Travel & Adventure

Southeastern Asia

1st Issue – Summer 2014, Cervantes kids

Contents

Southeastern Asia: The Philippines, by Alejandra, María and LucíaThailand, by Jaime and Álvaro Vietnam, by Natalia and AnaLaos, by Mario and Alfredo

External references and sources: Map of Asia_Political

Asian SubregionsSimple English WikipediaNational Geographic kids

WesternAsia Southern

Asia

EasternAsia

SoutheasternAsia

The Philippines

Intro to the Country

• OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of the Philippines.

• FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic.

• CAPITAL: Manila.• POPULATION: 84,765,000.• OFFICIAL LANGUAGE:

Filipino (based on Tagalog), English.

• MONEY: Philippine peso.• AREA: About 115,831

square miles (300,000 square kilometers).

Geography

• THE Philippines : is an archipelago.

• It has over 7,100 islandsin southeastern Asia between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

• The two largest islands, Luzon and Mindanao, make up for two-thirds of the total land area.

• Only about one third of the islands are inhabited.

Nature

• In the Philippines there are many species of flowers and plants .

• There are inhabited by more than 200 species of mammals, hundreds of species of birds and amphibians and reptiles.

History

• The name Philippines comes from Philip II who was the king of Spain during the 16th century.

• Then there was a war and the Philippines went to the US.

• The islands were liberated by U.S. forces , and the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed in 1946.

• In 1965 Ferdinand Marcos was elected president.

• Corazon Aquino became president in 1986 and there was democracy in the country.

People and culture

• Filipinos are predominantly of Malay origin.

• Many Filipinos have Spanish names because in the 19th-century the Spanish forced them to use Spanish surnames and names.

• Elementary education in the Philippines starts at age seven, Secondary education begins at age 13.

Thailand

Intro to the Country

FAST FACTS

•OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Thailand•FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional monarchy•CAPITAL: Bangkok Population: 66,720,153•OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Thai, English, ethnic and regional•dialects•MONEY: Baht•AREA: 513,115 square kilometers (198,115 square miles)

Geography

GE OGR A F Y

T ha i la nd i s i n t he hea r t of S ou t hea s t A s i a . I t i s nex t t o Ca m b odi a , L a os a nd M y a nm a r . T o t he w es t i s t he A nda m a n S ea a nd t he Gu l f of T ha i la nd, s ou t hea s t of Bu r m a . T her e a r e f or es t s i n t he S ou t h.T he h i ghes t m ou nt a i ns a r e i n nor t her n T ha i la nd.

Nature

N ATURER ain falls almost every day between the months of M ay andSeptember. This brings diverse wildlife in Thailand.L otus flowers are common and the favorite flower in Thailand.L otus flowers live above the surface, but they are rooted in themud. There are many flowering trees and shrubs, and fruittreplants such as the mysterious insect-eating pitcher plant.The deep forests are home to tigers, elephants, wild ox,leopards, and the M alayan tapir. The tapir is covered in blackfur on the first half of its body and white fur to the rear. Cobrasand crocodiles are also found in Thailand. es. I n the jungle, one can find carnivorous (meat-eating).

History

•Thailand was never invaded by Europeans. •A revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy.•The king is the leader of the country. •The prime minister is selected from the members of the House of Representatives,•but is appointed by the king.•Agriculture and tourism are the most important industries in Thailand.•I n December 2004, there was an Ocean tsunami, but the country's economy is fine now.

HI S TORY

People and culture

RELI GI ON: About 90 percent of the peopl e are Buddhist, but there are al so M usl ims . They l ive in the south near the border with M al aysia.SCHOOL: Thai chil dren go to el ementary school for six years. FOOD: Food in Thail and is infl uenced by Chinese and I ndian cul tures. Their foods are SpicyCI TI ES: Bangkok is cal l ed the Venice of the East because there are 83 canal s. There are 10,000 boats ful l of fruits, vegetabl es, and fish in the canal s. The re are many Buddhist structures in Bangkok.

CULTURE A N D P E OP LE

Vietnam

Intro to the Country

CONTINENT: Asia.OFFICIAL NAME: Socialist Republic of Vietnam.FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Socialist republic.CAPITAL: Hanoi. POPULATION: 92,477,857 people. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Vietnamese. MONEY: Dong. AREA: 329,247 square kilometers. MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGE: Annam Cordillera.MAJOR RIVERS: Mekong, Red, Ma, Perfume.

Vietnam is a wonderful and beautiful country. Its currency are the dongs. Its capital is Hanói and

its most populated city isHo Chi Minh. They have

four important rivers : Mekong Red, Ma and

Perfume. It has a surface of 127,123

square miles, which are 329,247 square

kilometers. Its motto is: independence, freedom

& happiness.

Geography

SHAPE: Vietnam is a long, narrow nation and is like the letter S. At its narrowest point, Vietnam is only 48 kilometers wide.

BORDERS: It is in Southeast Asia on the eastern part of the peninsula known as Indochina. It is next to China (to the North) and Laos and Cambodia (to the west). In the east and south, there is the South China Sea.

MOUNTAINS: The mountains of the Annam Cordillera are on the west.

RIVERS: Two of Vietnam's largest rivers, the Mekong in the south and the Red in the north, end at the South China Sea.

Nature

• In Vietnam there are different areas, with different habitats andunusual animals. There are 270 types of mammals, 180 reptiles, 80amphibians,and 800bird species.

• There are also giant catfish, Indochinese tigers, Saola antelopes, andSumatranrhinos.

• In Vietnam there are 30 natural parks reserves created from thegovernmentfor theanimals.

Government & economy

Vietnam is a socialist state run by the Communist Party.

A president is head of state and commander of the armed forces.

A prime minister runs the government. Vietnam exported a lot of things for the soviet

union in the Russian revolution; and now it exports food and clothes mainly for the European union.

People and culture

Some people of the villages go to cities like Hanoi. The most popular sports in Vietnam include soccer, table tennis, volleyball, and martial arts.Vietnamese food is a blend of Chinese and Thai styles. The usual religion is the "Three Teachings“, that is a mix of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Laos

Intro to the Country

FAST FACTS

Geography

GEOGRAPHY

Nature

nat ur e

History

PEOPL E &CULTURE