Southeast Asia Geography and Culture Practice Flashcards

These flashcards provide a vocabulary review of the physical features, environmental issues, human geography, religions, and migration theories of Southeast Asia.

Physical Geography

The branch of geography that focuses on the structure of the earth.

Human Geography

The branch of geography that studies the interaction between human beings and their environment.

Mainland Southeast Asia

The part of Southeast Asia attached to the larger continental landmass, including Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Insular Southeast Asia

The portion of Southeast Asia made up of islands, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor Leste, and Indonesia.

Dipterocarps

Useful trees found in the Mainland of Southeast Asia.

Coral Triangle

A significant marine feature located in Insular Southeast Asia.

Desertification

An environmental problem where land becomes dry.

Salinization

An environmental problem where soil builds up soil, because of the typhoons/rain.

Hinterlands

Rural areas that become isolated because of city growth.

Ecological Imbalance

A state in which the environment is disturbed by human activity.

Ethnolinguistic Groups

Groups of people who share the same language, custom, and culture.

Austronesian Language Family

A language group characterized by the use of root words, affixes, and clusters.

Animism

The belief that all things and living beings in the environment possess spirits and souls.

Hinduism

A religion that believes in many gods and centers on core concepts such as reincarnation, karma, dharma, and moksha.

Reincarnation

The Hindu belief in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Karma

The belief that actions have consequences.

Dharma

The core Hindu belief of right behavior.

Moksha

The Hindu belief in freedom from the cycle of life and death.

Buddhism

A religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) that teaches life is full of suffering caused by desire and follows the eightfold path to enlightenment.

Islam

The largest religion in Southeast Asia, based on the belief in Allah and Prophet Muhammad, following the Qur'an and the five pillars.

Five Pillars of Islam

The religious practices of Islam: Shahada (Faith), Zakat (Charity), Sawn (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage).

Lower Class

The social class comprising $8\%$ of the population who rely on the government and occupy poorly paid jobs.

Working Class

The social class comprising $32\%$ of the population consisting of blue collar workers with low job security and high risk of poverty.

Lower Middle Class

The social class comprising $32\%$ of the population who are semi-professionals with a college education and an average standard of living.

Upper Middle Class

The social class comprising $14\%$ of the population who are highly educated, commonly salaried, and in middle management.

Upper Class

The social class comprising $14\%$ of the population including top-level executives, celebrities, heirs, and professionals.

Consanguineous

A kinship type referring to relatives by blood.

Affinal

A kinship type referring to relatives through marriage.

Devaraja

A term meaning god-king, representing the belief that the king was a representative of a native god.

Mandala System

A Sanskrit word meaning "Circle," where power is centered around a strong leader (devaraja) and does not have fixed borders.

Push Factors

Reasons why people migrate out of a location, such as climate change, lack of resources, natural disasters, and conflicts.

Pull Factors

Reasons why people migrate to a new location, such as fertile land, abundant resources, better climate, and trade opportunities.

Mainland Hypothesis

The theory proposed by Peter Bellwood that Austronesian-speaking people originated from mainland Asia or Taiwan.

Island Hypothesis

The theory proposed by Wilhelm Solheim that Austronesian-speaking people originated from the islands of Southeast Asia.

Wet-Rice Cultivation

A staple agricultural practice in many parts of Southeast Asia that shaped its social structure.