aquarium industry. Thetrade generates huge profits for many people in the region,but their fishing methods aredestroying the reefs.

Coral in PerilCoral in Peril

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local communities will lose aprimary source of food and alucrative tourist industry.

Fishers working in the live reef-fish trade see it as an opportu-nity to raise their standard ofliving. Cyanide fishers oftenearn three times the salary ofcollege-educated workers inthe region. Some fishers claimthat if they don't catch the reef fish now in demand,others will. Local people pointout that Southeast Asia’s coralreefs belong to Southeast Asiancountries and that decisionsabout how to use their reefresources should be made bypeople living in the region.

Philippine divers squirtdeadly cyanide to stunand net fish—a practicethat also kills corals.

A coral grouper (below) lives andfeeds on coral reefs in the Philip-pines. Many such fish end up in skil-lets, as Asian diners (right) pay topdollar for live reef fish.

▼

What’s Your Point of View?Should people around theworld be concerned aboutSoutheast Asia’s coral reefs?What might be done to restricttrade in live reef fish?

▼

Suspended in crystalclear waters, anIndonesian fisherman(left) drifts over a bam-

boo fish trap nestled amongcolorful corals. Corals look likerocks, but they are actuallycolonies of tiny animals calledcoral polyps. Each polyp se-cretes a limestone cup arounditself, forming a limestoneskeleton. The polyps attach tothe skeletons of dead polyps,and the limestone forma-tions—called coral reefs—grow larger and larger. Despitetheir rock-hard appearance,however, coral reefs are easilydamaged. Worldwide, reefs aredying because of pollution,overfishing, coastal develop-ment, diseases, and risingocean temperatures.

The reefs of Southeast Asiaare among the world’s rich-est—and some of the mostendangered. The thriving tradein live reef fishes is largely toblame. Colorful tropical fishcaptured on coral reefs end up in collectors’ aquariums.Fashionable restaurants in

Hong Kong,Taiwan, andChina are alsoto blame. Din-ers there paybig money toselect live reeffish from a tank,and then havethem killed,cooked, and served on the spot.

To capture fish alive, manySoutheast Asian fishers usedynamite to stun fish—a tech-nique called blast fishing. Inaddition, fishers squirt fish withcyanide. The poison tempo-rarily immobilizes a fish, mak-ing it easy to catch. Explosivesand cyanide, however, killcountless other fish and oceancreatures, including corals.Scientists estimate that 50 per-cent of Indonesian reefs and 80percent of Philippine reefs areturning into aquatic graveyards.

Environmentalists claim that theuse of explosives and cyanideto capture live reef fish isdestroying entire coral reefecosystems. Scientists warn thatthe loss of coral reefs will harmother ocean food chains, whichcould affect oceans worldwide.Concerned officials point outthat once the reefs are gone,

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The Glencoe Skillbuilder Interactive Workbook,

Level 2 provides instruction andpractice in key social studies skills.

Bring to class an article from amagazine, newspaper, or Internetsource describing a current conflictin Southeast Asia. Using the stepson this page, draw conclusionsabout the causes of the conflictand its likely outcome. Summarizeyour conclusions in a paragraph.

Learning the SkillWhen you draw a conclu-

sion, you use facts, observation,and experience to form a judg-ment about an event. Draw-ing conclusions allows you tounderstand indirectly statedideas and events, so you canapply your knowledge to simi-lar situations.

Sometimes, however, peopledraw incorrect conclusionsbased on the information theyhave. Often the facts and detailsof a situation could logicallylead to more than one conclu-sion. For example, if you seesomeone sweating, you mightconclude that the person hasbeen exercising. You might alsoconclude that this person maybe sick with a fever. To deter-mine which conclusion is cor-rect, you would need to obtainand evaluate further informa-tion. To determine the accuracyof any conclusion, it is impor-tant to gather information thatwill prove or disprove it.

Follow these steps whendrawing conclusions:

• Review the facts that arestated directly.

• Use your own knowledge,experience, and insight toform conclusions about thefacts.

• Find information that wouldhelp prove or disprove yourconclusions.

Practicing the SkillRead the excerpt above

about traveling with the Penanpeople of Malaysia, and answerthe following questions.1. What important facts does the

author include?2. What information does Tu‘o’s

morning prayer provideabout his attitude towardthe forest?

3. What conclusion can youdraw about the Penan peo-ple based on this author’sdescription?

4. What evidence do you haveto support this conclusion?

Asked to form an expedition overnight, Tu‘o is ready by dawn. With six

young Penan as our companions and Tu‘o as guide, we leave Long Iman [in

Malaysia] traveling up the Tutok by longboat to reach a trail that climbs

steeply through gingers and wild durian [fruit]. . . .

For two long days we walk farther into the forest, following a route that

rises and falls with each successive ridge. Delighted to be away from the settle-

ment, the Penan watch the forest for signs, hunting hornbills at dusk, tracking

deer and sun bears, gathering ripe fruits of mango trees. On the third morning

our party crests a steep hill ; we have reached the nomads. It is just after

dawn, and the sound of the gibbons howling runs across the canopy. Smoke

from cooking fires mingles with the cool mist. A hunting party returns. Tu‘o

bows his head in morning prayer. “Thank you for the sun rising, for the trees

and the forest of abundance, the trees that were not made by man, but by you.”

—Wade Davis, “Vanishing Cultures,”

National Geographic, August 1999

Drawing ConclusionsDrawing conclusions involves studying facts and details to

understand how they are related and what they mean. Byputting this information together, you can better understand an action or event.

C h a p t e r 3 1 775

Key Points• Agriculture is the leading economic activity in

Southeast Asia.

• The countries of the region are industrializingat different rates, which causes great variationin economies, occupations, transportation, andcommunications.

