Asian Civilizations

8/8/2019 Asian Civilizations

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ASIAN CIVILIZATIONS

RESEARCH

SUBMITTED BY:

RACHELLE E. CALMABSN IVA

SUBMITTED TO:

Mr. KENNETH ANDRES-R.N.INSTRUCTOR


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VIETNAM

I. PREHISTORIC TIMES

The ancient Vietnamese people were first known simply as the Lac or Lac Vietin recorded history andthe country of Vietnamduring that time was known asV n Lang. Archaeological evidence of the bronzeage Dong Son Culture, also known as Lac Society, suggest the ancient Vietnamese people were amongthe first to practice agriculture.

In 258 BC,An D ng V ngfounded the kingdom of u L cin what is now northern Vietnam. In 208BC,Chao Tuo(known as Tri u in Vietnamese), a former Qin Dynastygeneral from China, allied withthe leaders of theYue peoplesin what is now modern-dayGuangdongand declared himself King of Southern Yue. He defeatedAn D ng V ngand then combinedu L cwith territories in southernChina and named his kingdom Nam Vi t, or Southern Yue ( Nam means "south"). Vi t is cognate toYue,which is the pronunciation of Yue in ancient Chinese and some modern southern Chinese dialects. The

term was used inbai yue ("hundred Viet") for the various peoples in what is now southern China,including the regions of northern Vietnam.

II.RELIGION

he earliest establishedreligions in Vietnam are Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, andTaoism(calledthe triple religionor t am gio ). Significant minorities of adherents toRoman Catholicism, Cao Dai, andHoa Haoand smaller minorities of adherents toProtestantism, Islam, Hinduism, andTheravadaBuddhismwere established later, in recent centuries.

The majority of Vietnamese people classify themselves as non-religious, although they visit religioustemples several times every year. Their everyday behaviours and attitudes are dictated by the synthesis o philosophies which can be traced from many religions, especiallyMahayana Buddhism, Confucianism,andTaoism. Those religions have been co-existing in the country for centuries and mixed perfectly withthe Vietnamese tradition of worshiping their ancestors and national heroes. That special mix explains whthe people there find it hard to say exactly which religion they belong to.

III.GEOGRAPHY & POPULATION

GEOGRAPHY

Vietnam is located in the southeastern extremity of the Indochinese peninsula and occupies about 331,68square kilometers, of which about 25 percent was under cultivation in 1987. The S-shaped country has anorth-to-south distance of 1,650 kilometers and is about 50 kilometers wide at the narrowest point. With coastline of 3,260 kilometers, excluding islands, Vietnam claims 12 nautical miles as the limit of itsterritorial waters, an additional 12 nautical miles as a contiguous customs and security zone, and 200nautical miles as an exclusive economic zone.

The boundary with Laos, settled, on an ethnic basis, between the rulers of Vietnam and Laos in the mid-seventeenth century, was formally defined by a delimitation treaty signed in 1977 and ratified in 1986.


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The frontier with Cambodia, defined at the time of French annexation of the western part of the MekongRiver Delta in 1867, remained essentially unchanged, according to Hanoi, until some unresolved border issues were finally settled in the 1982-85 period. The land and sea boundary with China, delineated undethe France-China treaties of 1887 and 1895, is "the frontier line" accepted by Hanoi that China agreed in1957- 58 to respect. However, in February 1979, following China's limited invasion of Vietnam, Hanoicomplained that from 1957 onward China had provoked numerous border incidents as part of its anti-Vietnam policy and expansionist designs in Southeast Asia. Among the territorial infringements cited wathe Chinese occupation in January 1974 of the Paracel Islands, claimed by both countries in a dispute lefunresolved in the 1980s.

Vietnam is a country of tropical lowlands, hills, and densely forested highlands, with level land coveringno more than 20 percent of the area. The country is divided into the highlands and the Red River Delta inthe north; and the Giai Truong Son (Central mountains, or the Chane Annamitique, sometimes referred tsimply as the Chaine), the coastal lowlands, and the Mekong River Delta in the south.

The Red River Delta, a flat, triangular region of 3,000 square kilometers, is smaller but more intenselydeveloped and more densely populated than the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkinit has been filled in by the enormous alluvial deposits of the rivers, over a period of millennia, and itadvances one hundred meters into the gulf annually. The ancestral home of the ethnic Vietnamese, thedelta accounted for almost 70 percent of the agriculture and 80 percent of the industry of North Vietnam before 1975.

The Red River (Song Hong in Vietnamese), rising in China's Yunnan Province, is about 1,200 kilometerslong. Its two main tributaries, the Song Lo (also called the Lo River, the Riviere Claire, or the Clear River) and the Song Da (also called the Black River or Riviere Noire), contribute to its high water volume, which averages 500 million cubic meters per second, but may increase by more than 60 times atthe peak of the rainy season. The entire delta region, backed by the steep rises of the forested highlands, no more than three meters above sea level, and much of it is one meter or less. The area is subject tofrequent flooding; at some places the high-water mark of floods is fourteen meters above the surroundingcountryside. For centuries flood control has been an integral part of the delta's culture and economy. Anextensive system of dikes and canals has been built to contain the Red River and to irrigate the rich rice-growing delta. Modeled on that of China, this ancient system has sustained a highly concentrated population and has made double-cropping wet-rice cultivation possible throughout about half the region.

