East of India, south of China Peninsula that juts out of Asian continent, straddles the equator and fragments into a jumble of islands Large rivers Irrawaddy, Mekong create fertile river valleys, rain forests Mountainous islands, ancient volcanic region (part of the ring of fire)
Land of peninsulas and islands formed when tectonic plates collided millions of years ago Half of region is an archipelago (group of islands) Half of countries located on mainland Indochina and Malay Peninsulas make up mainland Southeast Asia Laos only country without a coastline
Indonesia largest island country 6,000 islands about 1,000 permanently settled Singapore collection of islands Philippines 7,000 islands about 900 settled 11 islands are 90% of country
Mountains dominate southeast Asian landscape Create geographic and physical boundaries Separate region from India and China Mountains on islands part of Pacific Ring of Fire Volcanoes have left region with fertile soil, highly productive agricultural areas
Rivers People rely on rivers for transportation, communication and food River silt deposits create fertile agricultural regions Most rivers originate in highlands of China, SE Asia and flow toward Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea Major rivers Mekong, Irrawaddy, Chao Phraya, Hong Sediment deposited by Mekong increases shoreline around delta by 50 feet per year Island rivers shorter, flow in various directions
Plentiful supply of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) Malaysia- leader in oil, natural gas production Oil and natural gas off coast of Borneo has made sultan of Brunei one of world’s richest people Indonesia leading producer of oil, member of OPEC
Volcanic activity has made region mineral rich Nickel, iron, copper found across islands, Large deposits of tin found on the mainland Gems (sapphires, rubies) found across mainland Pearls found in island regions Gem and mineral industry underdeveloped in many countries
Rich diversity of plant and animal life Worlds largest flower found in SE Asia Forests are source of income for many countries Thailand cultivates orchids for sale on international market Trees used for lumber and rubber production Home to animal species found nowhere else in the world
Tropical climates found across most of region Region straddles equator Most of region hot and rainy, effected by monsoon rain patterns Tropical Wet Climate supports diverse ecosystems Tropical Dry Climate affected by monsoon rain patterns Highland climate found in mountainous regions on mainland and islands