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Southeast Asia - Coggle Diagram
Southeast Asia
Vietnam
Vietnam is the most eastern country of the Indochina Peninsula. It is bordered by Laos to the northwest.
It is bordered by Laos to the northwest.
China is to the north.
Cambodia lies to the southwest.
The South China Sea is located to the east.
The South China Sea is located to the east. Vietnam is a very long, narrow country.
Vietnam’s 2017 population was just over 95.5 million.
Vietnam was a colony of France from the late 1800s to 1954. It was called French Indochina during that time.
After independence from France, Vietnam became part of the Cold War conflict. This involved the superpowers of the time: Communist China, Communist Russia, and the United States. Those 3 countries often used newly independent countries as battlegrounds for ideas and beliefs.
Civil war broke out and left this nation divided into two countries. One side was fighting to establish a communist government.
The U.S. backed the other side to try to prevent that. The U.S. eventually ended up directly involved in the war. However, the Communists were finally victorious in 1975.
Vietnam was economically and politically isolated after the Vietnam War.
By 1986, Vietnam had begun economic and political reforms. The government was interested in more involvement with the rest of the world.
In 1994, President Clinton ended the official U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam. By 2000, Vietnam had started relations with most other nations. By 2014, Vietnam’s largest trading partners were China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
Vietnam is still a Communist state. The only political party allowed is the Communist Party.
Government
The President of Vietnam is the head of the state/country. S/he is also the commander-in-chief of the Vietnamese military.
The Prime Minister leads the government. The Prime Minister is in charge of Vietnam’s Council of Ministers.
This council is composed of three Deputy Prime Ministers and the heads of the 26 departments that make up the government.
Burma
Burma is also known as the Union of Myanmar.
It is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by China on the northeast. The country of Bangladash is to the west. The Bay of Bengal is along the southwest.
Myanmar has a diverse ethnic population. There have been serious problems between some of the ethnic groups.
The military has actually dominated the political Myanmar since 1962. The military government was very isolationist.
However, starting in August 2017, more than half a million people from the Rohingya ethnic group have had to flee a military operation in the area of the country that they call home. Most fled to nearby Bangladesh.
The economy of Myanmar is severely underdeveloped.
Myanmar’s main agricultural product is rice, which covers over 60% of the total farmable land.
Myanmar is the second largest producer of opium in the world. This makes it one of the largest producers of illegal drugs.
The Kingdom of Thailand
Thailand was known as Siam until 1939.
Thailand lies east of Laos and Cambodia with the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south. The Andaman Sea and Myanmar are to the west.
Thailand was ruled as a kingdom from the 13th century (1200s). The government became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.
The King lost most of his power. He became primarily a symbol of national identity and unity.
Thailand is an industrialized nation.
Major exports include textiles, footwear, rice, rubber, jewelry, fish, automobiles, electronics, and computers. Thailand is the number one exporter of rice, which is the country’s most important crop.
Manufacturing and tourism are other important parts of the economy.
Laos
Laos is landlocked and bordered by Myanmar/Burma and China to the northwest. Cambodia is to the south, Thailand to the west, and Vietnam to the east.
From 1893 to 1953 Laos was a French colony. During French rule, there was still a Vietnamese royal family.
Soon after French rule ended, a civil war began. It lasted from 1959 to 1975.
When it ended, the Communist group, Pathet Lao, came into power. They were backed by the Soviet Union. The North Vietnamese Army overthrew the royal government. They forced King Savang Vatthana to abdicate his throne.
Through the 1970s, Vietnam essentially controlled the government and economy of Laos.
Over 80% of the Laotian people are involved with subsistence agriculture.
The Kingdom of Cambodia
The Kingdom of Cambodia is also known as Kampuchea. Cambodia borders Laos to the northeast and Vietnam to the east and southeast. Thailand is to the west and northwest.
Cambodia’s government is based on a constitutional monarchy. The constitution allows for a representative democracy.
The King is the head of state/country, but has little actual power.
The Prime Minister of Cambodia is the head of the government. There is a multiparty system. The Prime Minister is appointed by the King, but on the advice of the National Assembly.
Every year, over four million people visit the ancient city and temple complex of Angkor Wat.
Oil and natural gas have been found beneath Cambodia’s waters, but have remained mostly untouched. This is because of territorial disputes with neighboring countries.