Introduction
This book has been created to help students research different regions of the world. It is very important to know information about the country that we live in, but it is just as important to understand our neighbors and what makes us different. No two countries are the same in size, shape, population, or culture. Each of these things make a country special.
I hope that you enjoy studying the different regions of the world with this book.
Ms. Samantha McSparrin
Volunteer English Teacher
Peam Chikang High School
2010-2012
General World Information
· There are 7 continents around the world. These include Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.
· There are 5 oceans in the world. These include the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic Oceans.
· There are currently 196 countries in the world and 192 countries are members of the United Nations (an international organization for law, peace and security).
· There are about 7 billion people living in the world.
· The largest population is in China, followed by India and the United States of America.
· The smallest population is in the Vatican City.
· The largest country in the world (land area) is Russia.
· The smallest country in the world (land area) is the Vatican City.
· The top 3 languages with the most native speakers are Mandarin (Chinese), Spanish, and English.
· Several places in the world are going to disappear because of global warming, pollution, and changes in the water level. The sites include Glacier National Park (USA), Venice, Italy, the Dead Sea (near Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan), and Mexico City, Mexico.
· The newest country in the world is South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011.
· Christianity is the most common religion in the world with 2.1 billion followers, which equals 33% of the world population. This is followed by Islam with 1.5 billion (21%), Hinduism with 900 million (14%), Buddhism with 376 million (6%), Sikhism with 23 million (0.36%) and Judaism with 14 million (0.22%).
ASEAN- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASEAN- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
General Information
· Southeast Asia is a sub region of Asia that is south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia.
· Not all countries in Southeast Asia are members of ASEAN. East Timor, Christmas Island, Hong Kong, Macau and some of the islands off of the coast of India do not have membership in the association.
· The total population of ASEAN members is approximately 593,000,000.
· The total area of ASEAN members totals approximately 5,000,000 km2.
· Islam is the most commonly practiced religion in the region, followed by Christianity and Hinduism.
· There are many volcanoes in the region because of the geological plates. Many of these are still active.
· Many of the countries in Southeast Asia are made of groups of small islands. These islands have been formed after volcanoes erupt and leave lava which hardens and forms land.
· The climate is mostly tropical. It is hot and humid during most of the year and there is a lot of rainfall. There is a hot and cool season, as well as a monsoon season.
· There are hundreds, possibly thousands of different languages spoken in Southeast Asia. Minority groups within each country often have their own languages, such as the Cham in Cambodia. Many of these languages are only spoken and have no system of writing.
· Just like other areas of the world, Southeast Asia has had many wars and a lot of violence in recent history. Many countries were affected by World War II and the Vietnam War. Many countries have also have problems within the country, such as in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge and the civil war in Burma that began in 1948.
ASEAN- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Flags of Member Nations
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Indonesia
Malaysia
The Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Brunei
Vietnam
Laos
Myanmar
Cambodia
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ASEAN- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Overview
ESTABLISHMENT
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, who were Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Brunei then joined on 7 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
AIMS AND PURPOSES
As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:
1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.
Information from:
http://www.aseansec.org/about_ASEAN.html
Brunei Darussalam
Official Name: State of Brunei Darussalem or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace
Head of State: His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin
Head of Government : Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah
Capital City: Bandar Seri Begawan
Other major cities: Sengkurong, Gadong, Berakas
Language(s): Malay, English
Currency: Bruneian Dollar (1.3 BND = $1 USD)
Religion: Islam (66%), Buddhism, Christianity
Land area: 5,765 km2
Population: 401,890
Bordering country: Malaysia
Tourist Attractions: Royal Regalia Museum, Omar, Ali, Saifuddien and Mosque, Ulu Temburong National Park
Recent History:
Brunei became a protectorate of Britain in 1888, after it had been having trouble and losing some land to other countries. During World War II (1941-1945), the Japanese Empire took control. After the war, the United Kingdom was in control of the country again. In 1959, a new constitution was written that let the people of Brunei be in control of their business domestically, while the United Kingdom was still in control of Brunei’s foreign affairs, security and defense internationally. In 1984, Brunei gained its independence and took control of both domestic and international affairs. Today it is an absolute monarchy with a sultan (ruler of an Islamic country) as leader.
In 1962, there was a small group of people who wanted to fight against the monarchy. The United Kingdom helped to stop this fighting, which was called the “Brunei Revolt”. The fighting caused problems with other countries on the island of Borneo, and was partially responsible for the failure to create the North Borneo Federation.
This country has had a lot of economic growth. Brunei is now considered to be an industrialized (developed) country. It is considered to have the second highest development rating in Southeast Asia, after Singapore who is number one. It also has very good rating from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This country is very strong and is able to buy very many things.
The current sultan of Brunei, Sultan Bolkiah, was crowned in 1967 when he was only 22 years old. This family has been in power for many generations. The sultan became very wealthy for selling an oil field. Brunei is a very rich country, and the sultan is believed to be one of the richest men in the world.
