Characteristics of South and Southeast Asia. Macro-regions of Asia according to the UN classification

Geographical position East Asia is the outskirts of Eurasia, facing the Pacific Ocean. It stretches from the Russian Far East to South China. East Asia also includes the Sakhalin, Kuril, Japanese, Taiwan, and Hainan Islands. In the absence of structural geomorphological unity, the natural integrity of East Asia is determined by the peculiarities of its climate and organic world.

Terrain and minerals In general, the relief of East Asia is more contrasting, the river valleys are deeper, and the mountain slopes are still steep. The most remarkable morphological feature of the islands is active to this day and extinct volcanoes, which are impaled on the folded base of the mountains. A series of sea terraces well recorded the great mobility of the islands of Japan, since in some places they are raised to considerable heights, while in others they are lowered below sea level.

Relief and Mineral Resources The Indochinese Peninsula is one of the richest metallogenic provinces in foreign Asia. A significant part of the world's tin and tungsten deposits is concentrated in the thick belt of primary, deluvial, and proluvial placer deposits in Burma, Thailand, and Asia Minor. The largest in Asia deposits of silver, zinc, lead and cobalt ores are located on the Shan Yunnan Highlands, placer and native gold, sapphires and rubies are mined. Deposits of Mesozoic bituminous coals are confined to platform structures. The Irrawaddy piedmont trough contains oil deposits.

Climate The main regularity in the formation of the climate of East Asia is the monsoon circulation, which creates a pronounced difference between the wet warm and dry cold seasons. East Asia is located in the temperate and subtropical zones, and in the south it enters the tropical zone, and the temperature conditions within it change from north to south, but the main features of the monsoon climate persist throughout the region.

Climate The monsoonal nature of the climate, which can be considered a distinctive feature of East Asia, left its mark on almost all aspects of its nature, as well as on the life and economic activity of the population. Its other feature is intense cyclonic activity along the tropical and polar fronts, causing catastrophic hurricanes (typhoons).

The inland waters of Southeast Asia are washed by the waters of the seas of the Pacific and Indian oceans, which, in terms of the regime and characteristics of the organic world, are typical tropical water basins. Continuing the garland of the seas washing East Asia, between the tropic and the equator is the most extensive sea of the Pacific Ocean - the South China Sea is located in the monsoon zone, which is also connected with the system of its currents: in summer, northern and northeastern directions prevail, in winter - southern. Therefore, the temperature of surface waters is high all year round. Only in the north in February does it drop to 20 °C.

Animal world From predators it is necessary to name the Malay short-haired "solar" bear (Helarctos malayanus) and a tiger. On the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, there is a great ape orangutan ("forest man"), which is now extremely rare. A feature of the fauna of the islands is the presence of a large number of species of "planning" animals. Among them are mammals - flying squirrels and woolly wings, which are a form intermediate between insectivores, bats and semi-monkeys.

Flora Abelia calamus (plant) Alocasia Aralia Barberry imitative Butterbur Tatewaki Siberian Butterbur Rock Butterbur Broad Butterbur Japanese Butterbur Hamamelis Gardenia

Description of the country of Japan Japan is an island country located on an arched archipelago consisting of more than 6,8 thousand islands, which stretch along the eastern coast of Asia in a curved chain of about 3800 km. The capital Tokyo Japan is covered with highlands and low and medium-altitude mountains, they make up over 75% of the country's territory. The lowlands are located in separate areas along the coasts of the country. The largest lowland is Kanto, covering about 17,000 km².

Description of the country of Japan There are practically no minerals in Japan, their reserves according to 1976 data were: coal - 8630 million tons; iron ore - 228 million tons; sulfur - 67.6 million tons; manganese ores - 5.4 million tons; lead zinc - 4.7 million tons; oil - 3.8 million tons; copper ores - 2.0 million tons; . chromites - 1.0 million tons, as well as gold, silver and mercury. Japan belongs to a temperature zone with four distinct seasons, but its climate ranges from low temperatures in the north to subtropical temperatures in the south. The climate also depends on seasonal winds blowing from the continent in winter and in the opposite direction in summer. Temperature July +22°C January 5°C The annual rainfall is 1700-2000 mm, but in the south it can be 4000 mm. Rivers Yodo, Kiso, Kumano, Ota, Shinano, Edo Lake Biwa - located on Honshu.

The region includes the following countries: Brunei, East Timor, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

1. EGP. Southeast Asia is a region covering the continental and insular territories between China, India and Australia. Includes the Indochina Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago.

On the continental part there are Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, on the island - Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines. Malaysia occupies the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and the northern part of the island of Borneo. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are also called the Indochinese states, while the island states are collectively known as Nusantara.

Southeast Asia borders China, India, Bangladesh, Australia and Oceania. This neighborhood is favorable for the region, because Australia is a highly developed country, China and India are in the stage of economic recovery, therefore, they will not hold back its development.

There are no military conflicts in this region, which also favorably affects its development.

Southeast Asia has a coastal position; of all countries, only Laos has no access to the ocean. There are sea routes connecting this region with East Asia (and further with Russia and North America), South Asia (and further with Africa and Europe), Australia. It also favorably affects the development of the region, leaving it on the sidelines of trade routes and allowing trade with many regions.

Southeast Asia is located near many resource bases, these are, first of all, the oil and gas reserves of Western Asia, the coal reserves of China and India, and the reserves of ores of various metals in Australia. Also in the neighborhood are large industrial countries China and Japan. Such a neighborhood is favorable in the sense that the transportation of goods does not require large transportation costs, but on the other hand, the presence of large manufacturers nearby hinders the development of their own products.

2. Natural conditions and resources. The region includes two parts: continental (Indochina peninsula) and insular (numerous islands of the Malay Archipelago). Southeast Asia seems to “sew” the mainland of Eurasia and Australia and is the border of the Pacific and Indian oceans. The most important sea and air communications pass through the countries of the region. The Strait of Malacca is comparable to Gibraltar, the Suez and Panama Canals in terms of its importance for maritime navigation.

The key geographical position at the crossroads of the most important sea routes, a variety of natural resources, a fertile climate - all this, like a magnet, attracted Europeans here during the colonial period. (Only Thailand remained formally independent as a buffer zone between British India and French Indochina.)

The current geographical position of the countries of Southeast Asia is made up of the following factors:

The position between the world economic and political centers - Western Europe, the USA, Japan, which determine the global development strategy and the main regional political trends;

The situation between India and China - the largest states in the world in terms of population, major economic and influential political powers;

The position between two oceans (Pacific and Indian), which makes it possible to control the strategically important straits connecting them - Malacca and Sunda.

