East & Southeast AsiaInteractive Notes

China

Mongolia

Taiwan

JapanThe

Koreas

Vietnam

Myanmar(Burma)

Indonesia

DONE

China

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Southern China• Southern China is the region’s most economically productive region.

• The soil is still very fertile despite thousands of years of agriculture.

• Rice, cotton, and vegetables are grown along the Chang River.

• The Chang (Yangtze) Delta is China’s most populated and industrialized region.

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TibetChina established authority over the region of Tibet in 1951 under

Communist leader Mao Zedong. In 1959 Tibetans began an uprising to

resist Chinese military in the region. Tibetans feared the Chinese

government would capture their religious leader, the Dalai Lama, so the

CIA helped him to escape into India. Since his exile from Tibet, the Dalai

Lama has led a peaceful campaign for Tibetan independence.

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet is the traditional residence of the Dalai Lama and the seat of Tibet ’s Government.

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China’s Southeastern Coast• China’s southeastern coast is the country’s financial, banking,

industrial, commercial, and trade center.• To encourage economic growth, China relaxed its Communist

economic rules in certain areas, called Special Economic Zones (SEZ), to attract foreign businesses and companies to invest in the country.

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Northern China• Northern China is the heart of ancient Chinese culture and is a very densely

populated region.• The history of China’s capital city, Beijing, goes back about 2,700 years. China’s

emperors once ruled from within the Imperial City (Forbidden City) in the walled Inner City of Beijing.

• The Great Wall was not built as a single project but evolved over many centuries. The modern appearance of the wall dates to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

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Western China• Western China is the least population region. The land in western

China is generally too dry, high, and cold to support a large population.• North of Tibet is the autonomous region of Xinjiang which is populated

mostly by Muslim Turkic people. This dry region has coal, iron ore, copper, and oil resources. Some Muslims in this region have sought independence from the rest of China.

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Mongolia• Mongolia is more than twice the land area of Texas but it’s population is under

2.7 million people. It is the least densely population country in the world and the livestock in the country outnumber people many times over.

• Most people in Mongolia herd livestock to earn a living.• Mongolia was controlled by the Soviet Union until 1990. Under Soviet

Communism, Tibetan Buddhism, Mongolia’s main religion, was not allowed.• Mongolia is the only landlocked (surrounded by land on all sides) country in East

Asia.

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Taiwan• Taiwan is one of Asia’s richest and most industrialized countries.• Taiwan exports computers, scientific instruments, and sports equipment. Its

major trading partners are the United States, Japan, and China.• The per capita GDP of Taiwan is nearly five times that of China.• 2 Million Chinese Nationalists who escaped from mainland China after the

Communist Nationalist Party took over in 1949 settled in Taiwan. Communist China then took control of Taiwan and governed using martial law (or military rule) for 38 years.

• China’s Communist government claims that Taiwan is really a province of China. Taiwan’s government claims to be the legislative government of China. This disagreement causes tension between the two countries.

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Japan• About 11% of Japan’s land is arable and 5% of its population are farmers.• Japanese farmers use terraced cultivation and modern farming methods

to be able to produce 70% of the country’s food needs.• More than 1/2 of Japan’s farmland is used to grow rice.• The Japanese have a strong work ethic and believe that work itself has

value.• Japan has an export economy where goods are produced mainly for

export rather than domestic use. Japan imports raw materials. The U.S. is a major trade partner with Japan. Japan has built up a trade surplus because they export more than they import.

• The Japanese have influenced western culture with Sushi bars, video games, cartoons, and landscaping.

Japanese terraced rice fields turn hilly areas into productive farmland!

Tokyo is home to 26 million people making it the world’s largest urban agglomeration.

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The Koreas• North Korea is an isolated country under a strict communist dictatorship led by Kim

Jong-un. North Korea has a large military and a command economy.• The North Korean government limits travel within the country.• Most North Koreans live in poverty. Inefficient government-controlled farms along

with droughts and floods have caused food shortages.• Thousands of North Koreans have fled to China to seek a better life.• South Korea has a democratically elected government and South Koreans enjoy

many rights and freedoms not found in the north. • South Korea used U.S. aid to help rebuild after the Korean War helping to change it

from a poor farming country into an industrial country with an export economy and a large urban middle class. Major exports include ships, steel, automobiles, electronics, and clothing.

In 1950, communist North Korea invaded South Korea sparking the Korean War. Communist countries such as China and the USSR supported North Korea while the UN and United States sent troops to aid South Korea. In 1953 both sides signed an armistice, or truce, to end the fighting. Both sides set up a truce line along the border at the 38th parallel north called the demilitarized zone (DMZ). The DMZ is not controlled by either country and no one is allowed to cross it. It is shown here on the right.

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Vietnam• The Vietnamese live under Communist rule.• Vietnam’s principal exports include coal, rubber, rice, tea, coffee, wood,

and marine products.

• The Vietnam WarVietnam's struggle for independence from France was long and hard. After years of fighting following World War II, the Vietnamese defeated the French in 1954. A peace settlement then divided Vietnam into two parts. North Vietnam had a Communist government, with its capital at Hanoi. In South Vietnam a pro-

Western government was set up with its capital at Saigon. The two Vietnams could not come to an agreement about reunification, or rejoining as one country.

Communist groups supported by North Vietnam fought to control South Vietnam. The United States supported the South Vietnamese forces, entering directly into the conflict in late 1964. A long and bitter war

followed. Nearly 2 million Vietnamese and more than 58,000 Americans lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The war even spread across the border into Laos and Cambodia. Most U.S. forces left South Vietnam in 1973. In 1975, North Vietnamese forces occupied Saigon, which they renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honor of their late leader.

More than 1 million South Vietnamese tried to escape the Communist takeover. Many became refugees in nearby countries. Some eventually

settled in Western countries, particularly the United States, Australia, and France.

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Myanmar (Burma)• Subsistence Agriculture in common in

Myanmar.

• Exports include gas, wood products, beans, fish, and rice.

• In 2006 the capital moved from Yangon (formerly Rangoon) to Nay Pyi Taw.

• The military controls the government.Independence from Britain in 1948 was followed by isolationism and socialism. Military governments have ruled Myanmar since 1962 and have been accused of corruption, heroin trafficking, and human rights violations ﾑ including forcible relocation of civilians and use of forced labor. In 1988 military forces killed more than a thousand pro-democracy demonstrators. In 1990 national elections were held for parliament, but the military refused to recognize the results. Myanmar is a resource-rich country with a strong agricultural base, and is a leading producer of gems, jade, and teak. However, military rule prevents the economy from developing, and the Burmese people remain poor and are getting poorer.

Thousands of pagodas testify to Pagan's former greatness. The ancient Buddhist capital is now a pilgrimage center.

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Indonesia•Indonesia is an archipelago (a large group of islands) made up of more than 17,000 islands.

•There are more Muslim people here than any other place in the world.

•Major Exports: Textiles/Garments, Wood Products, Electronics, & Footwear.

•The Staple food for the country/region is rice.

•Indonesia is home to many endemic species

(Species native to a certain area).Examples: Komodo Dragon, Javan Rhino, and Orangutan

•Many conflicts exist. Ethnic and religious

groups want to become independent.- 1999 East Timor won it’s independence

- West Papua is currently seeking Independence

- Residents of Moluccas (part of Indonesia) have continuous conflicts between the Christians and Muslims

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world.

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