The highlands and mountain plateaus in the north and northwest are inhabited mainly by tribal minoritygroups. The Giai Truong Son originates in the Xizang (Tibet) and Yunnan regions of southwest Chinaand forms Vietnam's border with Laos and Cambodia. It terminates in the Mekong River Delta north of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

These central mountains, which have several high plateaus, are irregular in elevation and form. Thenorthern section is narrow and very rugged; the country's highest peak, Fan Si Pan, rises to 3,142 metersin the extreme northwest. The southern portion has numerous spurs that divide the narrow coastal stripinto a series of compartments. For centuries these topographical features not only rendered north-southcommunication difficult but also formed an effective natural barrier for the containment of the peopleliving in the Mekong basin.

Within the southern portion of Vietnam is a plateau known as the Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen),approximately 51,800 square kilometers of rugged mountain peaks, extensive forests, and rich soil.Comprising 5 relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil spread over the provinces of Dac Lac and Gia Lai-KonTom, the highlands accounts for 16 percent of the country's arable land and 22 percent of its total forested


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land. Before 1975 North Vietnam had maintained that the Central Highlands and the Giai Truong Sonwere strategic areas of paramount importance, essential to the domination not only of South Vietnam butalso of the southern part of Indochina. Since 1975 the highlands have provided an area in which torelocate people from the densely populated lowlands.

The narrow, flat coastal lowlands extend from south of the Red River Delta to the Mekong River basin.On the landward side, the Giai Truong Son rises precipitously above the coast, its spurs jutting into thesea at several places. Generally the coastal strip is fertile and rice is cultivated intensively.

The Mekong, which is 4,220 kilometers long, is one of the 12 great rivers of the world. From its source ithe Xizang plateau, it flows through the Xizang and Yunnan regions of China, forms the boundary between Laos and Burma as well as between Laos and Thailand, divides into two branches--the Song HaGiang and Song Tien Giang--below Phnom Penh, and continues through Cambodia and the Mekong bas before draining into the South China Sea through nine mouths or cuu long (nine dragons). The river isheavily silted and is navigable by seagoing craft of shallow draft as far as Kompong Cham in Cambodia.A tributary entering the river at Phnom Penh drains the Tonle Sap, a shallow freshwater lake that acts aa natural reservoir to stabilize the flow of water through the lower Mekong. When the river is in floodstage, its silted delta outlets are unable to carry off the high volume of water. Floodwaters back up intothe Tonle Sap, causing the lake to inundate as much as 10,000 square kilometers. As the flood subsides,the flow of water reverses and proceeds from the lake to the sea. The effect is to reduce significantly thedanger of devastating floods in the Mekong delta, where the river floods the surrounding fields each yearto a level of one to two meters.

The Mekong delta, covering about 40,000 square kilometers, is a low-level plain not more than threemeters above sea level at any point and criss-crossed by a maze of canals and rivers. So much sediment icarried by the Mekong's various branches and tributaries that the delta advances sixty to eighty metersinto the sea every year. An official Vietnamese source estimates the amount of sediment depositedannually to be about 1 billion cubic meters, or nearly 13 times the amount deposited by the Red River.About 10,000 square kilometers of the delta are under rice cultivation, making the area one of the major rice-growing regions of the world. The southern tip, known as the Ca Mau Peninsula (Mui Bai Bung), iscovered by dense jungle and mangrove swamps.

POPULATION : (2009): 85.79 million.

PHILIPPINESI. PREHISTORIC TIMES

Stone-Age humans arrive (30000 BC)The most widely known theory of the prehistoric peopling of the Philippines is that of H. Otley Beyer ,founder of the Anthropology Department of the University of the Philippines. Heading that departmentfor 40 years, Professor Beyer became the unquestioned expert on Philippine prehistory., exerting earlyleadership in the field and influencing the first generation of Filipino historians and anthropologists,archaeologists, paleontologists, geologists,and students the world over. According to Dr. Beyer, theancestors of the Filipinos came in different "waves of migration", as follows


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1. "Dawn Man", a cave-man type who was similar toJava man, Peking Man, and other Asianhomo sapiensof 250,000 years ago.

2. The aboriginal pygmy group, the Negritos, who arrived between 25,000 and 30,000 yearsago vialand bridges.

3. The sea-faring tool-usingIndonesiangroup who arrived about 5,000 to 6,000 years agoand were the first immigrants to reach the Philippines by sea.

4. The seafaring, more civilized Malays who brought theIron ageculture and were the realcolonizers and dominant cultural group in the pre-Hispanic Philippines.

Unfortunately, there is no definite evidence, archaeological or historical, to support this "migrationtheory". On the contrary, there are sufficient reasons for doubting it, including the following:[3]

1. Beyer used the 19th century scientific methods of progressive evolution and migratorydiffusion as the basis for his hypothesis. These methods have now been proven to be toosimple and unreliable to explain the prehistoric peopling of the Philippines.

2. The empirical archaeological data for the theory was based on surface finds and mereconjecture, with much imagination and unproven data included.

