© t. m. whitmore last time southeast asia soils and forests agriculture mineral resources ...

© T. M. Whitmore

Last Time

•Southeast AsiaSoils and forestsAgricultureMineral resourcesPre-colonial historical-cultural influences

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Today

•European colonization

•Contemporary population issues in SE Asia

•Country details in SE Asia

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Status of SE Asia by 1500(before European

colonization)• Thai, Shan, Vietnamese, Lao,

Burma/Myanmar, Khmer (Cambodia) kingdoms in IndochinaMostly Buddhist

• Malaccan sultanate in S. Malay peninsulaMostly Muslim

• Indonesian archipelago fractured into hundreds of tiny kingdomsIncreasingly Muslim

• Philippine archipelago fractured into hundreds of tiny kingdomsAnimist

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Colonization•European

PortugueseSpanishBritishFrench

•USA

•Japanese

•Chinese diaspora

•Indigenous reactions

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Population Issues

•Uneven spatial distribution

•Many countries with primate cities

•Chinese minority populations

© John Wiley & Sons

© 2002 Manfred Leiter

China town in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Population growth issues•Diverse experience: some high,

some lower — religion NOT the major factorHigher growth states — rates of natural increase (r) > 2 % per yr rangeCambodia (Buddhist)Brunei (Muslim)Malaysia (Muslim)Philippines (Roman Catholic & Muslim)

© T. M. Whitmore

Population growth issues•Diverse experience: some high, some

lower — religion NOT the major factorLower growth states — rates of natural increase (r) < 2 % per yr rangeVietnam (Buddhist) r ~ 1.4%/yrSingapore (Muslim) r ~ 0.6%/yrThailand (Buddhist) r ~ 0.7%/yrIndonesia (Muslim) r ~ 1.6%/yr

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Burma (Myanmar)

•Large, diverse population ~ 50m

•Resources rich (oil, good ag land, timber, etc.) richest country in SE Asia in 1930)

•Economically and politically troubled sinceRepressive military ruleSeveral active insurgencies

•Issue of the “golden triangle”

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Thailand•Population ~ 65 m

•Rapidly developing economymajor exporter of tin, teak, riceactive maquiladora-type assembly

economy in Bangkok

•Still majority agricultural; but much development planned around tourism on S peninsula

•Very dynamic primate city of Bangkok (at > 5 m the 2nd largest in SE Asia)

© 2002 Manfred Leiter

Bangkok

© 2005 The Great Mirror

Bangkok

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Cambodia•Population ~ 13 m •A shadow of great Khmer civilization

that built Angor Wat•Very unstable politically since WW II•Chaos of the “Khmer Rouge” after

end of Vietnam war (1976)Purging of all “bourgeois” culture

(meaning most all educated, urban people) > 1 million killed

•Vast majority of pop is agricultural •Low rates of economic and social

development

© 2002 Manfred LeiterHindu influenced Angkor Wat

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Vietnam•> 80 m pop

•Over history, a country seldom united When the French colonizers were

defeated in 1954 the nation was divided N - S (Communist N)

•N and S are more-or-less complementary N = industrial base, mineral

resources, food shortagesS = less industry, but more commerce

due to decades of US etc; much more food (Mekong delta); potential for oil

© T. M. Whitmore

Vietnam•Losses due to generations of war (vs.

French and USA)> 1 million civilian deaths> 50,000 US GIs killed in Vietnam

war alone (war with the French also bloody)6m refugees and displaced peoplesUSA boycott and isolationist govt. => slow growth — but now opening a bit

•Great potential => important player in future

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Malaysia•~ 26 m pop•Economy dominated by 2

traditionally dominant sectorsTin (35% of world’s production) Plantation crop export economy

Oil gaining; good reserves

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Malaysia•Legacy of divided ethnicities; Chinese

(30%), Indian (10%), and Malay (60%)Divided religions as well: Muslim,

Hindu, BuddhistMajor ethnic problem is Malay -

ChineseChinese successful in urban

commerce and now dominate in wealth

Malays control government and military

Economic policies of 1980s give strong preferences to Malays for education, govt. job, etc.

© John Wiley & Sons

© 2002 Manfred LeiterPetronas Twin Towers in Kuala

Lumpur

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Singapore•~ 4 m pop (literally a large city on an

island at the tip of the Malay peninsula)

•British colony in 1819; excellent harbor for British fleet to control straits of Malacca

•Malaysia independence in 1963 — Singapore separated 1965Chinese dominant in Singapore

(77%) and this is key to separation

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Singapore•Economy among the richest in Asia

(GNP/cap ~ $30,000)One of the world’s largest ports and

a natural entrepotExport of raw materials form Malay

peninsulaMajor oil refining centerNew high-tech finance economyVery close trade with China (Hong Kong), Taiwan, USA

•Extreme form of state-capitalism (like Taiwan, Korea or Japan)

Image courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board

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Indonesia

•~ 221 m pop (~ ½ of total in SE Asia )

•Very diverse country (despite being 85% Muslim) literally hundreds of local cultures> 17,000 islands => hard to

administer (but most pop lives in Java and Sumatra)

Well known problems with E Timor just highlight this

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Indonesia

•Population density a problem in Java > 1,500 per sq mi ~ like a cityGovt. solutions include “voluntary”

resettlement of Javanese to outlying islands and Borneo

• Jakarta — giant city of SE Asia > 8m

•Economy still dominated by agriculture, but assembly manufacturing and oil gaining

© T. M. Whitmore

Philippines

•~ 85 m pop

•Mostly Roman Catholic (Muslim in south) thus odd in this groupFragmented like Indonesia into thousands of islands

•Population growth a main issue r ~ 2.3%/yr