EAST ASIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA TODAY

By: Kevin Johnson and Austin Krauss

CHINABy Austin

GOVERNMENT The government is controlled by

the Chinese Communist Party. Leaders are not elected by citizens

. They deny individual freedom, and

give harsh punishments to people who criticize them.

They have no respect for human rights.

Leaders are called Emperors.

ECONOMY 65 percent of people live in rural areas Many people are moving to cities to

find higher paying jobs. People in cities earn enough money for

extra clothing and electronics. China has some of the worlds largest

cities. China has one of the worlds fastest

growing economies.

MORE ON ECONOMY Chin a is the world leader in agriculture

production. China is the world largest oil user

besides the U.S.A Hong Kong and Macao are leading

manufacturing centers.

ACTIVITIES Meditating Baseball Tennis Soccer Basketball Making lanterns Making puppets anime

GREAT WALL OF CHINA Major tourist attraction Took over one million people to build it Built to separate east and west China 15- 30 feet About 31,000 miles long

JAPAN

ECONOMY Japan a constitutional monarchy Emperor is the head of state Has a strong economy Only resources found in Japan are coal,

iron ore, and oil

LIFE The Japanese life expectancy is very high,

but there is a low birth rate. Japan is next to the Ring of Fire so it has

to deal with many fires and earthquakes Tokyo is home to over 35 million people,

about the same as California’s total population.

LIFE……. The average home has about four

rooms Traditional homes have wooden floors,

covered with straw mats ,called tatami’s.

There is little furniture in homes.

FOOD Japanese dinners consist of rice, meat,

or fish, and vegetables. They also eat things from other

countries like cheeseburgers and chicken.

RELIGION The two main religions are Shinto and

Buddhism. Shinto’s focus on respect for nature Buddhism respects respect for nature

and stress the need for inner peace.

TAIWAN AND MONGOLIA Taiwan and Mongolia have been

influenced by Chinese ways and traditions.

Taiwan is an island close to China’s mainland.

Mongolia is located along China’s northern border.

Mongolia has been called the “Texas of Asia,” because it is filled with vast grasslands and herds of grazing animals.

A ridge of steep, forested mountains runs through Taiwan’s center.

THE KOREA’S The Korean peninsula juts out from northern

China between the sea of Japan and the yellow sea.

For centuries Korea was a united country. Korean culture has been influenced by China. Both religions Confucianism and Buddhism

spread to Korea from China. Koreans modified a type of pottery called

celadon by changing the color and designs into the pots.

MORE ON KOREA Korea started the Chinese writing system. King Sejong ordered scholars to develop a

different system, called hangul, that contains only 28 symbols , far fewer than the thousands of symbols needed to write Chinese.

After World War 2, Korea became a divided country.

For thousands of years, most Korean’s lived in the countryside and farmed.

STILL KOREA Today 80% of South Korean’s live

in cities. South Korea’s population is

generally young. South Korea today is the leading

manufacturer of electronics. North Korea is an isolated country

whose people are very poor. North Korea has long been

economically poor. Poverty is widespread throughout

North Korea.

THAILAND Thailand was known as Siam until 1900’s. It is the only Southeast Asian country that

has never been a European colony. Hundreds of Buddhist temples dot the cities

and country sides. Most Thais live in rural areas, although many

look for jobs in Bangkok, the capital. Bangkok has beautiful temples and royal

palaces that are surrounded by modern skyscrapers, bust stores, and streets filled with traffic.

SINGAPORE Singapore lies in the southern tip of the

Malay Peninsula. It is one of the world’s smallest countries. It has one of the world’s most productive

economies. It was once covered by rain forests. Today it is filled with busy highways,

factories, office buildings, and docks. Trade is extremely important in Singapore.

SINGAPORE LAWS

Bungee jumping is illegal.

The sale of gum is prohibited

It is illegal to come within 50 meters of a pedestrian crossing marker on any street.If you are convicted of littering three times, you will have to clean the streets on Sundays with a bib on saying, “I am a litterer.

It is illegal to pee in an elevator.

VIETNAM Vietnam’s rapidly growing

population is the largest in mainland Southeast Asia.

Most Vietnamese live in rural villages.

Vietnam’s largest city is Ho Chi Minh City, named after the country’s first communist leader.

Vietnam’s capital is Hanoi. It is located in the north.

INDONESIA Indonesia is an archipelago of thousands of islands. Sumatra, Java, and Celebs are the major islands. Indonesia lies where two of the Earth’s tectonic

plates meet. As a result, Indonesia has many active volcanoes

and experiences earthquakes. An undersea earthquake off the shore of Sumatra in

late 2004 launched a huge tsunami that struck Indonesia and other countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

That disaster left as many as 200,00 dead in Indonesia alone.

SOURCES Exploring Our World: Eastern

Hemisphere, Chapter 21, pgs-588-604

Exploring Our World: Eastern Hemisphere, Chapter 21, pgs-574-587