II- GEOGRAPHY OF

SOUTHEAST ASIA
LOCATION
TOPOGRAPHY
LANGUANGE

Prepared by: DAYNA C. BALATE

LANGUAGE:
- Malay,
-English
Location: 
Southeastern Asia,
on the northern coast
of the island of Borneo;
bounded by the South
China Sea in the north,
and on all other sides
by the Malaysian state
of Sarawak which also
divides Brunei into two
parts.
 The subsurface consists mainly of a thick
succession of Tertiary and younger deltaic
sediments that were uplifted and deformed
only a few million years after deposition.
 -Deposition and subsequent deformation
are young on a geological time scale.
Despite intensive weathering and erosion,
Brunei's landscape is therefore immature
and rugged, especially in the interior parts.
LANGUANGE:

-Khmer spoken by more than

95% of the population
(Khmer language is
influenced by spoken and
written Thai)
 LOCATION

Located in Southeast
Asia and bordered by
Laos to north, Thailand
to the northwest,
Vietnam to the east,
and the Gulf of
Thailand to southwest,
Cambodia covers
70,238 square miles
(181,035 square
kilometers),
 Most of Cambodia is occupied by a
lowland plain that slopes slightly to the
southwest. The Mekong River Basin and
Tonle Sap lake in the south central part of
the country lie in this plain.
 There are mountains in the southwest
(the Cardamom Mountains), the south
(the Elephant Range), the northwest (the
Dangrek range) and a high plateau in the
northeast. An escarpment separates
northeast Thailand from Cambodia.
 MEKONG
RIVER
-The Mekong is a river that runs through China,
Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam.
It’s estimated length is 4,909 km (3,050 mi),
and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000
sq mi), discharging 475 km3(114 cu mi) of
water annually.
 TONLE SAP
The Tonlé Sap is the largest
freshwater lake in South East
Asia and is an ecological hot
spot that was designated as a
UNESCO biosphere in 1997.
The Mekong and the Tonle Sap dominate
the life and economy of Cambodia. The
Mekong overflows during the rainy
season, deposits vast quantities of alluvial
soil, and, backing toward the Tonle Sap,
causes that lake to increase in size from
about 2,590 sq km (1000 sq mi) to almost
24,605 sq km (9,500 sq mi
 The mountains in Cambodia are not very
high. The highest peak in the Cardamom
Mountains is 1,772 meters (5,814 feet).
The highest peak in the Elephant Range is
915 meters (3,002 feet). The highest peak
in the Dangreks is only 488 meters (1,600
feet).
About 18 percent of the country is good
for agriculture, and most of this arable
land is found in the fertile Mekong River
basin and around Tonle Sap, where in
some cases two or three crops of rice can
be grown a year.

About two thirds of Cambodia is covered

by tropical forests and jungles, but these
forests are disappearing as a result of
deforestation
LANGUANGE
 Bahasa Indonesia
(official, modified form
of Malay)
 Indonesia is
an archipelagic island
country in South east
Asia lying between
the Indian Ocean and
the Pacific Ocean. It is
in a strategic location
across or along major
sea lanes from Indian
Ocean to Pacific Ocean.
 The Indonesian archipelago
consists of three main regions.
One of the regions consists of
Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and
the islands that lie between them,
which stand on the Sunda shelf,
where the ocean depths are never
more than 210 m (700 ft).
 - Another region consists of Irian
Jaya and the Aru Isles, which stand
on the Sahul shelf, projecting
northward from the north coast of
Australia at similar depths. Between
these two shelves are the Lesser
Sunda Islands, the Maluku Islands
(Moluccas), and Sulawesi, which are
surrounded by seas with depths that
reach 4,570 m (15,000 ft).
Many inactive and scores of
active volcanoes dot the islands,
accounting for the predominantly
rich volcanic soil that is carried
down by the rivers to the plains
and lowlands; there are over 100
volcanoes. 
. Peaks rise to 3,650 m (12,000 ft) in Java
and Sumatra. Java, Bali, and Lombok have
extensive lowland plains and gently sloping
cultivable mountainsides. Extensive swamp
forests and not very fertile hill country are
found in Kalimantan. Sumatra's eastern
coastline is bordered by morasses,
floodplains, and alluvial terraces suitable for
cultivation farther inland. Mountainous
areas predominate in Sulawesi.
- Earthquakes and tsunamis often
devastate Indonesia. In 1992, an
earthquake off the island of Flores
caused more than 2,500 deaths. More
than 200 people died in 1994 from an
earthquake and tsunami in eastern Java.
An earthquake in Sumatra with a
magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter Scale
killed more than 100 people in 2000.
LANGUANGE:

LAO
- Located in the central of
Indochina, between
latitude 14-23 degrees
north and longitude 100-
108 degrees east. The
country, sharing borders
with China 416 km to the
north, Myanmar 130 to
the northwest,
 Thailand 1,730 to the
west, Cambodia 490 to
the South and Vietnam
1,957 km to the east.
Most of the western border of Laos is
demarcated by the Mekong River, which
is an important artery for transportation.
The Dong Falls at the southern end of the
country prevent access to the sea, but
cargo boats travel along the entire length
of the Mekong in Laos during most of the
year.
Smaller power boats and pirogues provide
an important means of transportation on
many of the tributaries of the Mekong.
 The Mekong at Luang Prabang, Laos

The overall topography of Laos is hilly and mountainous with

thick green forests. River valleys and an increasingly rapid land
front the mountainous landscape.
 Elevations are typically above 500
meters with narrow river valleys and
low agricultural potential. This
mountainous landscape extends
across most of the north of the
country, except for the plain of
Vientiane and the Plain of Jars in
the Xiangkhoang Plateau.
LANGUANGE:
Bahasa Melayu
 LOCATION:
Situated in Southeast
Asia, Malaysia with an
area of 329,750 sq km
(127,317 sq mi), consists
of two noncontiguous
areas: peninsular
Malaysia (formerly West
Malaysia), on the Asian
mainland, and the states
of Sarawak and Sabah,
known together as East
Malaysia, on the island
of Borneo.
Peninsular Malaysia, protruding
southward from the mainland of Asia,
comprises an area of 131,587 sq km (50,806
sq mi), extending 748 km (465 mi) sse-nnw
and 322 km (200 mi) ene-wsw.
 It is bordered on the north by  Thailand,
- on the east by the South China Sea,
- on the south by the Strait of Johore,
-and on the west by the Strait of Malacca and
the Andaman Sea,
-with a total boundary length of 2,068 km
(1,285 mi).
 Four-fifths of Peninsular Malaysia is
covered by rainforest and swamp.

The northern regions are divided by a

series of mountain ranges that rise abruptly
from the wide, flat coastal plains.

The highest peaks, Gunong Tahan (2,190

m/7,185 ft) and Gunong Korbu (2,183
m/7,162 ft), are in the north central region.
The main watershed follows a mountain
range about 80 km (50 mi) inland, roughly
parallel to the west coast.

The eastern coastal plain is mostly jungle

 and lightly settled. It is subject to heavy
storms from the South China Sea and
lacks natural harbors.
Languange:

Burmese
Myanmar  (also
known as Burma) is
the northwestern-
most country on the
mainland
of southeast Asia.
-It is strategically
located near
major Indian
Ocean shipping lanes
The diamond-shaped Myanmar is
situated in Southeast Asia, with an
area of 676,577 square kilometres. It
is bordered by China, Laos and
Thailand in the east, and by
Bangladesh, India and the Indian
Ocean in the south and west. 
Myanmar terrain is lowering from north to
south, mountains and plateaus in the north and
plains in the south. Myanmar's main
geographical features can be divided into four
categories: highlands in the east, mountains in
the west, plains in the central and coastal in
Rakhine.

Four largest rivers are Ayeyarwaddy, Thalwin,

Chindwin and Sittaung. Ayeyarwaddy River is
considered as the lifeblood of Myanmar
people with a length of 1238 miles.
Myanmar is divided into four topographic
regions: a mountainous area in the north and
west, ranging from about 1,830 to 6,100 m
(6,000–20,000 ft) in altitude.

The Shan Highlands in the east, a deeply

dissected plateau averaging 910 m (2,990 ft)
in height and extending southward into the
Tenasserim Yoma, a narrow strip of land that
projects some 800 km (500 mi) along
the Malay Peninsula, in the southeast;
Central Myanmar, a principal area of
cultivation, bounded by the Salween
River in the east and the Irrawaddy River
and its tributary, the Chindwin, in the west;
and the fertile delta and lower valley
regions of the Irrawaddy and Sittang rivers
in the south, covering an area of about
25,900 sq km (10,000 sq mi) and forming
one of the world's great rice granaries.
LANGUANGE
:
Filipino (based on Tagalog)
and English. Filipino is the
national language. English is
also widely used and is the
medium of instruction in
higher education.
Location: 

The Philippines comprises an

archipelago of some 7,107
islands located off Southeast
Asia, between the South  China
Sea on the west and the
Philippine Sea on the east. The
major islands are Luzon in the
north, the Visayan Islands  in
the middle, and Mindanao in
the south.
THE 11 largest islands contain 95% of
the total land area. The largest of these
islands is Luzon at about 105,000 square
kilometers (40,541 sq mi).

The total area is about 300,000 square

kilometers, including  about 298,000
square kilometers of land and about
2,000 square  kilometers of water.
The next largest island is Mindanao at
about 95,000 square kilometers
(36,680 sq mi). The archipelago is around
800 kilometers (500 mi) from
the Asian mainland and is located
between Taiwan and Borneo.

The Philippine archipelago is divided into

three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and 
Mindanao.
Major volcanoes in the Philippines
The islands are volcanic in origin, being
part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and are
mostly mountainous. The highest point in
the country is the peak of Mount
Apo in Mindanao, which is 2,954 meters
(9,692 ft) above sea level.

The second highest point can be found on 

Luzon at Mount Pulog, a peak 2,842
meters (9,324 ft) above sea level.
Any volcanoes in the country are active,
the most recent eruption being that
of Mount Pinatubo on Luzon in 1991. 
Mount Mayon is another of the active
volcanoes and has the world's most
perfectly shaped cone.
Mayon has a violent history of 47
eruptions since 1616 and another violent
eruption is currently feared. 
Taal Volcano, also located on Luzon, is
one of the Decade Volcanoes.
The islands typically have narrow coastal
plains and numerous swift-running streams.
Every island has sand beaches, but few
open onto spacious lowlands.

There are few large plains or navigable

rivers. The longest river is the Cagayan
River or Rio Grande de Cagayan in
northern Luzon measuring 354 kilometers.
In Mindanao, the longest river is the Rio
Grande de Mindanao  or Mindanao River
which drains Maguindanao and other
parts in western-central Mindanao. 
Agusan River drains eastern Mindanao.

Most of the islands used to be covered

by tropical rainforests. However, illegal
logging has reduced forest cover to less
than 10% of the total land area.
LANGUANGE:

Chinese, Malay, Tamil,

English
LOCATION:

Singapore's strategic location at

the southern tip of the Malaysian
peninsula has ensured its
importance, which is greater than
its size might seem to justify.
 Singapore consists of the island of
Singapore and some 63 islets within its
territorial waters. The main island is about
26 mi/42 km from west to east and 14
mi/23 km from north to south. It's a mostly
undulating country with low hills (the
highest, 540-ft/166-m Bukit Timah Hill, is
to the northwest of the city).
LANGUANGE:

Thai
LOCATION
- Thailand’s 514,000 square
kilometers lie in the middle of
mainland Southeast Asia. The nation's
axial position influenced many aspects of
Thailand's society and culture—it controls
the only land route from Asia to Malaysia
and Singapore
The most conspicuous features of
Thailand's terrain are high mountains,
a central plain, and an upland plateau.
Mountains cover much of northern
Thailand and extend along the
Myanmar border down through
the Kra Isthmus and the Malay
Peninsula.
The central plain is a lowland area
drained by the Chao Phraya River
and its tributaries, the country's
principal river system, which feeds
into the delta at the head of the Bay
of Bangkok.

The Chao Phraya system drains

about one-third of the nation's
territory. 
Area

Total:513,120 square kilometres

(198,120 sq mi)
◦ Land: 510,890 square kilometres
(197,260 sq mi)
◦ Water: 2,230 square kilometres
(860 sq mi)
 The National Research Council divides Thailand into six
geographical regions, based on natural features including
landforms and drainage, as well as human cultural patterns.

They are, namely:

the North Region, the Northeast
Region, the Central Region, the
East Region, the West Region
and the South Region of
Thailand.
LANGUANGE:
Vietnamese
LOCATION:
Vietnam is located on the eastern
margin of the Indochinese peninsula and
occupies about 331,211.6 square
kilometers, of which about 25% was
under cultivation in 1987. It borders
the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin,
and Pacific Sea, alongside China, Laos,
and Cambodia.
The S-shaped country has a north-to-south
distance of 1,650 kilometers and is about 50
kilometers wide at the narrowest point.
With a coastline of 3,260 kilometers, excluding 
islands, Vietnam claims 12 nautical miles
(22.2 km; 13.8 mi) as the limit of its territorial
waters, an additional 12 nautical miles (22.2 km;
13.8 mi) as a contiguous customs and security
zone, and 200 nautical miles (370.4 km;
230.2 mi) as an exclusive economic zone.
High mountains, flat plains and most
other landforms in between
Vietnam is mainly hills and densely
forested mountains. Most of its population
lives on the 20% that is level ground: 40%
of its 331,688 square kilometres is
mountainous, and the remaining 40% is
hills. Approximately 25% of land is under
cultivation.
Once, forests covered 75% of our country, but
deforestation by the US Army during the war
reduced that figure to 23% in 1980. A programme
to replace 5m hectares was launched in 1998 - so
far, about 0.6m ha have been reforested.

Topographically, Vietnam has five main land

regions. The North consists of the Northern
Highlands and the Red River Delta, and the South
is made up of the Annamite Mountain Range, the
Coastal Lowlands, and the Mekong Delta.
THAN
K