3. Later findings contradicted the migration theory and the existence of the "Dawn Man" postulated by Beyer.

4. Undue credit is given to Malays as the original settlers of the lowland regions and thedominant cultural transmitter.

Tabon Cave is named after the "Tabon Bird" (Tabon Scrubfowl, Megapodius Cumingii), which depositedthick hard layers of guanoduring periods when the cave was uninhabited so that succeeding groups of tool-makers settled on a cement-like floor of bird dung. That the inhabitants were actually engaged in toomanufacture is indicated that about half of the 3,000 recovered specimens examined are discarded coresof a material which had to be transported from some distance. The Tabon man fossils are considered tohave come from a third group of inhabitants, who worked the cave between 22,000 and 20,000 BCE. Anearlier cave level lies so far below the level containing cooking fire assemblages that it must representUpper Pleistocenedates like 45 or 50 thousand years ago

About 30,000 years ago, the Negritos, who became the ancestors of today'sAetas, or AboriginalFilipinos, descended from more northerly abodes in Central Asia passing through the Indian Subcontinenand reaching the Andamanese Islands. From thereon, the Negritos continued to venture on land bridgesreachingSoutheast Asia. While some of the Negritos settled in Malaysia, becoming what is now theOrang Aslipeople, several Negrito tribes continued on to the Philippines through Borneo. No evidencehas survived which would indicate details of Ancient Filipino life such as their crops, color, andarchitecture. Philippine historian William Henry Scott points out any theory which describes such detailsis therefore a pure hypothesis and should be honestly presented as such.

3000 BC onward

After the lastIce Age(which ended about 10,000 years ago), the sea level rose an estimated 35m (110feet), which cut the land bridges, filling the shallow seas north of Borneo. Thus the only method of migration left was the dugout pr oa , built by felling trees and hollowing them out withadzes. An image of this method of travel can be seen on theManunggul Jar , a National Treasure of the Philippines.

About 3000 BC, a loose confederation of peoples known as 'Nesiots', from what today is Indonesia, cameto the Philippines. They were to become the ancestors of the present-day Luzon and Mindanao hill tribesThere were two waves of successive Nesiot immigration. The first wave saw a people who have light


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complexions, aquiline noses, thin lips, and deep-set eyes. The second wave of migration were shorter andheavier in physique, having darker complexion, thick lips, large noses, and heavy jaws. Those of thesecond wave of migration had epics and folk stories mixed with superstitions. From these people camethe Luzon hill tribes

Austronesian-speakers arrive 4000-2000 BC

Starting 4000-2000 BAustronesiangroups descended fromYunnan Plateauin China and settled in whatis now thePhilippinesby sailing usingbalangays or by traversingland bridgescoming fromTaiwan.Most of these Austronesians primarily used the Philippines as a pit-stop to the outlying Pacific islands or to the Indonesian archipelago further south. Those who were left behind became the ancestors of the present-day Filipinos. The Cagayan valley of northernLuzoncontains largestone toolsas evidence for the hunters of the big game of the time: theelephant-likestegodon, rhinoceros, crocodile, tortoise, piganddeer . The Austronesians pushed the Negritos to the mountains, while they occupied the fertile coastal plains.100 BC onward

More than a millennium later, the popularity of dental gold to decorate the teeth significantly increasedthe amount of gold found at archaeological sites. When the Spanish came they discovered an abundanceof gold used among the people of the Philippine islands. The Portugese explorer Pedro Fidalgo in 1545found gold so abundant on Luzon the inhabitants were willing to trade two pezoes of gold for one pezo osilver. When the Portuguese first arrived, most of the gold traded into Brunei came from Luzon. Thatisland was known as Lusung Dao or "Luzon Island" to the Chinese who also traded for gold in thisregion.

II. RELIGION

More than 90% of the population are Christians: about 80% belong to theRoman CatholicChurch while10% belong to other Christian denominations, such as thePhilippine Independent Church, Iglesia niCristo, theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist Church, United Church of

Christ in the Philippines, Jehovah's Witnesses, and theOrthodox Church. The Philippines is one of two predominantly Roman Catholiccountries in Asia, the other beingEast Timor .

Between 5% and 10% of the population areMuslim, most of whom live in parts of Mindanao, Palawan,and the Sulu Archipelagoan area known asBangsamoroor theMororegion.[128][129]Some havemigrated into urban and rural areas in different parts of the country. Most Muslim Filipinos practiceShafi'i, a form of Sunni Islam.

Philippine traditional religionsare still practiced by many aboriginal and tribal groups, oftensyncretized with Christianity and Islam.Animism, folk religion, andshamanismremain present as undercurrents of mainstream religion, through thealbula r yo, thebabaylan , and themanghihilo t . Buddhism, Taoism, andChinese folk religion, are dominant in Chinese communities. There are also followers of Baha'i.[


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GEOGRAPHY

The Philippines is anarchipelagoof 7,107 islands with a total land area, including inland bodies of water,of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (116,000square miles). Its 36,289 kilometers (22,549 miles)of coastline makes it the country with the 5thlongest coastlinein the world. It is located between116 40', and 126 34' E. longitude and 4 40' and 21 10' N. latitude and borders thePhilippine Seaonthe east, theSouth China Seaon the west, and theCelebes Seaon the south. The island of Borneoislocated a few hundred kilometers southwest and Taiwan is located directly to the north. TheMoluccas andSulawesiare located to the south-southwest andPalauis located to the east of the islands.

Most of the mountainous islands are covered intropical rainforestand volcanic in origin. The highestmountain isMount Apo. It measures up to 2,954 meters (9,692 feet) above sea level and is located on theisland of Mindanao. The longest river is theCagayan River in northern Luzon.Manila Bay, upon theshore of which the capital city of Manila lies, is connected toLaguna de Bay, the largest lake in thePhilippines, by thePasig River . Subic Bay, theDavao Gulf , and theMoro Gulf are other important bays.