The peninsular part of Southeast Asia is dominated by mountain ranges that fan out across its territory, separated from each other by river valleys. The mountains are higher in the north and west than in the south and east. The mountains divide the mainland region of the region into several separate parts, land communications between which are difficult. All the islands of the Malay Archipelago also have a mountainous character. There are many volcanoes here, some of which are active. (More than 80% of all recorded tsunamis are formed in the Pacific Ocean, including in Southeast Asia. The explanation for this is simple - out of 400 active volcanoes on Earth, 330 are located in the Pacific basin. More than 80% of all earthquakes are also observed there.) In the east of Sumatra and along the coasts of Kalimantan there are relatively extensive low-lying spaces. Due to the abundance of heat and moisture, Southeast Asia as a whole is distinguished by the diversity and richness of flora and fauna, soil fertility.

The climate of this region is hot, subequatorial and equatorial, with a total precipitation of up to 3,000 mm per year. Tropical cyclones are frequent guests here - typhoons with great destructive power, not to mention the increased seismic danger that awaits the population of most countries. Although most of Southeast Asia is covered with humid tropical evergreen forests (hence the second place in the world after Brazil in terms of tropical timber reserves), savannahs dominate in inner Indochina. The river network is dense, the rivers (Mekong, Salween, Irrawaddy, etc.) are full-flowing.

The significance of Southeast Asia is also determined by the presence here of large reserves of the most important types of raw materials and fuel. The region is especially rich in non-ferrous metal ores: tin (in terms of its reserves, the region surpasses all countries of the world), nickel, copper, and molybdenum. Large reserves of iron and manganese ores, chromites. There are significant deposits of oil and natural gas, there is brown coal, uranium. Natural wealth is valuable tree species of tropical and equatorial forests. On the whole, Southeast Asia is a hard-to-replace global source of many strategic resources.

Within the region, representatives of natural geography usually distinguish the following physical and geographical areas:

1) the Indochina peninsula, which forms the southeastern periphery of the mainland and cuts through the basins of the Indian and Pacific oceans. There are no latitudinal orographic barriers here, so in the north of Indochina one can feel the "breath" of continental air masses. The main mass of moisture is brought by the southwestern equatorial monsoons;

2) the Malay archipelago, associated with Indonesia and including the islands of Greater and Lesser Sunda, Moluccas and about. Ceram. The area is distinguished by its colossal natural specificity. Its equatorial and insular position determines the dominance of equatorial and maritime tropical air within its boundaries, uniform temperatures, constantly high humidity and an abundance of precipitation. Kingdom of tropical rainforests;

3) The Philippine Islands, sometimes included in the Malay Archipelago, but physically and geographically representing an independent region. It is located in the zone of subequatorial and partially equatorial climate with abundant precipitation.

3. Population and resettlement. About 600 million people live in the region. The number of inhabitants of the country is very contrasting. The maximum number is in Indonesia (245.6 million people), the minimum is in Brunei (402 thousand people).

demographic features. In Southeast Asia, natural population growth has always been high - an average of 2.2% per year, and in some cases - up to 40%. It currently stands at 2%. The child population (under 14) is 32%, the elderly - 4.5%, working age - 63.5%. There are more women than men (50.3% and 49.7% respectively).

Racial composition. The vast majority of the population belongs to the transitional types between the Mongoloid and Australoid races.

In some areas, “pure” Australoid groups not mixed with the Mongoloids have survived: the Vedoids (on the Malacca Peninsula), the inhabitants of Eastern Indonesia close to the Papuans, the Negrito type (in the south of the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines).

Ethnic composition. Only in the largest country in the region, Indonesia, there are more than 150 nationalities. On the territory of the Philippines, which is small compared to Indonesia, there are up to a hundred peculiar Malayo-Polynesian ethnic groups. In Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, more than 2/3 of the inhabitants are Siamese (or Thai), Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao and Burmese. In Malaysia, up to half of the population are Malay peoples close in language. The most mixed and multilingual population of Singapore are people from neighboring Asian countries (Chinese - 76%, Malays - 15%, Indians - 6%). In all states, the Chinese are the most numerous national minority, and in Singapore they even represent the majority of the population.

The following language families are represented in the region: Sino-Tibetan (Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore, Burmese, Karen in Thailand); Thai (Siamese, Lao); Austro-Asiatic (Vietnamese, Khmers in Cambodia); Austronesian (Indonesians, Filipinos, Malays); Papuan peoples (in the eastern part of the Malay Archipelago and in the west of New Guinea).

Religious composition. The ethnic composition and the historical fate of the peoples of the region determined its religious mosaicity. The most common are the following confessions: Buddhism - in Vietnam (Mahayana - the most loyal form of Buddhism, coexists with local cults), in other Buddhist countries - Hinayana); Islam is practiced by almost 80% of the population of Indonesia, Malaysia, and partly in the Philippines; Christianity (Catholicism) is the main religion of the Philippines (a consequence of Spanish colonization), partly in Indonesia; Hinduism is especially pronounced on about. Balle in Indonesia. Aborigines of the countries of Southeast Asia widely profess local cults.

The population is distributed extremely unevenly. The maximum density - on about. Java, where up to 65% of the population of all Indonesia lives. Most of the inhabitants of Indochina live in the valleys of the rivers Irivadi, Mekong, Menem, here the population density reaches 500-600 people / km 2, and in some areas - up to 2000. The mountainous outskirts of the peninsular states and most of the small islands are very poorly populated, the average population density does not exceed 3-5 people / km 2. And in the center of Kalimantan and in the west about. New Guinea has uninhabited territories.

The proportion of the rural population is high (almost 60%). In recent decades, due to the migration of rural residents and natural growth, the number of urban population has been increasing. First of all, large cities are growing rapidly, almost all of them (with the exception of Hanoi and Bangkok) arose in the colonial era. More than 20% of the population lives in cities (Laos - 22, Vietnam - 21, Cambodia - 21, Thailand - 20%, etc.), only in Singapore they make up 100%. In general, Southeast Asia is one of the least urbanized regions of the world.

Cities with millionaires, as a rule, are port or port centers, which were formed on the basis of trading activities. Urban agglomerations of the region: Jakarta (10.2 million people), Manila (9.6 million), Bangkok (7.0 million), Yangon (3.8 million), Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon, 3.5 million), Singapore ( 3 million), Bandung (2.8 million), Surabaya (2.2 million), Hanoi (1.2 million).

Labor resources. They number over 200 million people, of which 53% are employed in agriculture, 16% in industry, 31% are involved in the service sector.

4. General characteristics of the economy. Over the past years, the role of the countries of Southeast Asia in the world, especially in the Pacific region, has been steadily increasing. This is due to the favorable geographical and military-strategic position of the countries, rich natural resources, dynamic political and economic development.

