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Eastern Asia

Geography

With one-quarter of the world's population calling this region their home Eastern Asia is one of the most populous regions of the world. Consisting of the People's Republic of China (which includes the special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong SAR and Macau), North and Korea, South, Mongolia and Japan, these nations share certain cultural and historical similarities but also have great differences between their forms of government, industrialization and track records in their recognition of human rights. By far China is the largest of the circle, the world's third-largest country in landmass and first in population with an estimated 1.3 billion citizens spread across its twenty-two provinces. Interesting spots of note are the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the forested, mist-covered slopes of Mount Huangshan, the neon-soaked skyline of China, Hong Kong SAR and the high-stakes gambling mecca of Macau. Nestled between northern China and Russia is landlocked Mongolia. To the south is the Gobi Desert, to the north and west are mountain ranges and in the center are flat, wind-swept plains. East of China the democratic island nation of Japan also has a proud history and has emerged as one of the world's leaders in technology. Over 3,000 minor and four major islands make up the country, with the city of Tokyo on Honshu being the capital. While Japan is one of the most densely populated landmasses on Earth its ordered layout of cities, roads and mass transit make it a world-class example of large-scale urban planning co-existing with rural and traditional values. To the west across the Sea of Japan are North and Korea, South, two very different countries that share the same people. Travel into the totalitarian Korea, North is heavily controlled and limited to its allies while Korea, Southn enjoy a much higher standard of living and greater freedoms accorded by democratic government. Seoul is the largest city and the capital of the south; Pyongyang the North.

Politics,Economics and Religion

China has the world's second-highest grossing economy with 8.9 trillion dollars worth of product manufactured annually. It is a rapidly growing country as the standard of living for the average Chinese citizen rises. This success comes from major Chinese government economic reforms following an embracing of Western capitalism. The country faces increasing criticism of its lax standards towards environmental concerns. The Communist government has also been heavily criticized by Western leaders for it's downplaying of human rights and freedom and its two million strong military causes its neighbours in the region concern.

History

China has a proud cultural and scientific history stretching back for thousands of years.

Climate

China suffers the harshest weather of the region with dry, hot summers and sub-zero winters.

South Eastern Asia

Geography

South East Asia is split into two distinct regions: the Indochine Peninsula (Indochina) which lies south of China on which are found the countries of Cambodia, Laos, the peninsular portion of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam; and the Malay Archipelago which stretches across the South China Sea and Indian Ocean and is where Brunei, Christmas Island, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysian Borneo, the Philippines and Singapore can be found.
With over 20,000 islands spread across the archipelago, this region is one of the most tectonically active places found on the planet. Frequent earthquakes can produce deadly tsunamis such as the one that killed an estimated 200,000 in 2004.

Politics,Economics and Religion

Ethnic diversity is strong through the area's 600 million residents. While several countries may have a majority population they all have minority cultures residing within their borders. For example, Singapore and Christmas Island may be three-quarters Chinese but in Brunei, Malaysia and Cambodia that ethnicity is a minority; Indonesia is a mixture of Javanese, Sudanese and several other groups; and Vietnamese are less than one percent of any other nation's demographics save for their home country of Vietnam. Most of the people on the peninsula and Singapore follow the teachings of Buddhism while Islam is the more popular religion practiced on the island chain; Christianity is dominant in the Philippines, eastern Indonesia and East Timor.

Climate

A moist, humid climate provides heavy rainfall year round, with many rainforests and a diversity of species that reside within them. Many unique animal species can be found here such as the orangutan, water buffalo and Asian elephant. The waters also contain great coral reefs and an abundance of aquatic life.