Geographic characteristics

Southeast Asia is a geographical area that can be defined in several ways:

1) As the are comprising between Australia, India, China and the Pacific Ocean
2) The division of Mainland and Island countries between India and China
3) The old Indochina (mainland South East Asia) and Maritime South East Asia or the East Indies

In all the different ways it is described, the following countries are included: Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand as mainland and East Timor, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia as Maritime Nations.

Southeast Asia covers an area of 4,493,944 square kilometres and has a population of 450 million, becoming the 3rd most populated region in the world.

And what is clear is that the distinction between Mainland and Maritime Nations plays a crucial role in the geographical definition of South East Asia.


Why is the distinction so important? 

A side from the cultural diversity that exists between the nations surrounded by sea and those that are not, geographically we can distinguish many differences between mainland and island South East Asia.

Mainland geography:
The separation from China and India is defines by rivers run-in in the highlands. Countries like Vietnam or Thailand are great producers of crops such as rice due to the expense plains set in between forests and mountains. But also mainland South East Asia enjoys a huge coastline that allows these countries to also have maritime trade.

 This diversity of land also led to the creation of many tribes and ethnic groups inside the same nation but with very distinctive features, clothing, jewellery, language, religion etc.

Island geography: 
Southeast Asia maritime area is composed by almost 20.000 different Islands located in the Indian and the Pacific Ocean , most of them inside the South China Sea. The main Islands are Sumatra, java, Luzon and Borneo.

Borneo for example comprises the countries of Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Due to the geographical feature s of this Islands (tropical forests, highlands etc.) the inhabitants had to travel by boat in order to communicate and trade, this allowing the creation of many "hotspots" in the coasts with similar features and slowly an integration of culture and customs. Therefore in areas such as Indonesia and Malaysia culture is not a strong distinction.

Islands had and have an essential role in history, thanks to the trade possibilities the coasts offer, specially their function as points of communication between China and the rest of the World.

Climate features: 

Environmental chracteritics are defined by subtropical and tropical climate zones, due to its proximity to the equator and it is affected by the South West Monsoon climate system. South East Asia goes though period of drought to periods of heavy precipitation (rain forest) usually brought by a shift in the wind direction which is called Monsoon.

People have slowly adapted to the highly diverse geographical features that can be found in south east Asia. Dense forests, extremely dry areas, coasts and highlands. This adaptation has also led to the creation of many ethnic groups.



Geographical highlights: 

1. Indonesia: largest country in South East Asia
2. Strait of Malacca: breach in between the Islands of Sumatra and Malaysia that allows the South China Sea to connect to the Indian Ocean. It is the shortest sea route that unites china and India and therefore of crucial importance in maritime trade. Oil transportation is one of the reasons why this geographical feature plays a key role in world economy. 
3. The Ring of Fire: string or arc of active volcanoes and seismically active areas in the surroundings of the Pacific Ocean and which includes many of the nations that comprise Southeast Asia. 
4. Colonisation: The only region belonging to South East Asia that was not colonised by an European Country is the Kingdom os Siam (Current Thailand) 
5. 
   
   
   The Monsoon Weather. (Black arrow is summer Monsoon, Grey arrow is Winter Monsoon)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Topography of Southeast Asia