In terms of socio-economic development, the region is heterogeneous. After World War II, its countries split into 2 groups: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia focused on the Soviet command-administrative model of development, and the ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei) - market. All the countries of Southeast Asia started from the same level, but the ASEAN countries achieved in the second half of the 20th century. tangible economic results, which had a positive impact on the social parameters of the life of their population.

They achieved such results of economic development due to various factors. For example, Brunei is a leading oil exporter, deriving over 84% of the profits from oil exports. Singapore is a powerful regional and international center for trade, marketing, services and development of the latest technologies, the most important transport and communication hub of Southeast Asia. Singapore is one of the financial centers of the world, the turnover of the Singapore currency exchange is almost 160 billion dollars annually. According to this indicator, it is second only to London, New York and Tokyo. The volume of annual operations on the Singapore Stock Exchange is $ 23 billion. By the number of well-known banks (141, including 128 foreign ones), Singapore ranks third in the world after London and New York.

In terms of economic development, Southeast Asia belongs to the most dynamic regions. The rates of economic growth of the countries in the post-war period were among the highest in the world. At the end of the 90s of the XX century. Singapore (14% per year), Thailand (12.6%), Vietnam (10.3%), Malaysia (8.5%) had the highest production growth rates. The total GNP of the countries of the region reached $2,000 billion (2000). Now the share of the region in the world total product is approximately 1.4%.

The countries of the region have a strong export base, almost all of them are well endowed with natural resources, which are one of the important conditions for their economic development. That is why they are the largest (and sometimes monopoly) exporters of certain goods. For example, the ASEAN zone provides almost 80% of the world's production of natural rubber, 60-70% of tin and copra, over 50% of coconuts, a third of palm oil and rice.

The region is one of the leaders in the world in terms of investment. The areas of manufacturing industry and infrastructure are the most attractive for foreign capital. The most active here are Japanese and American companies that locate enterprises in areas of cheap labor, where they import semi-finished products and carry out the final refinement of their products. Significant investments are made in the food industry, the metalworking industry, the production of electronics and toys, chemical fibers, and plywood.

Notable among investors are Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. The relatively high proportion of these states in the total volume of foreign investment in the countries of Southeast Asia is associated with the activities of the Chinese business community. Indonesia ($23.7 billion), Malaysia ($4.4 billion), Singapore ($3 billion), and the Philippines ($2.5 billion) are leading in the use of investments. The largest investors in the region are Hong Kong ($6.9 billion) and Japan ($5.2 billion).

In most countries of the region, powerful financial and industrial monopoly groups have developed, whose activities, as a rule, are connected with the interests of foreign capital. The leading representatives of the sphere of big business and finance are the monopolistic associations Ailla and Soriano in the Philippines, Waringin in Indonesia, the Kuokiv family conglomerate in Malaysia, and the Bangkok Bank group in Thailand.

TNCs played a decisive role in shaping the industrial and export specialization of the region's countries. The creation of the export potential of NIS was due to the active transfer of labor-, energy- and material-intensive, environmentally hazardous industries to them, as well as the manufacture of mass consumer products using outdated technologies that are no longer used in industrialized countries.

TNCs began their penetration into the economy of Southeast Asia from the areas of light industry, where you can quickly get a return due to the high rate of capital turnover. Therefore, now textile, clothing, footwear are the most developed areas of the manufacturing industry. The strongest positions in them are held by Japanese and American TNCs. For example, in Malaysia, 15 Japanese textile TNCs control 80% of production.

In the 1970s, the NIS of the region began to master the technologies for the production of electronic and electrical products. Now a developed export-industrial base has been created here for the production of consumer electronics components, telecommunications equipment. Among market economies, Malaysia is the third producer of semiconductors, Thailand is an important center for the production of integrated circuits. But these areas are dominated by TNCs from the United States and Japan, which formed them in the region: IBM, General Electric, X "yulet Packard", Toshiba, Akai, Sony, Sharp. Western European TNCs are also widely are represented in Southeast Asia: Robert Bosch, Philips, Ericsson, Olivetti, etc. Foreign capital, mainly Japanese, also actively participates in the creation of automobile enterprises.

Another is the path of development of the former socialist countries - Vietnam and Laos, eventually - and Cambodia, which for a long time were isolated from regional economic processes. Their economic policy was dominated by protectionism, a negative attitude towards foreign investment and management experience. And economic interaction with the countries of the former socialist camp contributed to the formation of an extensive model of state socialism of the 40-60s of the XX century, increasing the gap in socio-economic development with their neighbors.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, countries chose the Chinese version of economic renewal, which provides for radical reforms to preserve the political mechanism. Nevertheless, modern concepts of their socio-economic development also take into account the experience of the newly industrialized countries of Asia, especially South Korea.

Economic reforms in Vietnam and Laos have generally produced positive results. This is especially true of Vietnam, where in a short time it was possible to reduce the inflation rate from 1000% in the late 80s of the XX century. up to 4% - in 2009. Currently, Vietnam has ranked 3rd in the world in rice exports.

In Southeast Asian countries, the cultivation of hevea and the production of natural rubber are well developed. The region is one of the world's leading rice and coconut growing regions. The most important area of specialization is the harvesting and export of tropical wood. The presence in Singapore of one of the largest ports in the world and a large airport provides it with the status of an important transport and intermediary center of the region. Some countries, especially Thailand and Singapore, have a fairly strong position in the tourism business.

5. Branches of industry and agriculture. The industry as a whole in the region provides 32% of the total GNP, ranking second after the service sector.

Mining industry. Most of its products undergo primary processing before export. The extraction of tin and tungsten is of great export importance: Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia provide 70% of the world's tin production, Thailand is the world's second largest producer of tungsten. In Thailand, precious stones (rubies, sapphires) are mined and processed.

Fuel and energy industry. The region is relatively well provided with electricity, the total production of which reached 228.5 billion kWh. The bulk of electricity is generated by thermal and hydroelectric power plants. In 1994, the largest HPP in the region, Hoa Binh (Vietnam), was put into operation. Indonesia has the only geothermal power plant in the region, and the construction of the region's first nuclear power plant is under discussion. Petrochemistry is being developed on the basis of oil refineries in many countries. In Myanmar and Indonesia, they operate on their own raw materials, Philippine, Malay and Singaporean plants - on Indonesian and Middle Eastern oil. Singapore is the 3rd largest oil refining center in the world after Houston and Rotterdam (it handles over 20 million tons of crude oil annually).

Non-ferrous metallurgy. In its development, the main attention is paid to the construction of new and modernization of existing plants, especially in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Aluminum plants in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore process bauxite from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Based on local raw materials, some of the world's largest tin-smelting plants operate in Malaysia (providing 28% of the world's exports of this metal), Indonesia (16% of world exports) and Thailand (15%). A copper smelter also operates in the Philippines.

