Southeast Asia:
Region - Insular
Insular Southeast Asia is made up of four countries:
Malaysia [semalafb]
Malays are traditionally a rural people who adhere to Muslim faith. Trade and commerce primarily in Chinese hands are traditionally a source of conflict between Malaysia and Chinese. The economy has grown rapidly since 1980, with major investments being made by foreign manufacturers who have been attracted by the skills and low wages of the Malaysian work force.
OPTIONAL: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sea/malay.htm
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Philippines [sephilfb]
The Philippines melting pot has influences from Malaysia, China and Hindu Asia. Roman Catholicism is present from Spanish colonialism. It was the only American colonial outpost, with the United States ousting Spain in 1898. The United States was in the process of negotiating independence for the Phillipines when World War II intervened. Independence was eventually granted in 1946. In the Philippine melting pot Malay, Arab, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and American elements have mixed and an English-Tagalog hybrid language called "Taglish" is spoken throughout the islands by all socio-economic levels. English remains the lingua franca of official and business dealings within the country. Luzon and Mindanao are the largest islands and the majority of the population is concentrated on the island of Luzon and the islands of the Visayan Sea . It faces population pressures with the population doubling every 28 years.
OPTIONAL: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sea/phil.htm
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Indonesia [seindofb]
Indonesia is the world's most expansive archipelagic state. Spread across over 13,000 islands, Indonesia's over 200 million people (the world's fourth largest in population) live separated by water and clustered on a variety of islands of various size. Five large islands dominate the country's territory one of which, New Giunea in the east, is not part of the Indonesian culture sphere, although the western half (Irian Jaya) is under Indonesian control.
Indonesia is a Dutch colonial creation and the Dutch chose Jawa (Java) as their colonial headquarters making Batavia (now Jakarta) the capital. With 120 million people, Jawa is the economic and political core of Indonesia and one of the most densely populated along with the most agriculturally productive lands. It is also a leading oil and rubber producer providing the Japanese economy much of their needed raw materials for their extensive manufacturing capacity. Indonesia offers foreign countries abundant supplies of cheap labor willing to work for wages about one-third of what neighboring countries command. Until recently, Indonesia was a beehive of productive economic activity, but the present economic crisis (which resulted in President Suharto's resignation) and ethnic violence against the Chinese (which the Dutch used to run their colony) threatens the country with complete chaos.
Conditions in Indonesia are so bad that the country's economy is forecast to shrink as much as 15 percent this year (1998). The financial collapse of this country is being felt throughout Southeast Asia which is also trying to recover from the East Asian financial crisis. The rupiah (Indonesia's currency) has lost over 80 percent of its value in the past year. The political and economic crisis is also a serious situation for countries who have supplied loans (such as South Korea's 23 billion) which may never be repayed. Neighboring countries (such as Australia) are concerned about refugees should Indonesia undergo complete devolution.
Prior to the economic upheaval of the present, Indonesia's government, in part to reduce the population pressures elsewhere on the islands, and to stimulate economic development, have pursued a policy of translacation, the resettlement of Jawanese in other parts of the country. In other islands, the Jawanese are often blamed for introducing cultural and business practices that run counter to local traditions.
Indonesia, once one of the world's most harshly ruled colonies, is now in the position of a severe colonial power itself. Not only has the conflict in East Timor received condemnation from human rights groups, but Indonesia's control over Irian Jaya (western New Guinea) is also troubling: less than one percent of the population of Indonesia lives in Irian Jaya, but it has 22 percent of its land.
OPTIONAL: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sea/indo.htm
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Singapore [sesingfb]
READ: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sea/sing.htm
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Brunei [sebrunfb]
Read: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sea/brunei.htm
[The text of the above was written by Scott Girhard, San Antonio College from his online course GEOG 1301 World Geography. Used with permission.]