In some of the islands of eastern Indonesia, where there is a long dry season, the fruit of the lontar palm was a staple food; in other areas, it was sago. On the fertile plans of Java and mainland Southeast Asia sedentary communities grew irrigated rice; along the coasts, which were less suitable for agriculture because of mangrove swamps, fishing and trade were the principal occupations.
Due to a number of factors—low populations, the late arrival of the world religions, a lack of urbanization, descent through both male and female lines—women in Southeast Asia are generally seen as more equal to men that in neighboring areas like China and India. Cultural changes began to affect Southeast Asia around two thousand years ago with influences coming from two directions.
Chinese expansion south of the Yangtze River eventually led to the colonization of Vietnam. Chinese control was permanently ended in , but Confucian philosophy had a lasting influence when Vietnam became independent. Buddhism and Taoism also reached Vietnam via China. In the rest of mainland Southeast Asia, and in the western areas of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago, expanding trade across the Bay of Bengal meant Indian influences were more pronounced. These influences were most obvious when large sedentary populations were engaged in growing irrigated rice, like northern Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Java, and Bali.
Rulers and courts in these areas who adopted Hinduism or forms of Buddhism promoted a culture which combined imported ideas with aspects of local society. Differences in the physical environment affected the political structures that developed in Southeast Asia. When people were nomadic or semi-nomadic, it was difficult to construct a permanent governing system with stable bureaucracies and a reliable tax base. This type of state only developed in areas where there was a settled population, like the large rice-growing plains of the mainland and Java.
However, even the most powerful of these states found it difficult to extend their authority into remote highlands and islands. Islamic teachings began to spread in Southeast Asia from around the thirteenth century. Islam teaches the oneness of God known to Muslims as Allah , who has revealed his message through a succession of prophets and finally through Muhammad ca. These are: 1 the confession of faith. At the height of its power between the eighth and fifteenth centuries, a united Muslim Empire included all North Africa, Sicily, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, western Arabia, and southern Spain.
From the tenth century CE Islam was subsequently brought to India by a similar moment of conquest and conversion, and its dominant political position was confirmed when the Mughal dynasty was established in the sixteenth century.
From at least the tenth century, Muslims were among the many foreigners trading in Southeast Asia, and a few individuals from Southeast Asia traveled to the Middle East for study. In the early stages of conversion, trade passing from Yemen and the Swahili coast across to the Malabar Coast and then the Bay of Bengal was also influential, as well as the growing connections with Muslims in China and India.
Muslim traders from western China also settled in coastal towns on the Chinese coast, and Chinese Muslims developed important links with communities in central Vietnam, Borneo, the southern Philippines, and the Javanese coast. Muslim traders from various parts of India e. Bengal, Gujarat, Malabar came to Southeast Asia in large numbers and they, too, provided a vehicle for the spread of Islamic ideas. As a result of its multiple origins, the Islam that reached Southeast Asia was very varied.
The normal pattern was for a ruler or chief to adopt Islam—sometimes because of a desire to attract traders, or to be associated with powerful Muslim kingdoms like Mamluk Egypt, and then Ottoman Turkey and Mughal India, or because of the attraction of Muslim teaching. Mystical Islam Sufism , which aimed at direct contact with Allah with the help of a teacher using techniques such as meditation and trance, was very appealing.
The first confirmed mention of a Muslim community came from Marco Polo, the well-known traveler, who stopped in north Sumatra in Inscriptions and graves with Muslim dates have been located in others coastal areas along the trade routes. A major development was the decision of the ruler of Melaka, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, to adopt Islam around Melaka was a key trading center, and the Malay language, spoken in the Malay Peninsula and east Sumatra, was used as a lingua franca in trading ports throughout the Malay-Indonesian archipelago.
Malay is not a difficult language to learn, and it was already understood by many people along the trade routes that linked the island world.
Muslim teachers therefore had a common language through which they could communicate new concepts through oral presentations and written texts. A modified Arabic script displaced the previous Malay script. Arabic words were incorporated into Malay, particularly in regard to spiritual beliefs, social practices, and political life.
Local heroes often became Islamic saints, and their graves were venerated places at which to worship. Some aspects of mystical Islam resembled pre-Islamic beliefs, notably on Java. Women never adopted the full face veil, and the custom of taking more than one wife was limited to wealthy elites. Law codes based on Islam usually made adjustments to fit local customs. Pork was forbidden to Muslims, a significant development in areas like eastern Indonesia and the southern Philippines where it had long been a ritual food.