Electronic and electrical industry. It specializes in the assembly of household appliances, the production of circuit boards, microcircuits. Malaysia is one of the world's largest manufacturers of semiconductors, integrated circuits, air conditioners, radio and television equipment. Electrical and radio-electronic enterprises operate in Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. Science-intensive areas of high technologies are actively developing in Singapore, including the production of computers and components for them, electronic telecommunications equipment, biotechnology, laser optics, highly sensitive computer disks are being developed, a plant has been built that manufactures equipment for spacecraft. In terms of computerization and the introduction of robots, Singapore ranks second in Asia after Japan (in particular, 84% of Singaporean firms are equipped with modern computer technology).

The electronics industry in the ASEAN countries is under the control of American and Japanese companies, which seek to reduce production costs through the use of local cheap labor.

In the countries of the region, the production of modern weapons has been established. Singapore builds torpedo ships and high-speed patrol boats, assembles transport aircraft under American licenses, and develops a defense electronics industry. The largest company in the Singapore military-industrial complex is Singapore Technologies. In Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, there are enterprises producing military aircraft and helicopters.

Ship repair and shipbuilding. This area belongs to the international specialization in Singapore, whose shipyards build tankers with a tonnage of up to 500 thousand tons. Singapore ranks second after the United States in the world in the production of mobile drilling equipment for the development of offshore oil fields.

Chemical industry. Received significant development in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia. Due to the active participation of Japanese corporations, the largest plants in Asia for the production of ethylene, propylene and plastics operate in Singapore. Increasingly important in the world market are Indonesia as a manufacturer of acids and components of mineral fertilizers, Malaysia as a manufacturer of household chemical products and poisonous chemicals, varnishes and paints. In the north of Bangkok, there is one of the most powerful caustic soda production complexes in Asia.

Sewing, textile and footwear industry. These are traditional areas for the region, most developed in Malaysia and Thailand, which are 50-80% controlled by Japanese and American TNCs.

Wood preparation. Recently, it has sharply increased and now it is 142.3 million m 3 annually. Trees of many species have exceptional strength and color, so they are used in interior framing, in the furniture industry, and shipbuilding.

The agriculture of the region is insufficiently provided with land resources due to the high population density. It is dominated by agriculture, large are the costs of manual work per unit of land area and low marketability of farms. Technique and technology are mostly very primitive.

Plant growing. Subtropical and tropical agriculture is the basis of the economy of all countries. Southeast Asia is the world's largest region for growing rice, the main agricultural crop. It is harvested 2-3 times a year, the total volume is 126.5 million tons (1/4 of world production). In Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, rice fields occupy 4/5 of the cultivated area of the valley and delta lands of the Irivadi and Menem rivers.

The main crops in the region are also:

Coconut palm - gives nuts and koper (coconut core, from which oil is obtained). The region accounts for 70% of their world production, Malaysia - up to 49%;

Hevea - up to 90% of the world production of natural rubber falls on the countries of the region (Malaysia - 20% of world production);

Sugar cane (especially the Philippines and Thailand);

Tea (Indonesia, Vietnam);

Spices (everywhere);

Orchids (Singapore is the world leader in their cultivation);

Cotton, tobacco (in the dry season, countries located in the north of the region grow);

Coffee (Laos);

Opium poppy (grown in the area of the "Golden Triangle" - a remote region on the border of the territories of Thailand, Laos).

Notable producers and exporters of pineapples are Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Peppers are grown in Indonesia and Malaysia. Also, sago, cassava, cocoa, peanuts, vegetables and fruits, jute, etc. are cultivated in the countries of the region.

Livestock. It is very poorly developed due to the lack of pastures, the spread of tropical animal diseases. Livestock is used primarily as draft power. The total livestock is 45 million pigs, 42 million cattle, 26 million goats and sheep and almost 15 million buffaloes. Pigs are not bred by Muslim peoples.

Natural resources. The bowels of the territory have been poorly explored, but the explored reserves indicate rich deposits of mineral resources. There was a lot of hard coal in the region, only in the north of Vietnam there are insignificant reserves of it. In the shelf zone of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, oil and gas are produced. The world's largest metallogenic "Tin Belt" of Asia stretches through the region. Mesozoic deposits determined the richest reserves of non-ferrous metals: tin (in Indonesia - 1.5 million tons, Malaysia and Thailand - 1.2 million tons each), tungsten (reserves in Thailand - 25 thousand tons, Malaysia - 20 thousand tons). t). The region is rich in copper, zinc, lead, molybdenum, nickel, antimony, gold, cobalt, the Philippines - in copper and gold. Non-metallic minerals are represented by potash salt (Thailand, Laos), apatite (Vietnam), precious stones (sapphire, topaz, ruby) in Thailand.

Agro-climatic and soil resources. A warm and humid climate is the main prerequisite for a relatively high efficiency of agriculture; 2-3 crops are harvested here throughout the year. On fairly fertile red and yellow feralite soils, many agricultural crops of the hot zone are grown (rice, coconut palm, rubber tree - hevea, bananas, pineapples, tea, spices). On the islands, not only coastal areas are used, but also mountain slopes smoothed by volcanic activity (terraced agriculture).

Water resources are actively used for land irrigation in all countries. Moisture deficiency in the dry season requires considerable expenditures for the construction of irrigation facilities. Water mountain arteries of the peninsula of Indochina (Irrawaddy, Maenam, Mekong) and numerous mountain rivers of the islands are able to provide electricity needs.

The forest resources are exceptionally rich. The region is located in the Southern Forest Belt, forests cover 42% of its territory. The forests of the region are especially rich in wood, which has very valuable properties (strength, fire resistance, water repellency, attractive color): tok, sandalwood, legume trees, native pine species, sundri (mangrove) tree, palms.

The fish resources of the coastal zone of the seas and inland waters are of considerable importance in every country: fish and other marine products are widely used in the diet of the population. On some islands of the Malay Archipelago, pearls and mother-of-pearl shells are mined.

Population.

Population. 482.5 million people live in the region. The maximum number is in Indonesia (193.8 million), the minimum is in Brunei (310 thousand). The number of inhabitants of the country is very contrasting.

demographic features. In Southeast Asia, natural population growth has always been high - an average of 2.2% per year, and in some cases - up to 40%. The child population (under 14 years old) is 32%, the elderly - 4.5%. There are more women than men (50.3% and 49.7%

Ethnic composition. Only in the largest country in the region, Indonesia, there are more than 150 nationalities. On the territory of the Philippines, which is small compared to Indonesia, there are up to a hundred peculiar Malayo-Polynesian ethnic groups. In Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, more than 2/3 of the inhabitants are represented by Siamese (or Thai), Viet, Khmer, Lao and Burmese. In Malaysia, up to half of the population are Malay peoples close in language. The most mixed and multilingual population of Singapore are people from neighboring Asian countries (Chinese - 76%, Malays - 15%, Indians - 6%). In all states, the Chinese are the most numerous national minority, and in Singapore they even represent the majority of the population.