• Through ASEAN and other organizations thatwere formed to promote regional developmentand trade, the countries of Southeast Asia arebecoming more interdependent.

Organizing Your NotesCreate an outline using the for-mat below to help you organizeyour notes for this section.

Terms to Know• cyclone• typhoon• shifting cultivation

Organizing Your NotesUse a web diagram like the one below to help you organizeimportant details from this section.

Terms to Know• paddy• sickle• subsistence crop• cash crop• lode• interdependent• Association of

Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN)

• free port

SECTION 1 Living in Southeast Asia (pp. 759–765)

SECTION 2 People and Their Environment (pp. 766–771)

SUMMARY & STUDY GUIDE

I. AgricultureA. Rice cultivation

1. Most important crop

Living in Southeast Asia

EnvironmentalProtection

Nature’sMight

EnvironmentalPollution

A Thai family stands by theirhouse, built on a canal inBangkok.

Key Points• Volcanic eruptions, flash floods, and typhoons

have serious effects on Southeast Asians’ lives.

• Industrialization and economic development inSoutheast Asia often result in the pollution ofair, land, and water.

• The region’s countries are taking steps to pro-tect the environment.

Critical Thinking1. Identifying Cause and Effect What

effects might continued mining and logginghave on Irian Jaya’s people?

2. Making Inferences How does interde-pendence help Southeast Asia’s economicdevelopment and trade?

3. Comparing and Constrasting Using aVenn diagram like the one below, comparethe environmental challenges that occur inSoutheast Asian cities and rural areas.

Reviewing Key TermsWrite the key term that best completes each ofthe following sentences. Refer to the Terms toKnow in the Summary & Study Guide on page 775.

1. Irian Jaya has rich __________, or deposits ofminerals.

2. _______________ in the Philippines includecoconuts and sugarcane.

3. A flooded field in which rice is grown is a__________.

4. Countries involved in oceangoing trade areattracted by a(n) __________ such as Singapore.

5. By becoming __________, thecountries of Southeast Asia canbuild the region’s economy.

6. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philip-pines, Singapore, and Thailandwere the first countries to jointhe __________.

7. Southeast Asia experiences aspecific kind of __________known as a typhoon.

8. A hand tool called a(n) __________is still used to harvest crops.

9. In __________ farmers abandontheir fields after a few years.

Reviewing FactsSECTION 1

1. What is the occupation of mostpeople in Southeast Asia?

2. What types of industries arethe countries of Southeast Asiadeveloping?

SECTION 23. List three negative impacts of

industrialization in SoutheastAsia. Give examples.

4. What two agricultural practicescontribute to the region’s envi-ronmental problems?

Locating PlacesSoutheast Asia: Physical-Political Geography

Match the letters on the map with the places and physical features of Southeast Asia. Write your answers on a sheet of paper.

N30°N

20°N

10°N

0°

100°E 110°E 120°E 130°E 140°E

TROPIC OF CANCER

EQUATOR

JB

D

A

HE

I

FG

C

Mercator projection

1,000

1,0000

0

mi.

km

ASSESSMENT & ACTIVITIES

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1. Chao Phraya River2. Brunei3. Myanmar4. Phnom Penh

5. Bali6. East Timor7. Hanoi8. Pacific Ocean

9. Jakarta10. New Guinea

Urban Both Rural

C h a p t e r 3 1 777

Study the title and labels on the graphto see what information is being pre-sented. Note the important facts,

and look at the relationships among the countries.Remember, an answer choice that may be true can-not be the correct answer if there is no informationto support it in the graph.

Self-Check Quiz Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at tx.geography.glencoe.comand click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 31 toprepare for the Chapter Test.

Using the Regional AtlasRefer to the Regional Atlas on pages 710–713.

1. Location What body of water separatesnorthern Vietnam from the South China Sea?

2. Human-Environment Interaction Whatare the two main types of land use in moun-tainous areas in Southeast Asia?

Thinking Like a GeographerThink about the physical geography of SoutheastAsia. What is one of the region’s important physicalassets? As a geographer, how might you suggestthat people utilize this asset to improve their lives?

Problem-Solving ActivityGroup Research Project Work with a groupto research how people in various world regionsadapt to or modify their environment in order tocontrol flooding. Compare methods of flood con-trol in other regions with those used in SoutheastAsia. Evaluate whether a method used in anotherregion is workable in Southeast Asia.

GeoJournalExpository Writing Using the informationyou logged in your GeoJournal as you read thischapter, choose one economic or environmentalcharacteristic of Southeast Asia. Then write ashort essay that compares and contrasts thecharacteristic among the region’s countries. Useyour textbook and the Internet as resources.

Technology ActivityCreating an Electronic Database

Make a fact sheet for each Southeast Asian coun-try. Include data about agriculture, industries,transportation, communications, and environmen-tal challenges. Put this information into a data-base, and then write a paragraph comparing andcontrasting two Southeast Asian countries. If pos-sible, create graphic elements such as bar graphsor circle graphs to support your conclusions.

Study the bar graph below. Then choose thebest answer for the multiple-choice question. Ifyou have trouble answering the question, use theprocess of elimination to narrow your choices.

Media in Selected Southeast Asian Countries

1. What conclusions can you draw from thegraph?

A Newspapers are censored in Laos.B People in rural areas have less access to

literacy programs.C Urban populations have more access to

news sources.D Televisions are less expensive in Singapore

than in other countries in Southeast Asia.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Singapore 100%

Philippines 55%

Myanmar 26%

Laos 21%

Vietnam 19%

100 200 300 400 500

Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2000

Number per 1,000 People

KeyTV setsRadiosNewspapercirculation

Country % Urban

Coun

trie

s