TheSan Juanico Straitseparates the islands of Samar and Leyte but it is traversed by theSan JuanicoBridge.[69]

Ancient Filipinosutilizedterrace farmingto grow crops in the steep mountainous regions of northernPhilippines.

Situated on the western fringes of thePacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismicand volcanic activity. TheBenham Plateauto the east in the Philippine Sea is an undersea region active intectonic subduction. Around 20earthquakesare registered daily, though most are too weak to be felt. Thelast major earthquake was the1990 Luzon earthquake. There are manyactive volcanoessuch as theMayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo, andTaal Volcano. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991

produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century. Not all notable geographic featuresare so violent or destructive. A more serene legacy of the geological disturbances is thePuerto PrincesaSubterranean River .

Due to thevolcanicnature of the islands, mineral deposits are abundant. The country is estimated to havethe second-largest gold deposits after South Africa and one of the largest copper deposits in the world. Itis also rich in nickel, chromite, and zinc Despite this, poor management, high population density, andenvironmental consciousness have resulted in these mineral resources remaining largely untapped.Geothermal energy, however, is another product of volcanic activity that the country has harnessed more


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successfully. The Philippines is the world's second-biggest geothermal producer behind the United Stateswith 18% of the country's electricity needs being met by geothermal power.

JAPANI. PREHISTORIC TIMES

J mon period

TheJ mon period lasted from about14,000 BCto 300 BC. The first signs of civilizationand stableliving patterns appeared around 14,000 BC with theJ monculture, characterized by aMesolithicto Neolithicsemi-sedentaryhunter-gatherer lifestyle of woodstilt houseand pit dwelling and a rudimentaryform of agriculture. Weavingwas still unknown and clothes were often made of fur . The J mon peoplestarted to makeclayvessels, decorated with patterns made by impressing the wet clay with braided or unbraided cord and sticks. Some of the oldest surviving examples of potteryin the world may be found inJapan, based onradio-carbondating, along with daggers, jade, combs made of shells, and other householditems dated to the11th millennium BC,[4] although the specific dating is disputed. Clay figures known asdog were also excavated. The household items suggest trade routes existed with places as far away asOkinawa[c it a t ion needed ]. DNAanalysis suggests that theAinu, an indigenous people that live inHokkaid and the northern part of Honsh are descended from the J mon and thus represent descendants of the firstinhabitants of Japan[c it a t ion needed ].

Yayoi period

TheYayoi period lasted from about 400 or 300 BC to 250AD. This period followed the J mon periodand completely supplanted it. This period is named after Yayoi town, the subsection of Bunky , Tokyo where archaeological investigations uncovered its first recognized traces.

The start of the Yayoi period marked the influx of new practices such asweaving, ricefarming,shamanism[c it a t ion needed ] andironand bronze-making. Bronze and iron appear to have been introducedsimultaneously into Yayoi Japan. Iron was mainly used for agricultural and other tools, whereas ritual anceremonial artifacts were mainly made of bronze. Some casting of bronze and iron began in Japan byabout 100 BCE, but the raw materials for both metals were introduced from the Asian continent.

Japan first appeared in written records in AD 57 with the following mention in China'sBook of the Later Han Acr oss t he o cean f r om Lelang ar e t he peo ple of Wa. Fo r med f r om mo r e t han one hund r ed tr ibes, t heycome and pay tr ibu t e f r equen t ly. The book also recordedSuish , the king of Wa, presented slaves to theEmperor An of Hanin AD 107. TheSanguo Zhi written in the 3rd century noted the country was theunification of some 30 small tribes or states and ruled by ashamanqueen namedHimikoof Yamataikoku.

During theHan DynastyandWei Dynasty, Chinese travelers toKy sh recorded its inhabitants andclaimed that they were the descendants of the Grand Count (Tib) of theWu. The inhabitants also showtraits of the pre-sinicized Wu people with tattooing, teeth-pulling and baby-carrying. TheSanguo Zhi


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records the physical descriptions which are similar to ones on H aniwa statues, such men with braidedhair, tattooing and women wearing large, single-piece clothing.

TheYoshinoga r i si t e is the most famous archaeological site in the Yayoi period and reveals a large,continuously inhabited settlement in Ky sh for several hundreds of years. Excavation has shown themost ancient parts to be around 400 BC. It appears the inhabitants had frequent communication with themainland and trade relations. Today some reconstructed buildings stand in the park on the archaeologicasite.[c it a t ion needed ]

Ancient and Classical Japan

Kofun period

TheKofun period , beginning aroundAD 250, is named after the largetumulusburial mounds (k ofun)that appeared at the time. The Kofun period saw the establishment of strong military states centeredaround powerful clans, and the establishment of the dominant Yamato polity centered in theYamatoandKawachiprovinces, from the 3rd century to the 7th century, origin of theJapanese imperiallineage. The polity, suppressing the clans and acquiring agricultural lands, maintained a strong influence in the wester part of Japan. Japan started to sendtributes to Imperial Chinain the 5th century. In the Chinese historyrecords, the polity was calledWa and itsfive kingswere recorded. Based upon the Chinese model, theydeveloped a central administration and an imperial court system and its society was organized intooccupation groups.

Close relationships between theThree Kingdoms of Koreaand Japan began during the middle of this period, around the end of the 4th century.

