Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia located south of China, east of India, and north of Australia. It consists of two main regions - the Asian mainland, which includes countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, and the maritime section, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines, East Timor, and Brunei. The population is predominantly Austronesian peoples and the major religions are Buddhism and Islam, along with various other indigenous practices. Politically, the region consists of 11 countries, most of which belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

1. SOUTHEAST ASIA

2.  Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a
subregion of Asia, consisting of the
countries that are geographically south of
China, east of India and north of Australia.
 Southeast Asia consists of two geographic
regions: the Asian mainland, and island
arcs and archipelagoes to the east and
southeast.

4. The mainland section consists
of
 Burma (Myanmar)
 Cambodia
 Laos
 Thailand
 Vietnam
 Malaysia (or to be more precise, Peninsular
Malaysia)

5. The maritime section consists
of:
 Brunei
 EastTimor
 Indonesia
 Bornean Malaysia
 Philippines
 Singapore

6.  Austronesian peoples predominate in this
region.
 The major religions are Buddhism and
Islam, followed by Christianity.
 However a wide variety of religions are
found throughout the region, including
many Hindu and animist-influenced
practices.

7. Divisions
 Political
 Definitions of "Southeast Asia" vary, but most definitions
include the area represented by the countries:
 Brunei
 Burma (Myanmar)
 Cambodia
 EastTimor
 Indonesia
 Laos
 Malaysia
 Philippines
 Singapore
 Thailand
 Vietnam

8.  All of the above excluding EastTimor are
members of theAssociation of Southeast
Asian Nations (commonly abbreviated
ASEAN.
 The area, together with part of South Asia,
was widely known as the East Indies or
simply the Indies until the twentieth
century.
 Taiwan is sometimes considered part of
Southeast Asia as well as East Asia but it is
not a member of ASEAN.

9.  Papua is politically part of Southeast Asia
through Indonesia, although
geographically it is often considered as
part of Oceania.

10. Geographical
 Southeast Asia is geographically divided
into two subregions, namely Mainland
Southeast Asia (or Indochina) and the
Maritime Southeast Asia (or the Malay
Archipelago) (Indonesian language:
Nusantara).

11. Mainland Southeast Asia
 Burma (Myanmar)
 Cambodia
 Laos
 Thailand
 Vietnam
 Peninsular Malaysia

12. Maritime Southeast Asia
 East Malaysia
 Brunei
 EastTimor
 Indonesia
 Philippines
 Singapore

13.  The eastern parts of Indonesia and East
Timor (east ofWallace Line) are
considered to be geographically parts of
Oceania.
 TheAndaman and Nicobar Islands of India
are geographically considered part of
Southeast Asia.
 Bangladesh and the Seven Sisters in India
is culturally part of Southeast Asia and
sometimes considered both South Asian
and Southeast Asian.

14.  Hainan Island and several other southern
Chinese regions such asYunnan, Guizhou,
Fujian, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang
and Guangdong, as well as Hong Kong and
Macau are sometimes considered both
East Asian and Southeast Asian.

15.  Taiwan, which sits on theTropic of Cancer
and borders the South China Sea, is
likewise often included in definitions of
Southeast Asia as well as East Asia.

16.  The rest of New Guinea is sometimes
included so are the Federated States of
Micronesia, Palau, Guam, and the
Northern Mariana Islands, which were all
part of the Spanish East Indies.

17. Country
Area
(km2)
Population
(2009 est.)
Density
(/km2)
Capital
Brunei 5,765 400,000 69.4
Bandar Seri
Begawan
Burma
(Myanmar)
676,578 50,020,000 73.9 Naypyidaw
Cambodia 181,035 14,805,000 81.8 Phnom Penh
East Timor
(Timor-Leste)
14,874 1,134,000 76.2 Dili
Indonesia 1,904,569 229,965,000 120.7 Jakarta
Laos 236,800 6,320,000 26.7 Vientiane
Malaysia 329,847 27,468,000 83.3 Kuala Lumpur
Philippines 300,000 91,983,000 306.6 Manila
Singapore 697 4,737,000 6,796.3
City of Singapore
(Downtown Core)
Thailand 513,120 67,764,000 132.1 Bangkok
Vietnam 331,210 88,069,000 265.0 Hanoi

18. Assignment
 In your notebook, discuss the history and
culture of Southeast Asia