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Chapter 3. Southeast Asia and the Pacific Region: Physical Geography. Section 1- Southeast Asia. The Land. Divided into mainland and island areas Mainland is a peninsula Islands extend east and west between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Cambodia Laos Malaysia (also part of island)
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Chapter 3 Southeast Asia and the Pacific Region: Physical Geography
The Land • Divided into mainland and island areas • Mainland is a peninsula • Islands extend east and west between the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Cambodia Laos Malaysia (also part of island) Myanmar Thailand Vietnam Much of the land is covered by mountains People live in the river valleys between mountains Mainland Southeast Asia
Island Southeast Asia • Singapore (tiny nation) • Malaysia (also mainland) • Brunei • Indonesia (largest) • Philippines (made of 7,000 islands)
Ring of Fire • Islands are part of the Ring of Fire- region of volcanoes and earthquakes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
Climate and Vegetation • Tropical wet- west coast of Myanmar and India • Tropical wet and dry- mainland • Humid subtropical- mainland • Southeastern coast of India- tropical wet with tropical rain forests
Tropical Rain Forests • Thick forests • At least 60 inches of rain per year • Summer monsoons bring in all of this rain • Southeast Asia contains the second largest tropical rain forest region in the world
Indian Ocean monsoon Blows from the southwest Pacific Ocean monsoon Blows from the southeast Summer Monsoons • Both bring heavy summer rain to the Southeast Asian coast that it hits
Using the Land • Many people make their living from the land • Some build their own houses • Subsistence farming- growing enough food to support your family • Utilize the same building and farming methods of their ancestors • Work on plantations (commercial farming- growing crops to sell)
Farming • Southeast Asian countries- 40% work in agriculture • People farm and live in the river valleys of the mountain • Crops include cash crops such as: coffee, tea, and rubber • Indonesia and Malaysia- rubber is a major export • Others: soybeans, sugar cane, fruit, rice
Left: Farming Rice. Rice is the most important crop in Asia. Right: Rubber hangs to dry. Rubber is a major export in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is grown on plantations.
Growing Rice • Rice needs a hot climate and lots of water • Farmers use a paddy system • Paddy- level field that is flooded to grow rice • Indonesia and Thailand are some of the top rice-producing nations • Rice is a food crop as well as a cash crop
Rain Forest Resources • Rain forests once covered nearly all of Southeast Asia • Huge sections have been cut down over the years • Rain forests are a source of lumber, medicines, and chemicals
Bamboo • Used for shelter • Fast-growing grass that produces a woody stem • Also used to make irrigation pipes, ropes, and bridges
Mineral Resources • Indonesia, Myanmar, and Brunei have large deposits of oil • Indonesia and Malaysia have the largest natural gas reserves • These countries use their own supplies of natural gasses to make electricity rather than importing oil