Aborigines of the countries of Southeast Asia widely profess local cults.

The population is distributed extremely unevenly. The maximum density is on about. Java, where up to 65% of the population of all Indonesia lives. Most of the inhabitants of Indochina live in the valleys of the rivers Irrawaddy, Mekong, Menem, here the population density reaches 500-600 people / km2, and in some areas up to 2000. The mountainous outskirts of the peninsular states and most of the small islands are very poorly populated, the average population density is not exceeds 3-5 people/km2. And in the center of Kalimantan and in the west about. New Guinea has uninhabited territories.

More than 1/5 of the inhabitants live in cities (Laos - 22, Vietnam - 21, Cambodia - 21, Thailand - 20%, etc.), only in Singapore they make up 100%. In general, this is one of the least urbanized regions of the world.

Labor resources. There are over 200 million people, of which 53% are employed in agriculture, 16% in industry, others are involved in the service sector.

Southeast Asia is a multinational region with social contrasts. The rapid growth of cities has led to an influx of unskilled labor into them, resulting in a concentration of people, an increase in crime, drug smuggling, unemployment, and so on. However, since the 1960s new business and shopping districts with modern buildings, skyscrapers built by American and Japanese companies are emerging in the countries of the region.

Agriculture. The agriculture of the region is insufficiently provided with land resources due to the high population density. Agriculture prevails over animal husbandry in it, manual work costs per unit of land area and low marketability of farms are large. Technique and technology are mostly very primitive.

The main crops in the region are also:

- coconut palm - gives nuts and koper (coconut core, from which oil is obtained). The region accounts for 70% of their world production, Malaysia - up to 49%;
- hevea - up to 90% of the world production of natural rubber falls on the countries of the region (Malaysia - 20% of world production, Indonesia, Vietnam);
- sugarcane (especially the Philippines and Thailand);
- tea (Indonesia, Vietnam);
- spices (everywhere);
- orchids (Singapore is the world leader in their cultivation);
- cotton, tobacco (in the dry season, countries located in the north of the region grow);
- coffee (Laos);
- opium poppy (grown in the area of the "Golden Triangle" - a remote region on the border of the territories of Thailand, Laos).

Sea and river fishing is widespread everywhere. Every year, countries catch up to 13.7 million tons of fish. Fish from freshwater reservoirs is fully used in the domestic market, and a significant amount of marine fish is exported. Thailand also exports a variety of tropical fish intended for aquariums.

The basis of agricultural production in the region is the plantation economy, which employs the majority of the population, and the export of plantation crops provides most of the budget revenues.

Transport. In general, transport in the region is unevenly developed. A few railroads connect the main commodity-producing regions with the capitals. Their total length is 25,339 km, while Laos and Brunei do not have railways. Recently, road transport has been developing rapidly. The total fleet includes 5.8 million passenger and 2.3 million trucks.

The main role in all countries is played by water transport, in peninsular - by river, island - by sea. The Strait of Malacca is of great importance in the transport complex (its length is 937 km, the smallest width is 15 km, the smallest depth in the fairway is 12 m). Sailboats are also used for transportation between the islands. Singapore has its own merchant fleets (11.4 million br. - register, t), Thailand (2.5 million br. - register, t), Indonesia (2.3 million br. - register, t.). The port of Singapore is one of the largest in the world in terms of total cargo turnover (280 million tons) and the third after Rotterdam and Hong Kong in handling sea containers (14 million conventional commodity units). The major ports are Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Danang (Vietnam), Jakarta, Surabaya (Indonesia), Kuantan, Klan, Kota Kina Balu (Malaysia), Bangkok (Thailand), etc. Air transport is progressing significantly in the region. There are 165 airports with regular flights. Over the past years, Changi Airport (Singapore) has been the world leader in terms of service quality and operational efficiency. Its annual capacity has reached 24 million air passengers, in the near future it may increase to 60 million passengers. The main flights between domestic airports are operated by the national airlines Garuda (Indonesia), Singapore Airlines (Singapore).

The main railways and highways connect the ports of the countries with their hinterlands and serve mainly foreign economic relations.

Foreign economic relations. The agrarian-raw material orientation of the economy connects the countries of the region with the world market. The export of goods for them is the most important source of foreign exchange.

Exports ($422.3 billion) are dominated by:

- in Brunei - oil and gas;
- in Vietnam - cotton fabrics, knitwear, rubber, tea, rubber shoes, rice;
- in Indonesia - oil and gas, agricultural products, plywood, textiles, rubber;
- in Cambodia - rubber, wood, rosin, fruits, fish, spices, rice;
- in Laos - electricity, products of the forest and woodworking industries, coffee, tin concentrate;
- in Malaysia - oil and gas, rubber, tin, palm oil, wood, electronics, textiles;
- in Singapore - equipment, devices, machines, light industry products, electronics;
- in Thailand - rice, rubber, tin, corn, cassava, sugar, textiles, kenaf, jute, teak, integrated circuits;
- in the Philippines - coconut oil, copper concentrate, copra, bananas, sugar, gold, electronic equipment.

The main import goods ($364.0 billion) are: oil and oil products, machinery, equipment, steel, chemical products, vehicles, medicines, etc. Singapore is the site of large international trade and industrial exhibitions, scientific and technical symposiums and conferences (700-750 per year).

Recreation and tourism. The region is rich in recreational resources, which are underused due to the economic backwardness of some countries. The basis for the development of the tourist area are the unique and picturesque equatorial landscapes, resort areas of the coast, historical and architectural monuments of different eras, the exotic of modern life and the traditions of different peoples.

East Asia: China, Taiwan, Japan, North Korea, Republic of Korea and Mongolia.

1. EGP. East Asian countries border on Russia, the countries of Southeast, South and Central Asia. This neighborhood has a neutral effect on the region. Among the neighbors, there are no regions that are many times superior to it in development, and there are no regions that are many times behind it.

East Asia has access to the Pacific Ocean, which favors its development; the length of the coastline is 18,676 km. There are a significant number of ports on the coast through which trade links with the rest of the world are carried out. Among the land routes, the roads connecting the region with the west are of great importance. Here, through the territory of China and Mongolia, the shortest routes from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the countries of Europe run.

The main fuel and raw material bases are not at a significant distance from the region, while the main consumer is further away. These factors offset each other.

2. Natural conditions and resources. The East Asia region occupies almost 8% of the Earth's land area. Its natural conditions are varied.

