SOUTHEAST ASIA

GEOGRAPHY

• The two major seas are the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea
• Mostly islands
• Wet weather
• Two major portions- Malay Peninsula and an extensive archipelago

VIETNAM

• One of the first people to develop their own state and culture
• This raised difficulty for invaders
• China conquered Vietnam in 111 BC but could never make them part of China
• Overthrew Chinese rule in the tenth century
• Adopted confucianism

ANGKOR

• Arose in Cambodia in ninth century
• Jayavara was crowned God-King in 802
• Most powerful state in mainland Southeast Asia for several hundred years
• Angkor began to decline when the Thai arrived
• In 1492 the Thai destroyed the Angkor capital and Angkor fled to Phnom Penh

THAILAND

• First appeared in the 500's
• In the 11th or 12th centuries, the Thai began moving south
• Eventually began conflict with the Angkor people and destroyed their capital
• Set up their own capital at Ayutthata
• Combination of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Indian culture

BURMA

• Migrated to Tibet in 600's
• Pastoral people
• Founded kingdom of Pagan in eleventh century
• Converted to Buddhism and adopted Indian culture
• Attacks by the Mongols in the late 1200's caused Burma to decline

MALAYSIA

• Two organized states- Srivijaya and Sailendra
• Both states were ingluenced by Indian culture
• In late 1200's a new kindom emerged- Majapahit
• Around 1400 an Islamic state formed in Meleka
• Meleka became major trading port