Chapter 3Southeast 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

Mainland Southeast Asia

• 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

Island Southeast Asia

• Singapore (tiny nation)

• Malaysia (also mainland)

• Brunei• Indonesia (largest)• Philippines (made of

7,000 islands)

Southeast Asia: Physical Map

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

Summer Monsoons

• Indian Ocean monsoon– Blows from the

southwest

• Pacific Ocean monsoon– Blows from the

southeast

•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.

Rubber Harvesting

Twenty to thirty trees are tapped for one pan of latex.

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

Rain Forest Deconstruction

Bamboo

• Used for shelter• Fast-growing grass

that produces a woody stem

• Also used to make irrigation pipes, ropes, and bridges

Bamboo Christmas Tree

Bamboo

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

Komodo Dragon - Found on Komodo Island in Indonesia