The relief is very complex. In the west is one of the largest and highest uplands on the globe - Tibet with an area of almost 2 million km 2. Surrounded by powerful ranges - Kun-Lun in the north, Karakorum in the west, the Himalayas in the south and the Sino-Tibetan mountains in the east, the highlands have numerous internal ridges that reach 6000-7000 m in height, and intermountain plains 4000-5000 m high. the plains are cool even in summer, daytime temperatures do not exceed +10...+15°С, frosts occur at night. The winter here is long, with severe frosts (-30...-40 0 C), winds blow almost constantly, the air is very dry, and precipitation falls up to 100 mm per year, almost the same as in the desert. Therefore, according to the conditions of plant landscapes, Tibet is classified as a cold high-mountainous desert. The snow line is located at altitudes of 5000-6000 m (the highest position on the globe). Tibet is composed mainly of sandstones, limestones, shales, ridges - mostly granites and gneisses.

The region is characterized by high seismic and volcanic activity. Earthquakes occur in the belt of young mountains and are especially frequent in the Japanese Islands, where there are 150 volcanoes, including 60 active ones. On average, one notable earthquake occurs every three days. One of the most seismically unsafe is the Tokyo Bay area.

Seismic events in deep-sea basins, located several tens of kilometers east of the region, are associated with sea quakes and the huge tsunami waves caused by them, from which the eastern coasts of Japan and Taiwan suffer the most.

In the east, low mountains alternate with accumulative plains, where the largest is the Great China Plain, the occurrence of which is due mostly to the deposits of the river. Huanghe. Its surface is flat, its height is up to 100 m, composed of a thick layer of alluvium. There are also low plains on the Korean Peninsula, where they occupy 1/4 of the territory.

The region is located in three climatic zones (temperate, subtropical and subequatorial). The tropical belt is absent here due to the monsoon circulation. Large expanses of Mongolia and Western China (Tibet) are stretched in areas of high mountain climate. Monsoon air flows in the warm period of the year blow from the ocean to dry land, in the cold - vice versa. The summer monsoons bring precipitation, the amount of which decreases from south to north. In the south-eastern part of the region there is 1000-2000 mm of precipitation, in the eastern part - 400-900 mm, in the north-eastern part - 250-700 mm. In the monsoon zone, spring and autumn are predominantly dry, so artificial irrigation is widely used in agriculture.

The great rivers of Asia - the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Salween, the Mekong, the Yangtze, the Yellow River - originate from the Tibetan Plateau. Its eastern mainland and insular parts have a relatively dense river system, there are very few rivers in the west, and vast deserts and semi-deserts are completely devoid of them. Many rivers are navigable. Without exception, all rivers are used for irrigation.

Mineral resources are very rich. Most of them are concentrated in China - one of the "geological barns of the world." The region has significant reserves of coal (there are in all countries, but the maximum is in China, which occupies the 1st place in the world in terms of its production - 1290 million tons per year), brown coal (north of Mongolia and northeast of the DPRK), oil (north -east and west of China, sea shelf), oil shale (northeast and south of China). In Japan and South Korea, very few deposits are of industrial importance.

The Pacific metallogenic belt stretches through the eastern territories of the mainland of the region, with which deposits of manganese, tungsten, molybdenum, tin, antimony, mercury and other metals are associated. Their largest reserves are in China, North Korea, Mongolia; iron ore - in the northeast of China, copper-molybdenum deposits - in the north of Mongolia (Erdenet deposit). Japan is poor in industrial metal deposits.

Non-metallic minerals form reserves of phosphorites (many in central and southern China, in the north of Mongolia), graphite (South Korea), fluorite (very large reserves in the north-east of Mongolia), sulfur (in Japan, the deposits are associated with the volcanic origin of the islands, where sulfur is rich in the northern regions of the island of Honshu).

Numerous lakes of Japan, China, South Korea are the source of fresh water.

Agro-climatic resources are favorable (especially in the east). The monsoon climate makes it possible to farm in two modes: in the dry and wet seasons. In the south, 2-3 crops are harvested per year.

There is an acute shortage of suitable and affordable land in Japan, which is reclaiming new territories from the sea. Therefore, almost 1/3 of its shores are bulk or reclaimed, artificial "garbage islands" are widespread.

The region is not rich in forest resources. The forest cover of the territory is on average less than 40%. Coniferous forests dominate in the northeast of China, in the north of Mongolia, Japan, mixed - in Japan, northern and central parts of China. Humid tropical (rain) forests have not been preserved in their natural form, their small massifs grow in the southeast of China, in Taiwan. In general, forests are significantly depleted by human economic activity.

Due to the pollution of land, reservoirs, atmosphere by industrial and domestic wastes, the ecological state of the countries of the region has significantly deteriorated. Protected areas are of great importance in the preservation of natural ecosystems.

3. Population and resettlement. Population. The region is the most populated in the world, with about 1.5 billion people who make up almost 24% of the world's population. China is the most populous country in the world (more than 1.3 billion people).

demographic features. The overpopulation of the region, the traditions of having many children caused an acute demographic problem, especially in China. This required urgent action on the part of the government, whose demographic policy is aimed at reducing the birth rate and natural population growth. As a result of its implementation, the population growth rate at the beginning of the 60s of the XX century. were approximately 2% per year, at the end of the 90s - almost 1.3%.

The birth rate in East Asia is approximately 14‰ per year, and the death rate is 6‰. Thus, the natural increase was 8‰.

The ratio of men and women in the region is proportional: women - 49.9%, men - 50.1%. The population under the age of 14 is 24%, 15-64 years old - 68%, older - 8%.

Racial composition. The majority of the population of the region (Chinese, Mongols, Koreans) are Mongoloids. The southern Chinese and Japanese are of mixed racial type (mongoloid and australoid traits). The Ainu live in Japan - natives who belong to a separate racial group of Australoids.

The ethnic composition is very heterogeneous. The following language families are represented here:

Sino-Tibetan family:

Chinese group. The Chinese (Han) belong to it, the Dunganins (hui) are Muslim Chinese;

Tibeto-Burmese group. Covers the peoples of the Izu, the Tibetans (they live in the southwest of China), etc.;

Altai family:

Mongolian group. It is formed by the Khalkha Mongols (inhabitants of Mongolia), the Mongols of China (they live in the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia);

Tungus-Manchu group. These are the Manchus (living in the northeast of China), who are very much assimilated by the Han;

Turkic group. It includes Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kirghiz (they live in the north-west of China);

The Japanese are a separate family;

Koreans are a separate family;

The Ainu are a separate family, represented by the natives of Japan, who remained mainly on about. Hokkaido;

Thai family. Zhuangs belong - the largest people of China from national minorities (up to 12 million people), who live in the south of the country, the peoples of Tai, whether others;

Austro-Asiatic family. They form the peoples of Miao, Yao, coffee, who live in the south of China on the border with the countries of Indochina;

Austronesian family - gaoshan (indigenous people of the island of Taiwan).