Cambodia
Official Name: The Kingdom of Cambodia
Head of State: His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni
Head of Government: Prime Minister Hun Sen
Capital City: Phnom Penh
Other major cities: Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Battambang, Kampong Cham
Language: Khmer
Currency: Riel (4100 riel = $1 USD)
Religion: Theravada Buddhism (97%), Islam, Christianity
Land area: 181, 035 km2
Population: 14 million
Bordering countries: Vietnam, Thailand and Laos
Tourist Attractions: Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple, National Museum, Royal Palace, Killing Fields, Beaches, Eco-Tourism
Recent history:
King Norodom asked for protection from the French in 1863 because of problems with Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia became a part of French Indochina and was also occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1941-1945 during World War II. Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953.
Fighting between the Vietnam and Cambodia resulted in bombing and many Cambodians becoming refugees. During this time there were very few resources in Cambodia, little money, and not enough food for the people. The Khmer Rouge came into power in 1975 and claimed to want to solve these problems. This regime was officially called Democratic Kampuchea and was led by Pol Pot. The cities were immediately evacuated and the people were made to become rice farmers and go back to the lifestyle of the 11th century. They did not allow Western medicine, religion, education or any Western influence during this time. At least 1 million Cambodians died because of lack of food, lack of medicine, overwork and execution, but there may have been many more people who died during the regime. In November 1978, Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia because the Khmer Rouge had caused problems at the border. During the 1980s, the Khmer Rouge stayed in power in Cambodia with support from China, Thailand, The United States and The United Kingdom. The Khmer Rouge controlled the country and made attacks to places where they were not in control. These attacks left a lot of damage in Cambodia and made the financial problems even worse for the country. Peace efforts began in 1989 and finally resulted in 1991 when the United Nations came to Cambodia. In 1993, King Norodom Sihanouk was restored as king of Cambodia. This is the only country which has had a king who returned to power after a communist regime.
Trials are currently happening for the leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Kang Kek Lew (known as Duch) was the first member of the group that was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was the leader of the S21 extermination camp in Phnom Penh. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The trials for three other members, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary, began in November 2011. Pol Pot passed away in 1998 before he was ever tried or punished for any crimes.
Indonesia
Official Name: Republic of Indonesia
Head of State: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Capital City: Jakarta
Other major cities: Surabaya, Bandung, Bali
Language: Indonesian
Currency: Rupiah (9,075 IDR = $1 USD)
Religion: Islam (87%), Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism
Land area: 1,919,440 km2
Population: 437,424,363
Bordering countries: Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia
Tourist Attractions: Beach resorts of Bali and Lombok, crater lakes in Kelimutu and Danua Toba, monument to Buddha in Borobudur
Recent history:
Foreign powers have been attracted to the many natural resources on the islands of Indonesia for centuries. Muslims came to the Indonesia and brought the religion on Islam. Later Europeans came and introduced Christianity. The Dutch arrived in the early 1600s and established the Dutch East Indies. They were in power for over 3 centuries.
During the National Revolution, the Indonesians fought for their independence. They were occupied they the Japanese Empire during World War II, when an estimated 4 million Indonesians died because of starvation and forced labor. After the war, the Dutch tried to regain control, but they were not successful and Indonesia finally gained their independence in 1949.
The communist party in Indonesia was blamed for trying to overthrow the state in 1965. During this time, approximately 500,000 people were killed. The military stopped the communists and the country formed a “New Order” to help control the situation.
Indonesia suffered very much during the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. People were very unhappy with the government and blamed the problems on the “New Order”. These problems caused the military leader, General Suharto, to resign in 1998. After that, East Timor decided to secede from Indonesia and stop the 25 year military occupation. Since that time, Indonesia has focused on strengthening the democratic process. There have been problems with political and economic stability, social unrest, corruption and terrorism. The many different religious, social and ethnic groups do not usually have problems, but occasionally there are disagreements which lead to violence. Things have been better recently and the country was able to have the first direct presidential election in 2004.
The country is made up of about 17,508 islands. These often suffer from storms and earthquakes. Heavy rains sometimes cause landslides which have killed many people. There are also many volcanoes that are active on the islands
Laos
Official Name: Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Head of State: President Choummaly Sayasone
Head of Government: Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong
Capital City: Vientiane
Other major cities: Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Pakse
Language: Lao
Currency: Kip (7,965 LAK = $1 USD)
Religion: Theravada Buddhism (67%), Christianity, Islam
Land area: 236,800 km2
Population: 6.8 million
Bordering countries: Burma, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
Tourist Attractions: Luang Prabang, temples in Vientiane, trekking and visiting hill tribes
Recent history:
This country once consisted of 3 kingdoms: the Kingdom of Luang Prabang, the Kingdom of Vientiane, and the Kingdom of Champasak. In 1893, it became a French protectorate and came together to form what we now call Laos. Like many other countries in Southeast Asia, it was occupied the Japanese Empire during World War II (1941-1945). For a short time after the war, Laos became independent, but they were soon controlled by the French again. They became independent in 1954 with a constitutional monarchy.
Not long after Laos gained its independence, a long civil war ended the monarchy and the communist party took control of the country. The northern part of Laos became involved with the northern Vietnamese and allowed them to use land and weapons to attack South Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). At that time, the United States was supporting South Vietnam and helped to bomb Laos and invade the country to attack the communists. Laos is thought to be the most heavily bombed country in the world, and many Laotians died as a result of these weapons. These problems caused a civil war in Laos. The Pathet Lao (a communist political group), with support from the Vietnam People’s Army and the Soviet Union, took control in 1975. Laos is now a socialist republic.