Asuka period

710, is when the proto-Japanese Yamato polity gradually became a clearly centralized state, defining and

applying a code of governing laws, such as theTaika ReformandTaih Code. The introduction of Buddhism led to the discontinuing of the practice of large kofun.

Buddhismwas introduced to Japan in 538 byBaekje, to which Japan provided military support, and itwas promoted by the ruling class.Prince Sh tokudevoted his efforts to the spread of BuddhismandChinese culturein Japan. He is credited with bringing relative peace to Japan through the proclamation of theSeventeen-article constitution, a Confucian style document that focused on the kinds of morals andvirtues that were to be expected of government officials and the emperor's subjects. Buddhism is a wellknown religion in ancient Japan and it is still practiced today by many Japanese people.

A letter brought to theEmperor of Chinaby anemissaryfrom Japan in 607 stated that the E m per or of t he Land whe r e t he Sun r ises (Ja pan) sends a le tt er t o t he E m per or of t he land whe r e Sun se t s (China) ,

thereby implying an equal footing with China which angered the Chinese emperor

Nara period

TheNara period of the 8th century marked the first emergence of a strong Japanese state. Following anImperial rescript byEmpress Gemmeithe move of the capital toHeij -ky, present-day Nara, took placein 710. The city was modeled on the capital of the ChineseTang Dynasty, Chang'an(nowXi'an).


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During the Nara Period, political development was quite limited, since members of the imperial familystruggled for power with the Buddhist clergy as well as the regents, theFujiwara clan. Japan did enjoyfriendly relations withSillaas well as formal relationships with Tang China. In 784, the capital wasmoved again to Nagaoka-ky to escape the Buddhist priests and then in 794 toHeian-ky, present-dayKy to.

Historical writing in Japan culminated in the early 8th century with the massive chronicles, the K ojik i (The Record of Ancient Matters, 712) and the Nihon Sho k i (Chronicles of Japan, 720). These chroniclesgive a legendary account of Japan's beginnings, today known as theJapanese mythology. According tothe myths contained in these 2 chronicles, Japan was founded in 660 BC by the ancestralEmperor Jimmu,a direct descendant of theShint deityAmaterasu, or the Sun Goddess. The myths recorded that Jimmustarted a line of emperors that remains to this day. Historians assume the myths partly describe historicalfacts but the first emperor who actually existed wasEmperor jin, though the date of his reign isuncertain. Since the Nara period, actual political power has not been in the hands of the emperor, but inthe hands of thecourt nobility, thesh guns, the military and, more recently, the Prime Minister of Japan.

Heian period .

TheHeian period , lasting from 794 to 1185, is the final period of classical Japanese history. It isconsidered the peak of the Japaneseimperial courtand noted for itsart, especially in poetryandliterature.In the early 11th century,Lady Murasakiwrote Japan's, and one of the world's oldest surviving novels,T he T ale of Genji . TheMan'y sh andKokin Wakash, the oldest existing collections of Japanese poetry,were compiled in the period.

Strong differences from mainland Asian cultures emerged (such as an indigenous writing system, thekana). Chinese influencehad reached its peak, and then effectively ended with the last Imperial-sanctioned mission toTangChina in 838, due to the decline of theTang Dynasty, although tradeexpeditions andBuddhistpilgrimages to China continued.[10]

Political power in the Imperial court was in the hands of powerfularistocratic families, especially theFujiwara clan, who ruled under the titlesSessh and Kampaku(regents).

The end of the period saw the rise of various military clans. The four most powerful clans were theMinamoto clan, theTaira clan, theFujiwara clan, and theTachibana clan. Towards the end of the 12thcentury, conflicts between these clans turned into civil war, such as theH genandHeiji Rebellions,followed by theGenpei War , from which emerged a society led bysamuraiclans, under the political ruleof thesh gun.

II. RELIGION

is mainly associated withShint andBuddhism. MostJapanese peoplegenerally do not exclusivelyidentify themselves as adherents of only one religion, but rather incorporate various elements in asyncreticfashion.[1]

Japan grants fullreligious freedomallowing minority religions likeChristianity, IslamandSikhismto be practiced. High figures of 84% to 96% adhering to Shinto and Buddhism are not based on self-identification, but rather come primarily from birth records, following a longstanding practice of family


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lines being officially associated with a local Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine.[2][3][4][5]70 percent of Japanese profess no religious membership[6] and possibly only one in five Japanese claim a belief in God.However, polls generally show that two-thirds of Japanese profess no religionand according to Demerath(2001:138), 64% do not believe in God and 55% do not believe in Buddha. Japanese streets are decoratedon Tanabata, ObonandChristmas.


GEOGRAPHY

s anisland nationin East Asiacomprising astratovolcanic archipelagoextending along thePacificcoastof Asia. Measured from thegeographic coordinatesystem, Japan is 36 north of theequator and 138 eastof thePrime Meridian. The country is east-notheast of ChinaandTaiwan(separated by theEast ChinaSea) and slightly east of Korea(separated by theSea of Japan). The country is south of theRussian Far East.

The major islands, sometimes called the "Home Islands", are (from north to south)Hokkaid , Honsh (the "mainland"), ShikokuandKy sh . There are also about 3,000 smaller islands, includingOkinawa,andislets, some inhabited and others uninhabited. In total, as of 2006, Japan's territory is 377,923.1 km ,of which 374,834 km is land and 3,091 km water. This makes Japan's total area slightly smaller than thU.S. stateof Montana, slightly bigger thanGermany.