Religious composition. A variety of religions and their directions are widespread in the region. First of all, this is a powerful cell of Confucian culture, which originated in China in the 6th-5th centuries. BC. Over time, Buddhism penetrated East Asia from India, and local religions - Taoism (China) and Shintoism (Japan) - retained their significance. The peoples of northwest China (Dunganin, Uighur, Kazakh, Kirghiz) are Sunni Muslims.

Confucianism is the basis of a specific East Asian civilization. Its moral and ethical system provides for a comprehensive regulation of society, group standards of behavior, high discipline and developed moral attitudes.

Many countries in East Asia are multi-confessional, where several religions coexist.

Peculiarities of natural conditions determined the uneven settlement of people in the region. Japan and Korea are more densely populated (300-400 people/km2). China is rather unevenly populated: according to an average density of 127 people / km2, 90% of the population lives in its east on 1/3 of the country's area. In Tibet, the population density is less than 1 person/km2. There are generally uninhabited areas.

The processes of urbanization in the region are very diverse. For example, Japan, South Korea are highly urbanized countries of the world (78-81% of urban residents). There are more than 250 million people living in cities in China. It is unusual for him to spread the urban way of life to rural settlements. 900 million people live in small villages (100-200 families).

The five largest agglomerations of Asia are located precisely in its eastern region: Tokyo (30.3 million people), Osaka (16.9 million), Seoul (15.8 million), Chongqing (15 million), Shanghai (13.5 million) . China, being a predominantly rural country, has more large cities than anywhere else: over 100 million-plus cities and almost 50 more cities have a population of more than 500,000 people. The three largest agglomerations of Japan - Keihin (Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, etc.), Hanshin (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and up to 100 others), Chukyo (Nagoya and other 80 settlements) - are merging into the world's largest urbanized system - the megalopolis of Tokkaido, which stretches for 600 km between Tokyo and Osaka, uniting over 60 million people.

Labor resources. The region owns huge labor resources both in cities and in villages. Persons of working age - up to 810 million. Most of all employed in the manufacturing industry, their number is rapidly increasing in the financial sector. The share of employment in agriculture is significant only in China (50%), while in Japan - only 7%, in industrial production - 26% (in China - 15% - the lowest figure in the region).

The main social problems in the region are the "aging" of the population and uneven distribution.

4. General characteristics of the economy. The countries of East Asia are the most heterogeneous in the socio-economic aspect. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan belong to the capitalist countries with developed mixed economies; China follows a special path of economic development, combining the principles of planned and market management. Mongolia embarked on the path of economic and political reforms after the domination of the totalitarian regime. North Korea is a unique state where people are still trying to build communism on the basis of a command-administrative system in the economy and a totalitarian regime in politics.

In the countries of the region (except Japan), the state holds leading positions in economic life. In China and the DPRK, the socialist economic system dominates. The most important means of production are concentrated in the public sector of these countries: enterprises of industry, transport and communications, financial institutions, state agricultural enterprises. In Taiwan, the state controls most financial companies and corporations, the entire telecommunications system, metallurgy, railways, shipbuilding, the chemical industry, the production of building materials, owns 70% of the land, and controls the banking system. In South Korea, the state regulates macroeconomic parameters, credit and tax spheres, controls financial activities, manages the activities of public sector enterprises, which combines a significant part of the extractive areas, infrastructure, the service sector, and railways.

In Japan, the public sector is small and operates primarily in the areas of infrastructure. At the local level, the state owns public utilities, transport, schools, hospitals, several thousand companies that are engaged in the construction and operation of public housing, toll roads, port facilities, shopping malls and markets, etc. Many large monopolistic associations have close economic ties with the state sector and actively use state credits and loans.

At the beginning of the XXI century. countries in the region have better prospects for economic growth than they did a decade ago. By becoming economically open, they were able to import the latest technologies, knowledge and business practices. Enterprises have become more flexible in their activities, to which they were pushed by competition and the need to adapt to new economic conditions.

In the international geographical division of labor, the countries of the region differ significantly in areas of specialization. Japan stands out in high-tech areas (electronics, robotics, automotive, household appliances), belongs to the top three world leaders in the development of the chemical industry (especially pharmaceuticals, organic synthesis chemistry) and biotechnology.

The NIS countries have a strong position in the science-intensive areas of mechanical engineering (electronics, production of computers, communications, electronic toys, etc.). South Korea is one of the world leaders in the development of shipbuilding. Light industry (production of fabrics, linen, footwear) is highly developed in all NIS countries.

China is an important producer of agricultural products (vegetables, fruits, pork, soybeans, tea, raw silk, leather), as well as textiles, metal, certain engineering products (bicycles, household appliances), food and light industry products (clothes, shoes) . Mongolia exports wool, leather, fur and handicrafts from them.

5. Industries and agriculture. In the late 50s - early 60s of the XX century. the production potential of the region, which was based on light industry, was reoriented to heavy industry. In recent years, a course has been taken to develop science-intensive industries.

Fuel and energy complex. The basis of the energy industry is the extraction of coal - raw materials for thermal power plants located in coal basins and large cities. The countries of the region (China and South Korea) have rich hydropower resources, but use them little. Powerful hydroelectric power plants have been built on the Huang He, Songhua, Yangtze rivers, as well as in the mountains of Central Honshu. The total electricity production is 1254.2 billion kWh.

Nuclear power plants are common. Japan is one of the world leaders in the development of nuclear power plants (40 nuclear reactors with a capacity of 195.5 million kW) built under French and American licenses. South Korea (11 nuclear units with a capacity of 45 million kW), China (2 nuclear power plants with a capacity of 1200 MW) and Taiwan (6 units) are actively developing nuclear power. Uranium raw materials are supplied mainly from Africa. Nuclear development is carried out in the DPRK.

Ferrous metallurgy. One of the most developed areas of the region. In many countries, there are full-cycle metallurgical plants that produce cast iron, steel, and rolled products. The modernized metallurgy of Japan is one of the most powerful in the world. The leader of Japanese metallurgy, a powerful and influential corporation, Nippon Seitetsu, unites over 500 companies, organizations and scientific institutions with an annual capital turnover of several billion dollars. Japan annually produces 101.7 million tons of steel - the most in the world. The main areas for the development of China's ferrous metallurgy (95.4 million tons of steel annually) are the northeast and north.

Non-ferrous metallurgy. Less developed than black. The growing demand for non-ferrous metals stimulates a constant increase in their production volumes. Their largest producers are China (tin, copper, antimony, lead) and Japan (aluminum, copper, lead). Bauxites and ore raw materials are imported from the countries of Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. China is one of the world leaders in the production of rare earth metals.

