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World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Mainland Southeast Asia
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Section 1: Natural Environments
Section 2: History and Culture
Section 3: The Region Today
Chapter Wrap-Up
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 1: Natural Environments
Read to Discover
• What are mainland Southeast Asia’s major
landforms and rivers?
• Which climate and vegetation types are found in
the region, and what animals live there?
• What are some of mainland Southeast Asia’s
main resources?
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 1: Natural Environments
Question
What are the three landform regions of
mainland Southeast Asia?
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 1: Natural Environments
Mountains
• Located in northern
Southeast Asia
• Rugged landscapes
• Fan out from
Himalayas and
Plateau of Tibet
through Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos,
Vietnam
Plains and
Plateaus
River Valleys
and Deltas
• Found in central
Southeast Asia
• Cover much of
Thailand and
Cambodia
• Irrawaddy, Chao
Phraya, Hong (Red),
and Mekong Rivers
• Fertile alluvial soils,
heavy farming
• Include Thailand’s
Khorat Plateau
• Dense populations,
most of the region’s
cities
• Rivers used for local
transportation
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 1: Natural Environments
Climates, Plants, and Animals
• Region has tropical or subtropical climates, greatly
influenced by monsoons
• Coastal areas—Mainly tropical humid with heavy
rainfall
• Interior—Tropical wet and dry
• North—Humid subtropical
• Climates support a wide variety of plants and animals
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 1: Natural Environments
Main Resources
• Hardwoods—Mahogany, teak, ebony
• Minerals—Iron, manganese, tin, tungsten, gems
• Energy—Natural gas (Thailand), oil (Myanmar),
coal (Vietnam), hydropower potential
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Read to Discover
• What are some major events in mainland
Southeast Asia’s history?
• What are the main cultural features of the
region?
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Key Historical Events
• Important early center of plant domestication
• Khmer civilization—arose in A.D. 800s
• Thais entered from China; Buddhism spread
• 1500s—Europeans arrived
• Colonization—British and French set up
plantations; Chinese and Indians arrived
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Key Historical Events (continued)
• World War II—Japanese occupation
• Independence—Burma (Myanmar); French
Indochina split up (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)
• Vietnam War
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Question
What are the cultural elements of
each country in Southeast Asia?
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Myanmar
• Sino-Tibetan
language
(Burmese)
• Many ethnic
groups
• Mostly Buddhists,
some animists
Mainland
Southeast Asia’s
Cultures
Thailand
Cambodia
• Austro-Asiatic
language
(Khmer)
• Mostly
Buddhist
• Tai language (Thai)
• Mostly Buddhist, but
Hindu Brahmins lead
ceremonies
• Curries common in
diet
Vietnam
• Austro-Asiatic
language
(Vietnamese)
• Many ethnic groups
• Mix of Confucianism,
Buddhism, some
animists
• Varied food tradition
Laos
• Tai language
(Laotian)
• Some animists
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Cultural Features
• Each country has one main cultural group, but
various minorities.
• Three main language families—Sino-Tibetan, Tai,
Austro-Asiatic
• In mountain areas, minority groups maintain
traditions.
• Most major cities have large Chinese populations.
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 2: History and Culture
Cultural Features (continued)
• Buddhism is the dominant faith, but also
Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam.
• Rice is the staple food; great variety of dishes,
many spicy.
• Buddhist thought and customs have great
influence.
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 3: The Region Today
Read to Discover
• What are the economies and politics of mainland
Southeast Asia like?
• What types of agriculture are practiced in the
region?
• What issues and challenges do the region’s
countries face?
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 3: The Region Today
Economic and Political Features
• Thailand has a dynamic market economy and constitutional
monarchy.
• Laos is a very poor communist country that is trying to achieve
gradual market reforms.
• Cambodia is also very poor, but with an elected government.
• Myanmar has resources but a very closed political system and
poor economy.
• Vietnam has a communist system with some capitalist features,
but is still poor.
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 3: The Region Today
Types of Agriculture
• Paddy farming—Intensive rice production where
water is plentiful
• Shifting subsistence farming—In poor-soil
areas, farmers shift fields after a few years
• Plantations—Large farms growing export crops
• Opium growing in rugged northern mountains
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 3: The Region Today
Question
What crops are produced in each
agricultural system in Southeast Asia?
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 3: The Region Today
Agriculture of Southeast Asia
Paddy
Agriculture
Rice
Plantation
Agriculture
Natural rubber,
sugarcane,
pineapples
Subsistence
Agriculture
Rice, cassava,
yams, bananas,
pineapples,
beans,
sugarcane
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Section 3: The Region Today
Issues and Challenges
• Cambodia is trying to recover from the terrifying period of
Khmer Rouge rule.
• Myanmar is a harsh military dictatorship with a poor
human rights record.
• Vietnam and Laos are both poor countries trying to enact
economic reforms.
• Thailand’s once-booming economy has slowed; economic
reforms are underway.
World Geography Today
Chapter 29
Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
1. What are the major climates in mainland Southeast Asia, and
where are they found?
2. What type of soils have made the region’s river valleys rich
farming areas?
3. Which of the region’s countries was never a European colony?
What two European countries had colonies in the region?
4. What three major language families are found in the region?
Who are some of the primary speakers of the languages in
each group?
5. In what areas do most of the region’s people live? What are the
large cities of the region like?