By: Remedor Gumabon Jr., Darryck Williams, Zachary Winter, Henry Leon, and ALEX GARDUNNO

Terms to know  Maritime  Sphere of Influence  Buffer state

Places to Locate  Melong River  Gulf of Thailand  Indochina Peninsula  Malay Peninsula  Angkor Wat  Strait of Malacca  Sunda Strait  East Timor

A Geographic View  The many names given to the Mekong River serve as reminders of Southeast Asia’s rich and colorful history.  The Mekong River has been a major waterway for the different civilizations that have flourished along its banks.

The Mekong River

Early Civilizations  Early peoples in Southeast Asia were highly skilled farmers. During this early period, farmers in the region grew vegetables and domesticated cattle and pigs.  Bronze was first cast in Thailand in 3000 B.C. Many Southeast Asian cultural traditions arose during this period.

Early Civilizations (cont.)  Early Southeast Asians worshiped their ancestors as well as animal and nature spirit.  In society, power and wealth were passed down the mother’s family.

Kingdoms and Empires  In Southeast Asia civilizations developed water ways  Empires used Maritime, or seafaring, to control shipping and trade  Other empires gained wealth from crops

Funan  Indian traders set up trading posts along the gulf of Thailand  People living in the region blended their traditions with the local traditions  People of Funan adopted Hinduism and the Indian model of government  Funan traded with regions like China, India, and Persia  In 200 A.D. the kingdom of Funan was established

Khmer  Fertile river deltas and valleys brought wealth to the region  The empire flourished along the Mekong river with advanced architecture  Used complex system of lakes and canals to grow rice

Khmer (cont.)  Their architecture has also made them well known along with their agricultural advances  Angkor wat was a temple that had both Hindu influences and local styles

Srivijaya Empire  Based on the island of Sumatra empire with naval strength, A.D  Controlled all seas surrounding the island  Used its navy to control the seas around it  By the 1300s, the empire had declined but left an influence on all maritime territories  Today, Singapore owes its economic prosperity to the same straits

Vietnam  The Vietnamese controlled the peninsula from the Hong river to the coastal lands in the center  Vietnamese struggled with Chinese invaders  Chinese controlled the area and introduced their ideas and belief to the area

Islam  Most people along the coast adopted Islamic culture and converted to Islam  Religion spread from the coast to the inland  Malacca was an important seaport and Islamic cultural center

Western Colonization  The European powers at first set up spheres of influence-agreed-upon areas of control.  After dividing the British from French-ruled territories, the kingdom of Siam served as a buffer state, or a neutral territory between rival powers.  Because of this, Siam was the only Southeast Asian territory that remained independent from European rule

Western Holding  During the early 1900s, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States dominated Southeast Asia.  The Netherlands claimed most of the islands that today make up what we see today as Indonesia. The United Kingdom controlled what is now Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.  France governed territories in Indochina that later became Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States controlled the Philippines as a result of a war with Spain in 1889.

Effects of Western Rule  Europeans and Americans brought widespread changes to Southeast Asia. They built railroads, paved roads, and improved harbors to speed the movement of people and goods throughout the region.  Westerners expanded tin mining and oil drilling, and they replaced small farms with large commercial plantations. The production of rice, rubber, coffee, and other products soared, and Westerners received enormous profits.  Southeast Asian agricultural workers alone could not meet the growing Western demand for labor. Plantation owners imported machinery, but they also hired Indian and Chinese immigrants to work in the mines and fields.

Effects of Western Rule(cont.)

The Struggle for Freedom  Japan forced western countries out of Southeast Asia, during world war II  In 1945, the western countries tried to gain their independence back from Japan  In 1965, the western countries finally gained their independence

Regional Conflicts  In 1954 communist defeated the French in Vietnam  Vietnam separated into North Vietnam(communist) and South Vietnam(non-communist)  In mid-1970s North Vietnam used force to unite all of Vietnam

Regional Conflicts(Cont.)  Ethnic and Religious groups within a country struggle for independence  For example the East Timor’s mostly Roman Catholic broke from Indonesia and became independent

Forms of Government  Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore are democratic republics  Myanmar's military tried to defeat Aung San Suu Kyi, to bring democracy peacefully to the country