Mechanical engineering and metalworking. These are one of the most developed regions in the region, with over 53,000 types of products - from mining equipment and tractors to various types of equipment and computers.

The production of machine tools, especially automatic machine tools in Japan, and metalworking in China have gained significant development. Japan holds the 1st place in the world in terms of production of industrial robots.

The automotive industry is developing intensively. Japan, since 1981, firmly held the 1st place in the world in terms of the number of cars produced, losing in 1998 to the USA. Every year, Japan's leading concerns - Toyota, Nissan, Honda and others - produce over 10.5 million cars. The competitiveness of Japanese cars is achieved by their comparable cheapness, efficiency and reliability. Until recently, South Korea held a strong position in the global automotive market (2.5 million units), but after the financial collapse of the country's main automobile concern, Daewoo, this area suffered significant damage.

Electronics and electrical engineering have become important areas of industry in recent years. The Japanese electronics industry, represented by the Sony, Hitachi, Matsushita, and Toshiba concerns, produces 60% of televisions in the world, is a powerful manufacturer of industrial robots, machine tools with numerical control, certain types of microprocessors, and video recorders. South Korea is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic and electrical products for household use: 11 of its corporations belong to the list of the 500 largest in the world, and 4 - to the 100 largest.

China is intensively developing the electronic and electrical industries, where electronic equipment for military aircraft, missiles, artificial Earth satellites and space equipment, as well as a variety of consumer electronics are being produced. Taiwan specializes in the production of computers and displays for them.

The leaders in world shipbuilding are South Korea and Japan, whose companies produce river and sea vessels, multi-tonnage special vessels: dry cargo ships, tankers, container ships, timber carriers, refrigerators, etc. The region's shipyards annually launch half of the world's newly built ships. For many years, Japan has been ranked 1st in the world in terms of their production (8.5 million tons), and South Korea is in 2nd place (6.2 million tons). Taiwan is one of the world leaders in the production of sports yachts.

The production of equipment for the textile, clothing and knitwear industries is also developed, and China is one of the first in the world in the manufacture of household sewing machines. It is the leader in the production of bicycles (annually produces 41 million units).

Chemical industry. The areas of basic chemistry predominate, primarily the production of mineral fertilizers (China ranks second in the world in terms of their production after the USA - 23.2 million tons). In Japan, the potential of the fields of organic chemistry (the production of synthetic fibers and plastics), biochemistry (the production of effective medicinal preparations, agricultural plant protection products), and the production of vitamins is powerful. Petrochemical production in the region is represented by large plants located in ports that import oil. The chemical-pharmaceutical field is successfully developing (China is one of the largest producers of medicines, the main center for the production of medicines is Shanghai).

Light industry. Traditional area for all countries of the region. It has received the greatest development in China, which produces 1/4 of the world's cotton fabrics (18.3 billion m 2) and 1/10 of chemical fiber fabrics. China is the birthplace of sericulture. For many centuries it maintained a monopoly on the production of silk fabrics and is now a leading manufacturer and exporter of natural silk fabrics. Silk, especially natural, Chinese fabrics are valued all over the world for their high quality. In terms of the total production of all types of fabrics, China has taken the 1st place in the world. The largest textile center in the region is Shanghai.

Taiwan is one of the world leaders in the production of shoes (especially sports shoes), sportswear and equipment (tennis rackets, balls, etc.). In Mongolia, the production of wool (sheep and camel) traditionally develops, which is used for the manufacture of fabrics, carpets, felt mats, felt shoes, and leather production has also been established.

Agriculture in most countries of the region (China, Mongolia, South Korea, North Korea) is characterized by parcel land ownership (less than 1 hectare per person), orientation towards patriarchal clan interests, favor to traditional methods of management.

Plant growing. The structure of agriculture is dominated by agriculture (except for Mongolia, where nomadic cattle breeding is developed). The basis of the grain economy is rice and wheat. Rice is the main food crop in the region. It is grown mainly in the subtropical and tropical zones with sufficient moisture, collecting an average of 213.5 million tons every year with an average yield of 56 centners per hectare, in China it is the highest in the world (75-80 centners per hectare). In southern China, two crops are grown per year.

Corn, kaoliang (sorghum), chumizu are also cultivated, their crops are used for food and food purposes. Oil crops are represented by rapeseed, peanuts, cotton, and soybeans. Among the legumes, the most common are soybeans, fodder beans, and peas. Soy began to be cultivated in China almost 4,000 years ago. Its selection fund - 1200 varieties, which makes it possible to grow this crop in different climatic conditions. From tuber crops, sweet potatoes (yam), white potatoes, yams, containers, and cassava are grown.

Of great importance for the economies of the countries of the region is the production of industrial crops, the most important of which are cotton, sugar cane and sugar beet. One of the main areas is vegetable growing, in which the largest plantations are occupied by Chinese cabbage, radish, garlic, spinach, etc. Fruit growing is intensively developing. The most popular fruits are strawberries, apples, pears, peaches, persimmons, oranges, plums, tangerines, pineapples. The traditional culture in the region is tea, whose homeland is China.

Livestock. It belonged to the underdeveloped areas of the economy, after the Second World War it began to develop actively. The number of cattle reaches 104 million heads, of which half are dairy cows. Since all the lands in the agricultural regions are plowed up, the main attention in the region is given to the breeding of pigs, rabbits and poultry. The number of pigs reaches 480 million heads. According to this indicator, China has been out of competition for many years. The majority of pigs are grown in private farms of peasants, where pig breeding is almost entirely based on industrial and household waste. In suburban farms, a significant place is occupied by poultry farming, which is currently the most dynamic area. The most common types of native birds are chickens, pitching, turkeys, geese.

In China and Mongolia, mules, buffaloes, donkeys are bred for transport needs, in Mongolia - two-humped camels (Bactrians) and yaks.

Among the old areas of animal husbandry are beekeeping and sericulture. China is one of the largest exporters of honey, ranking second in the world. Its annual export is 1/3 of the world. The history of the development of sericulture in China has four millennia. Bred mainly mulberry, and in the northeast - oak silkworm.

Fishing and fish farming. Traditional areas of economy for Japan, Korea, Taiwan. Fish are caught in coastal sea waters and in rivers and lakes. The main objects of the fishery are herring, cod, salmon, flounder, they get seafood, especially algae (seaweed) and various mollusks. The total fish catch is 44 million tons, and Japan is in first place in the world (up to 12 million tons), China is in second place.

Eastern medieval science. The development of mathematical knowledge, algebra, medicine, logic, etc. (Al Kindi, al Farabi, ibn Sina, al Khorezmi)

General characteristics of the region. Southeast Asia (SEA) is a vast region of the world, where 11 sovereign states are located with an area of about 4.5 km2