POPULATION: The population of Japan is 127,430,000.

MALAYSIA


Archaeological remains have been found throughout peninsular Malaysia,Sabahand Sarawak. Theearliest evidence of human habitation in the area dates back 40,000 years. These Mesolithic hunters were probably the ancestors of theSemang, an ethnic Negritogroup who have a deep ancestry within theMalay Peninsula.

TheSenoiappear to be a composite group, with approximately half of the maternal DNA lineages tracing back to the ancestors of the Semang and about half to later ancestral migrations fromIndochina. Scholarssuggest they are descendants of early Austronesian-speaking agriculturalists, who brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula approximately 5,000 years ago. Theyunited and coalesced with the indigenous population.

TheProto Malaysare more diverse. Although they show some connections withMaritime SoutheastAsia, some also have an ancestry in Indochina around the time of theLast Glacial Maximum, about20,000 years ago. Anthropologists support the notion that the Proto-Malays originated from what is today


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Yunnan, China.[25] This was followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay Peninsula intotheMalay Archipelago.[26] Around 300 BC, they were pushed inland by the Deutero-Malays, an Iron Ageor Bronze Age people descended partly from theChamsof Cambodia and Vietnam. The first group in the peninsula to use metal tools, the Deutero-Malays were the direct ancestors of today'sMalaysian Malays.

II. RELIGION

Islamis the largest and official religion of Malaysia, though it is a multi-religious society. According tothe Population and Housing Census 2000 figures, approximately 60.4 percent of the population practisedIslam; 19.2 percentBuddhism; 9.1 percent Christianity; 6.3 percentHinduism; and 2.6 percent practiseConfucianism, Taoismand other traditionalChinese religions. The remainder was accounted for by other faiths, includinganimism, folk religion, andSikhismwhile 0.9% either reported having no religion or didnot provide any information.


GEOGRAPHY

Malaysia is the43rd most populated countryand the66th largest country by total land areain the world,with a population of about 28 million and a land area of over 320,000 km2 respectively. It is comparablein population to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, and is roughly similar in size to Norway and Vietnam.

The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by theSouth China Sea, share a largelysimilar landscape in that bothWest andEast Malaysiafeature coastal plains rising to often denselyforested hills and mountains, the highest of which isMount Kinabaluat 4,095.2 metres (13,436 ft) on theisland of Borneo. East Malaysia, like most of the island of Borneo, was traditionally covered withBorneolowland rain forestsalthough much has been cleared, with wildlife retreating to theupland rain forests inland. The local climate isequatorialand characterised by the annual southwest (April to October) andnortheast (October to February)monsoons.

Kota Kinabalu, capital of East Malaysian state of Sabahis located 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) east acrosstheSouth China SeafromKuala Lumpur .

Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor , is the southernmost tip of continental Asia. TheStraitof Malacca, lying betweenSumatraand Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shippinglane in the world.

Kuala Lumpur is the official capital and largest city of Malaysia.Putrajayais the federal administrativecapital. Although many executive and judicial branches of the federal government have moved there (toease growing congestion within Kuala Lumpur), Kuala Lumpur is still recognised as the legislativecapital of Malaysia since it houses the seat of theParliament of Malaysia. It is also the main commercialand financial centre of the country.

Other major cities includeGeorge Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Alor Star ,Malacca Town, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, KuantanandPetaling Jaya.


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POPULATION

Malaysia's population, as of September 2008, is estimated to be 27,730,000, which makes it the43rd most populated country in the world.

KOREA


Prehistory and Gojoseon

Gojoseon's founding legend describesDangun, a descendent of heaven, as establishing the kingdom in2333 BC.Archaeologicaland contemporary written records indicate it developed from a federation of walled cities into a centralised kingdom sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries BC.

The original capital may have been at theManchuria-Korea border, but was later moved to what is todayPyongyang, North Korea. In 108 BC, the ChineseHan DynastydefeatedWiman Joseonand installed four commanderies in the area of Liaoning and the northern Korean peninsula. By 75 BC, three of thosecommanderies had fallen, but theLelang Commanderyremained as a center of cultural and economicexchange with successive Chinese dynasties until 313, when it fell toGoguryeo.

II. RELIGION

Confuciantradition has dominated Korean thought, along with contributions byBuddhism, Taoism, and

Korean Shamanism. Since the middle of the 20th century, however,Christianityhas competed withBuddhism in South Korea, while religious practice has been suppressed in North Korea. ThroughoutKorean history and culture, regardless of separation; the influence of traditional beliefs of KoreanShamanism, Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism have remained an underlying religion of the Korean people as well as a vital aspect of their culture; all these traditions have coexisted peacefullyfor hundreds of years up to today despite strong Westernisation fromchristianmissionary conversions inthe South or the pressure fromCommunism's Juche governmentin the North.


GEOGRAPHY

Korea is located on theKorean Peninsulain North-East Asia. To the northwest, the Amnok River (Yalu River ) separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River (TumenRiver ) separates Korea from China and Russia. TheYellow Seais to the west, theEast ChinaSea is to the south, and the East Sea is to the east of Korea. Notable islands includeJeju Island (Jejudo),Ulleung Island(Ulleungdo), andLiancourt Rocks(Dokdo).