Other major population centers in the subregion include the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the Turkish capital, Ankara. Both territories were originally part of China, but were taken by European powers in centuries past. Hong Kong was a British colony, but was ceded back to China in Macau was a Portuguese colony until , when it too was returned to Chinese control. The third Asian territory is the island of Taiwan, which is now a de facto independent state. Most countries, however, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, and instead consider it a province of China.
China itself considers the island a renegade province that must eventually be put under its rule, and has threatened to use force to take control of the island. The list of countries in Asia includes 6 transcontinental countries. These countries have spread across both Europe and Asia. However, the majority of the population of these countries reside in the Asian part of their territories unlike that of Russia. Hence, these countries have been listed here. Map of Asia China is the most populous country in both Asia and the world.
India is set to overtake China as the most populous country in the world by The Sultanate of Brunei is Asia's least populated country. Asia consists of 48 countries and 3 other territories. Asia is the most populous continent in the world. Jason Shvili March 11 in World Facts. Olympic Games History. Both Indonesia and Malaysia are top producers of tropical timber s.
These tropical woods, such as teak, are primarily used in high-quality furniture and flooring. During the past 10 years, Asia has increased its forest cover by 30 million hectares 74 million acres to create forest plantation s where trees can be intensively managed for higher-yield production. The timber industry estimates that Asia will produce roughly 45 percent of wood from forest plantations by These plantations will become increasingly important as natural forest resources continue to be deplete d.
Rapidly rising populations have dramatically increased demand for forest products. This is especially true in Southeast Asia, where high-value species are found. As a result, Asian countries have some of the worst deforestation rates in the world. Asia represents the most important region for fisheries and aquaculture production in the world. Aquaculture is the rearing of fish and other aquatic animals in controlled environments.
Seafood is extremely important to the lifestyle of many Asian peoples. This is because China, along with many countries in Southeast Asia, is experiencing a rapid expansion of its middle class population. More people can afford expensive food. Mining and Drilling Extractive activities are an important part of the economies of many Asian countries.
These countries extract many of the same mineral s. India is also a major producer of aluminum and iron ore , along with other minerals such as barite used in drilling fluid s , chromium used in steel production and dyes , and manganese used in steel production. Russia is a major producer of coal, tungsten used in steel production , diamonds, iron, and steel.
Indonesia is a major producer of coal, gold, copper, and tin. These fossil fuel s are drilled for energy and fuel, and make the region one of the most important in the international economy.
The oil found throughout the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East is of the highest quality: light sweet crude. Light sweet crude oil is used to make gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuels.
It is in constant demand throughout the developed world. An oil barrel is liters, or 42 gallons. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates accounted for roughly 57 percent of global liquid fuels production in Russia has oil reserves in Siberia, and massive natural gas reserves throughout the Arctic.
Russia has not aggressively drilled in the Arctic Ocean, but engineers say the area holds millions of barrels of oil and gas reserves. The Built Environment Asia contains some of the most populated and fastest-growing cities of the world. Shanghai, China, and Mumbai, India, are the largest cities in the world. They are also among the most densely populated. Other cities, such as Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Delhi, India, are growing rapidly.
A surge of economic investment, primarily funded by the oil, technology , and pharmaceutical industries, has fueled the development of medium-sized cities into important metropolitan areas. Hyderabad, India, the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh, has a population of more than 5 million people. Hyderabad has aggressively promoted its skilled labor force and cheap investment opportunities. Hyderabad has also invested extensively in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Biotechnology is the manipulation of living things to produce useful products, such as changing genetic material to create medicines. The city has also developed campuses for the study of nanotechnology and the manufacturing of advanced semiconductor s and solar technologies. This aggressive investment in high-tech industries will most likely continue to bring revenue and jobs into the city.
As a result, Hyderabad must deal with a swelling population in need of more goods and services well into the future. An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a Muslim monarch called an emir. Urban infrastructure has expanded at a rate unparalleled in modern human history.
The Burj Khalifa stands at slightly more than meters 2, feet —almost a kilometer tall. The Dubai Metro system is the first urban train network on the Arabian Peninsula. Dubai was the 10th most-visited city in the world in Asia has a number of state-of-the-art engineering marvels that solve complex infrastructural problems.
The dam stands at meters feet high and stretches for 2, meters 7, feet across the Yangtze River. It supplies millions of homes, businesses, hospitals, and schools with safe, affordable electricity.
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