Name: ______________________________________  Subject: _______________________ Date: _______

Thailand

Population: 64.316.134 inhabitants

Area: 513.120 Km2

Coin: Baht

PIB: 8.678 $ per capita

Language: Thai and English

Official name: Muang Thai, or Prathet Thai (Kingdom of Thailand).

Capital: Bangkok (Krung Thep) 6.355.144 inhabitants (2000).

Other cities: Thon Buri 115.500 inhabitants; Ratchasima 207.500; Chiang Mai 170.300; Khon Kaen 143.200; Nakhon Pathom 122.500 (2000).

Government: Kingdom

Religion: Buddhism (official, 94%); Muslims, reunited in the South, are over the 4%. There are a Christian and Hindu minority.

   Geography. Thailand is located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula. There are mountain areas at the North and West, from where the rivers Ping and Nan descended to a central plain. These rivers flow into the Thailand Gulf through broad deltas. The plain is very fertile, with very fertile rice fields. The Southern region occupies part of the peninsula of Malaca. The widespread deforestation suffered in the area has produced a decrease in the production of wood and rubber, which has forced the native population to emigrate.

Vietnam

Population: 88.537.271 inhabitants

Area: 329.560 Km2

Coin: Dong

PIB: 3.071 $ per capita

Language: Vietnamese

Official name: Nu'ó'c Công Hòa Xâ Hôi Chu' Nghî’a Viêt Nam.

Capital: Hanoi 3.977.000 inhabitants (2003).

Other cities: Ho Chi Minh (called Saigon), 5.566.900 inhabitants.; Haiphong 1.763.300; Da-Nang 762.800 (2000).

Government: Presidential.

Religion: mostly Buddhist and traditional cults. There are over 2 millions of Catholics and over 3 millions of followers of the hoa-hao y cao-dai sects.

   Geography: Vietnam is a narrow and long country, placed at the Eastern coast of the Indochina peninsula, over the Tongkin gulf and the Southern Chinese Sea. Of rainy tropical climate, it is placed in the monsoon winds’ area. It has jungle vegetation and its hydrographycal network is very well developed. The North area is the highest. Two rivers which flows in the shape of a delta stand up: the Song Koi at North and the Mekong at the South. Agriculture is the traditional occupation, and rice is its main product. The North of the country is rich in anthracite, lignite, coal, iron, manganese, bauxite and titanium. The main industries are mining, food stuff and textile articles.

Philippines

Population: 89.651.082 inhabitants
Area: 300.000 Km2
Coin: Filipino peso
PIB: 5.137 $ per capita
Language: Filipino and English
Name official: Republika ñg Pilipinas. Capital: Manila 10.352.000 inhabitants (2003). Other cities: Cebu 1.172.800 inhabitants; Davao 1.145.600; Bacolod 739.600; Cagayan 407.800; Zamboanga 147.200 (2000). Government: Presidential Republic.
Religion: Catholics, 83%; Filipino Independent Church, 3%; Muslims, 5%; Protestants, 5%; Animists and Buddhists and others, 4%.

   Geography: Philippine archipelago is formed by 7.107 islands, although 11 of them span the 94% of the total area and concentrate most of the population. The archipelago is located around 100 kms. Southeast Asia. It is surrounded by the Filipino Sea (at East), the South China Sea (at West), the Celebes Sea(at South). Luzon and Mindanao are the most important areas. Of volcanic origin, the archipelago is part of the “Pacific Ring of Fire” Its topography is mountainous, with large coastal plains suitable for agriculture: sugar, rice, hemp, copra, tobacco. The weather is wet and tropical. Temperatures used to be around 26,5° C. Filipinos know three seasons: tag-init o tag-araw (summer, since March to May), tag-ulan (rain season, since June until November) and tag-lamig (cold season, since December to February). Heavy rainfall favour the growth of tropical jungles. It is also the main Southeast Asian producer of iron, and it has petroleum, chromium, copper, nickel, cobalt, silver and gold.

  1. Write the correct country: Thailand, Vietnam or Philipines:
 

Malaysia

Population: 27.026.583 inhabitants
Area: 329.750 Km2
Coin: Malaysian ringgit
PIB: 10.882 $ per capita
Language: Bahasa Melayu
Name official: Persekutuan Tanah Malaysia
Capital: Kuala Lumpur 1.352.000 inhabitants (2003).
Otras cities: Johor Baharu 691.000 inhabitants; Ipoh 552.800; Petaling Jaya 474.600; Melaka 126.100 (2000). Government: Constitutional Parliamentary federal monarchy
Religión: Muslims (Islam is the official religion) around the half of the population; Buddhists 17%; Taoists 11%; Hindus 7%; Christians 7%; Animists.

   Geography: The country is composed by Peninsular Malasya (131.588 km2) and the states of Sarawak (124.450 km2) and Sabah (73.711 km2) in the North of Borneo island (Kalimantan), placed in the Indonesian archipelago, over 640 km. of the peninsula. A thick jungle covers over 70% of its area. A mountain range, which is surrounded by coastal plains, crossed the Malaysian peninsula. In Sabah and Sarawak the plains have risen to the mountains. Annual rainfall are plentiful. Its economy is export-oriented. Traditional exports, like rubber and tin, have been recently displaced by petroleum and manufactured products.

Singapore

Population: 4.490.117 inhabitants Area: 692,70 Km2 Coin: Singapore dollar
PIB: 29.663 $ per capita
Language: Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil. Official name: Hsin-chia-p'o Kung-ho-kuo (Mandarin); Republik Singaporea (Malay); Singapore Kudiyarasu (Tamil); Republic of Singapore.
Capital: Singapore (Singapore) 3.522.000 inhabitants (1999).
Government: Parliamentary republic. Religion: Buddhism (28%), Christianism (19%), Islamism (16%), Taoism (13%) and Hinduism (5%). There are also Sikh and Jew minorities.

  Geography: The Republic of Singapore is formed by a main island and 54 islets. It is linked to Malaysia by a viaduct which crosses the Strait of Johore. In its low wetlands the agriculture is unviable, and its inhabitants work as traders. The climate is rainy tropical. Its situation give the island a great value, because it is a middle point for trading between the commercial routes of the Pacific Ocean, Africa and Europe. The country used to live around its port, the British naval base and, recently, from electronic and textile industry and oil refineries.

Indonesia

Population: 234.342.424 inhabitants
Area: 1.904.570 Km2
Coin: Indonesian ruppiah
PIB: 3.843 $ per capita
Language: Indonesian
Name official: Republik Indonesia.
Capital: Jakarta 10.621.000 inhabitants (1999).
Otras cities: Surabaya 3.683.200 inhabitants; Bandung 3.834.300; Medan 2.977.000 (2000).
Government: Presidencialist
Religion: 86% of the population is Muslim; there are over 10% of Christian faithful.

   Geography. Indonesia is formed by the biggest archipelago in the world, with more than 13.700 islands. The most importants are: Borneo (Kalimantan), Sumatra, Java, Celebes, Bali, the Moluccas, West New Guinea and West Timor. Crossed by the equator, the archipelago has a rainy tropical climate and dense jungles. The population is unevenly distributed –it is the 4º most populated region in the world– : Java has one of the highest densities of population in the world (640 inhabitants/km2) and Borneo has densities below 10 inhabitants/km2. Old export crops –coffee, tea, rubber and oil palms– coexist with those which are for personal consumption, specifically rice. Mineral resources are also important: Indonesia is the world’s main producer of petroleum, and the third of tin.

   2. Write the correct country: Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia

    3. Other countries from South-East Asia: