Southeast Asia: Transition among the Nagas - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 382

Chapter 14

Southeast Asia: Transition
among the Nagas

“To understand the present and
anticipate the futureone must know
enough of the pastenough to have a
sense of the history of a people. ”

L EE K UAN Y EW (1980)

A more highly fragmented part of the globe could

Before reading the following discussion, examine
Table 14-1, which gives an overview of significant events
in Southeast Asia' s history .

scarcely be imagined,” said geographer Norton
Ginsburg (1972). Southeast Asia, land of the nagas (see
Chapter 1), is a realm of contrasts in both physical and
cultural geography . Fragmented landscapes have formed
the backdrop for the establishment of glorious kingdoms
and trading states, while hills and valleys have compli-
cated the imposition of boundaries and the demarcation
of people and territory .
Separation has enhanced cultural diversity and
thwarted regional unity . Nevertheless, several Southeast
Asian states have become prominent on the global eco-
nomic map. Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore are desig-
nated as economic tigers. Indonesia, with its growth rate
of four percent (2009) even in the economic crisis, is an
emerging tiger. Vietnam boasts of its new label: baby
tiger. In contrast, countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and
Cambodia lag far behind in both the human condition
and regional stability .
Many geographers stress the region' s diversity
over unity . Geographer Jonathan Rigg (1991) notes,
“Southeast Asia represents a residual region: it owes
its regional identity not to internal coherence, but to
external incoherence.” In this chapter, you will learn
about the differences, but also the similarities, among
the peoples, landscapes, and cultures of this complex
region.

Physical Landscapes

The difference between land and water is clearly evident.
In fact, there are a mainland Southeast Asia and an
island, or archipelagic, Southeast Asia (Figure 14-1). The
mainland includes Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam. We will include Malaysia with
the insular region as it not only shares the island of Bor-
neo with Indonesia but also is connected to the mainland
by the narrow Kra Peninsula. Consequently , Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and the
Philippines form the insular or archipelagic region.
All told, there is four times more water area than there
is land area. While civilizations arose in the mainland
interior, marine landscapes and coastal locations domi-
nated the fortunes of the island realm. Control of ocean
passageways marked the rise and fall of many a power
group such as the Majapahits (1298-1500s) whose empire
stretched from Java to the Philippines and incorporated
the regions of today' s Malaysia and southern Thailand.
Control of the seas later fixed British-established Singapore
as the dominant port of the entire region.

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