The southern and western parts of the peninsula have well-developed plains, while the easternand northern parts are mountainous. The highest mountain in Korea isMount Paektuor


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Paektusan (2744 m), through which runs the border with China. The southern extension of Mount Paektu is a highland calledGaema Heights. This highland was mainly raised during theCenozoicorogeny and partly covered by volcanic matter. To the south of Gaema Gowon,successive high mountains are located along the eastern coast of the peninsula. This mountainrange is namedBaekdudaegan. Some significant mountains includeMount Sobaek or Sobaeksan

(1,439 m),Mount Kumgangor Kumgangsan (1,638 m),Mount Seorak or Seoraksan (1,708 m),Mount Taebaek or Taebaeksan (1,567 m), andMount Jirior Jirisan (1,915 m). There are severallower, secondary mountain series whose direction is almost perpendicular to that of Baekdudaegan. They are developed along the tectonic line of Mesozoic orogeny and their directions are basically northwest.

POPULATION: 50,062,000 (AS OF 20009)

CHINA


CHINA The Prehistoric Times refer to the period from about 1,700,000 years ago to the establishment othe Xia Dynasty in the 21 century BC. As people who lived during this period developed the use of stonetools, this age is also called the Stone Age. According to the different implements people used then, theage is divided into two periods: the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age.

The Paleolithic Age was characterized by the use of some simple tools. It is said that Yuanmou Man live1,700,000 years ago and was the earliest man in China known to the people. He was found in YunnanProvince. Lantian Man and Peking Man also lived during the Paleolithic Age. Mainly inhabiting caves,humans at that time were gregarious. In addition to the use of some simple tools, they first discovered fir

and used it often in their daily lives.The Neolithic Age was a more advanced period compared to the Paleolithic Age. People built houses and began to farm by using grinding stones. Extraordinary advancements were made during this period,whether in spinning and carving skills, or in vehicle making techniques, and music. The famousYangshao Culture and Longshan Culture belonged to this age.

As life in Prehistoric Times was hard and full of challenges, people lived together to fight against terribleweather conditions and all kinds of natural disasters. The Chief was chosen according to one's ability in asystem that was called the Abdication System. Shun was recommended by the previous chief, Yao, and became his successor. Later, Yu became the chief because of his contribution to controlling floodwaters.This system continued until 2070 BC when Boyi was recommended by Yu and Qi. Yu's son killed Boyi

and made himself the king. Thus the Abdication System ended. The first dynasty - Xia hereafter came thforth ruling family in Chinese history.

As for civilization during the Prehistoric Times, myths and legends were the main content. Some of the best known are the legend about the Creation of the World by Pan Gu, the legend of the creation of thehumans by Nvwa, and the legend of Dayu's control of water .


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II. RELIGION

The "official" orthodox faith system held by most dynasties of China since at least theShang Dynasty (1766 BC) until the overthrow of the last dynasty (1911 AD) centered on the worship of Shangdi ("Supreme God") or "Heaven" as an omnipotent force.[47] This faith system pre-dated the development of

ConfucianismandTaoismand the introduction of BuddhismandChristianity.III.GEOGRAPHY & POPULATION

GEOGRAPHY

China ranges from mostly plateaus and mountains in the west to lower lands in the east. Principrivers flow from west to east, including theYangtze(central), theHuang He(Yellow river,north-central), and theAmur (northeast), and sometimes toward the south (including thePearlRiver , Mekong River , andBrahmaputra), with most Chinese rivers emptying into thePacificOcean.

In the east, along the shores of theYellow Seaand theEast China Seathere are extensive anddensely populatedalluvialplains. On the edges of the Inner Mongolian plateau in the north,grasslands can be seen. Southern China is dominated by hills and low mountain ranges. In thecentral-east are thedeltasof China's two major rivers, theHuang HeandYangtze River . Most of China's arable lands lie along these rivers, and they were the centers of China's major ancientcivilizations. Other major rivers include thePearl River , Mekong, BrahmaputraandAmur .Yunnan Province is considered a part of the Greater Mekong Subregion, which also includesMyanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

In the west, the north has a great alluvial plain, and the south has a vastcalcareous tableland

traversed by hill ranges of moderate elevation, and theHimalayas, containing Earth's highest point,Mount Everest. The northwest also has high plateaus with more arid desert landscapessuch as theTakla-Makanand theGobi Desert, which has been expanding. During manydynasties, the southwestern border of China has been the high mountains and deep valleys of Yunnan, which separate modern China fromBurma, LaosandVietnam.

ThePaleozoicformations of China, excepting only the upper part of theCarboniferoussystem,are marine, while theMesozoicandTertiarydeposits areestuarineand freshwater, or else of terrestrial origin. Groups of volcanic cones occur in the Great Plain of north China. In theLiaodongandShandongPeninsulas, there are basalticplateaus.

The climate of China varies greatly. The northern zone (containing Beijing) has summer daytimtemperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius and winters of Arctic severity. The central zone(containingShanghai) has a temperatecontinental climatewith very hot summers and coldwinters. The southern zone (containingGuangzhou) has asubtropicalclimate with very hotsummers and mild winters.

