South East Asia

THAILAND

Formerly Siam, a fertile, thickly populated plain, the core of the country, rises to mountains and forests in the north and the Korat plateau in the northeast and east; a narrow mountainous peninsula extends southward into the Gulf of Thailand. The climate is tropical monsoonal. Thailand's economy is heavily agricultural. Rice is the main crop and the major factor in a normally favourable trade balance; rubber, teak, and tin are also valuable commodities. The capital, Bangkok, is a city that contrasts ancient and modern structures, home to the vast, walled Grand Palace and over 400 Buddhist temples and is noted for its numerous canals.

VIETNAM

Cone-hatted workers in the terraced rice fields, palm-fringed sandy beaches and the incredible limestone stacks of Halong Bay linger long in the visitor’s memory. A narrow, mountainous strip links the two principal regions, the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong River Delta in the south. The capital, Hanoi, in the north was heavily bombed during the war, but is still noted for its European-style buildings, while Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has vibrant markets. Agriculture, primarily the growing of rice, is the basis of the economy, engaging more than 80% of the work force. About 80% of the population are Vietnamese but there are significant minorities include highland tribal peoples such as the Hmong and the Dzao.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia is blessed with the incredible temple complexes of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. The heart of the country consists of a large central alluvial plain, drained by the Mekong river and including the Tônlé Sap (Great Lake). Mountains flank the plain in the northwest and southwest. Cambodia has a tropical monsoonal climate ideal for growing rice, the chief crop. Corn, vegetables, peanuts, tobacco, and sugar palm are also grown. Both the industrial and agricultural sectors were devastated during the civil war and strife of the 1970s and 80s. About 90% of the population is ethnic Khmer (Cambodian). Minorities include Chinese, Vietnamese, Cham-Malays, and a number of hill tribes. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion; the Cham-Malays are Muslims. Khmer is the national language, but French is widely spoken.

LAOS

The temples, monasteries and French villas of Vientiane and Luang Prabang set the scene in this timeless land. Except for lowlands along the Mekong River, where most of the people live, and three sparsely populated plateaus, the terrain is mountainous and thickly forested. Illegal opium poppies and cannabis are produced in the northwest (the Golden Triangle).

BORNEO

The world's third largest island, is divided among Indonesia, which holds about 70% of the island (called Kalimantan), Brunei, and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Dense jungles and rain forests cover much of the mountainous island, which reaches a high point of 4095 metres at Mount Kinabalu. The hot, humid climate has a prolonged monsoon season lasting from November to May. The orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus) is found in the swampy coastal forests of Borneo and Sumatra. With their extremely long arms and short, bowed legs, orang-utans are highly specialized for arboreal life and rarely descend to the ground. An adult male is about 1.4 metres tall and weighs about 68 kilograms with its body covered with reddish fur.

INDONESIA

Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population. The capital is Jakarta, on Java. The islands are mountainous and dotted with volcanoes, both active and dormant; the
climate is tropical, with abundant rainfall. About 55% of the work force is engaged in agriculture, and fertile soil sustains a rich yield; principal crops are rice, fruit, cassava, peanuts, rubber, and coffee. Indonesia's natural resources are among the richest in the world; the nation is a leading producer of petroleum, its most valuable export; liquefied natural gas, tin, bauxite, nickel, and gold also are important. Products of the vast rain forests include hardwoods (rapid deforestation has caused international concern), rubber, palm oil, and
cinchona. Over 50% of the people live on Java, which has about 7% of the nation's land area, and the government has undertaken (since 1969) to resettle Javans on Sumatra and other islands. Islam is the predominant religion; there is a Christian minority (about 10%). The official language is Bahasa Indonesia (a Malay lingua franca), but Javanese, English, Dutch, and more than 250 other tongues are spoken.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Lies in the south west Pacific Ocean, north of Australia and the mountain spine is traversed by the infamous Kokodo Trail. It includes the eastern half of the mountainous island of New Guinea; the Bismarck Archipelago, including New Britain and New Ireland; Bougainville and Buka, which are part of the Solomon Islands group; and other adjacent islands. Port Moresby is the capital and chief port. The climate is monsoonal. Mainstays of Papua New Guinea's developing economy include copper, silver, and gold mining; timber and plywood; and the cultivation of cocoa, coffee, and copra. There is also petroleum; production began in 1992. Some 700 languages are spoken, but pidgin English is the lingua franca. About half the population is Christian, with Roman Catholics and Lutherans the largest sects; the rest follow traditional beliefs.