Southwest Asia vs. Southeast Asia and Oceania

1. Southwest Asia vs. Southeast Asia and Oceania By Shashank Kovuru, Jaylyn Petite, Daniel Williams, and Michael Harrison

2. Physical Compare • Both Southeast and Southwest Asia have peninsulas, waterways, and rivers which are used for trade. • Both Southwest Asia and Australia have their agriculture centered on their coasts though Australia uses agriculture more heavily. • Deserts are found in almost 1/3 of Australia and most of Southwest Asia. • Mountains are found in many places in both regions.

3. Physical contrast • While Southeast Asia uses its rivers exclusively for trade, Southwest Asia uses them to access its vast oil fields. • Though Southwest Asia has very little agriculture, Southeast Asia relies very heavily on agriculture. • Southwest Asia is one landmass while Southeast Asia is made up of many islands. • In contrast to Southwest Asia which has very little rain and cannot support many plants, Southeast Asia has plenty of rain and can support a variety of plants.

4. Political/Economic Compare • Both regions have plenty of minerals which they export. • Both economies are growing very quickly. • Both regions mainly have democracies. • Southwest Asia and Southeast Asia are looking for ways to diversify their channels for their economy.

5. Political/Economic Contrast • Southwest Asia’s economy is mainly oil while Southeast Asia’s economy is mainly agriculture. • Southwest Asia’s economy is having trouble making an infrastructure for growth while Southeast Asia has an established economy. • In contrast to Southwest Asia which has only recently allowed women to work, Southeast Asia has always allowed women to work.

6. HEI Compare • Both regions rely on rivers for trade and transport. • Both regions rely on fertile spots on the coasts for agriculture. • Southwest and Southeast Asia are having trouble finding freshwater.

7. HEI Contrast • While for Southwest Asia, there just isn’t enough water, Southeast Asia is having problems because it cannot clean its sewage which causes the water supply to be contaminated. • While Southwest Asia’s problems with air pollution are because of trucks which ship oil, Southeast Asia has a lot of pollution from factories and cars which pollute the air. • While Southeast Asia does not have to worry about oil related concerns, Southwest Asia has been trying to find a way to ship oil that is safe and will not cause pollution or cause the oil to spill.

8. Movement/Migration Compare • People in both regions are migrating towards cities because that is where jobs relating to the main industry are centralized. Also, there is better education in these cities.

9. Movement/Migration Contrast • Southeast Asia’s migration rate is slowing because there is not enough accommodation in the cities while Southwest Asia has had enough room for people moving to the cities.

10. Culture Compare • Both cultures are based on strong family ties. • Religious diversity is present in both regions. • Both regions are modernizing and changing. • Although they are modernizing, the regions are retaining their culture.

11. Culture Contrast • Islam is the prevalent religion in Southwest Asia while Buddhism and Hinduism are prevalent in Southeast Asia. • Southeast Asia is very linguistically diverse while Southwest Asia does not have many languages. • People in Southwest Asia don’t go out to eat very often while people in Southeast Asia eat out more often. • Religious unrest is present in Southwest Asia while the religious groups in Southeast Asia get along well.

12. Current Issues Compare • Both regions are trying to maximize their crop output. • Both regions also have problems with environmental pollution.

13. Current Issues Contrast • Southwest Asia is trying to maximize its agriculture by planting crops in its limited space while Southeast Asia is trying to do this by solving the problem in which rabbits eat all the crops. • Southwest Asia has very little water while Southeast Asia has plenty of water and can even use it with dams for electricity.