POPULATION: China's population is over 1.3 billion, thelargest in the world


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it more difficult to make tools from iron. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes insome past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles,although this was not always the case.Archaeological sitesin Thailand, such as None Nok Tha, Lopburi Artillery center, Ong Ba Cave and BanDon Ta Phet show iron implements in the period between 3,400 - 1,700 years ago

The Iron Age settlements in Thailand

y None Nok Tha

None Nok Tha (Thai: ) is an archaeological site inPhu Wiang district, Khon Kaen Province,northeastern Thailand. Dating from 1420 B.C. till 50 B.C.

y Lopburi Artillery center

Lopburi Artillery center (Thai: ) is an archaeological site inMueang district,Lopburi Province, northeastern Thailand. Dating from 1225 B.C. till 700 B.C.

y Ong Ba Cave

Ong Ba Cave (Thai: ) is an archaeological site inSri Sawat district, Kanchanaburi Province, westernThailand. Dating from 310 B.C. till 150 B.C.

y Ban Don Ta Phet

Ban Don Ta Phet (Thai: ) is an archaeological site inPhanom Thuan district,Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. Dating from 24 B.C. till 276 A.D. Many artifacts found in a 4th century cemetery provide evidence of trade relations withIndia, Vietnamand thePhilippines.

II. RELIGION

hailand has a prevalence of Buddhismthat ranks among the highest in the world. The national religion isTheravadaBuddhism. According to the last census (2000) 94.6% of the total population are Buddhists of theTheravadatradition.Muslimsare the second largest religious group in Thailand at 4.6%[60][61].Thailand's southernmost provinces Pattani, Yala, Narathiwatand part of Songkhla Chumphonhavedominant Muslim populations, consisting of both ethnic Thai and Malay. The southern tip of Thailand ismostly ethnicallyMalay, and most Malays areSunni Muslims. Christiansrepresent 0.5% of the population. A tiny but influential community of Sikhs in Thailandand someHindusalso live in thecountry's cities, and are heavily engaged in retail commerce. There is also a smallJewish community inThailand, dating back to the 17th century.


GEOGRAPHY


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Totaling 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi) Thailand is the world's 50th largest country in landmass, while it is the world's 20th largest country in terms of population. It is comparable in population tocountries such asFranceand theUnited Kingdom, and is similar in land size to France and California inthe United States. The localclimateis tropical and characterized bymonsoons. There is a rainy, warm,and cloudy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoonfrom November to mid-March. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid.

Thailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups.The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point beingDoi Inthanonat 2,565 metres(8,415 ft) above sea level. The northeast,Isan, consists of theKhorat Plateau, bordered to the east by theMekongRiver. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flatChao Phrayariver valley, which runs into theGulf of Thailand. The south consists of the narrowKra Isthmusthat widensinto theMalay Peninsula. Politically, there are six geographical regions which differ from the others in population, basic resources, natural features, and level of social and economic development. The diversitof the regions is the most pronounced attribute of Thailand's physical setting.

TheChao Phrayaand theMekong River are the sustainable resource of rural Thailand. Industrial scale production of crops use both rivers and their tributaries. TheGulf of Thailandcovers 320,000 squarekilometres (124,000 sq mi) and is fed by the Chao Phraya,Mae Klong, Bang PakongandTapiRivers. Itcontributes to the tourism sector owing to its clear shallow waters along the coasts in the Southern Regioand the Kra Isthmus. The Gulf of Thailand is also an industrial center of Thailand with the kingdom'smain port inSattahipalong with being the entry gates for Bangkok's Inland Seaport. TheAndaman Seaisregarded as Thailand's most precious natural resource as it hosts the most popular and luxurious resorts iAsia.Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Phang NgaandTrangand their lush islands all lay along the coasts of theAndaman Sea and despite the2004 Tsunami, they continue to be and ever more so, the playground of therich and elite of Asiaand the world.

POPULATION: (2009 est.): 67.0 million.

CAMB0DIA


Pre-Angkorian and Angkorian polities

Southeast Asia circa 1100 AD.Khmer Empirelands in light grey

During the3rd, 4th, and5thcenturies, theIndianised statesof FunanandChenlacoalesced in what is now present-day Cambodia and southwestern Vietnam. These states are assumed by most scholars to have been Khmer. For more than 2,000 years, Cambodia absorbed influences fromIndiaandChinapassingthem on to other Southeast Asiancivilisations that are now Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.[18] The Khmer Empire flourished in the area from the9th to the13th century. Around the 13th century,TheravadaBuddhismwas introduced to the area through monks fromSri Lanka. From then on Theravada Buddhismgrew and eventually became the most popular religion. The Khmer Empire declined yet remained powerful in the region until the 15th century. The empire's centre of power wasAngkor , where a series of capitals was constructed during the empire's zenith. Angkor could have supported a population of up toone million peopleAngkor, the world's largest pre-industrial settlement complexandAngkor Wat, the


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most famous and best-preserved religious temple at the site, are reminders of Cambodia's past as a majorregional power.

II. RELIGION

Religion in Cambodia is predominantlyBuddhismwith 95% of the population beingTheravadaBuddhist. Most of the remaining population adheres toIslam, Christianity, AnimismandHinduism.


GEOGRAPHY

Cambodia has an area of 181,035 square kilometers (69,898 sq mi) and lies entirely within the tropics. It borders Thailand to the north and west, Laos to the northeast, andVietnamto the east and southeast. Ithas a 443-kilometer (275 mi) coastline along theGulf of Thailand.

The most distinctive geographical feature is thelacustrine plain, formed by the inundations of theTonleSap(Great Lake), measuring about 2,590 square kilometers (1,000 sq mi) during the dry season andexpanding to about 24,605 square kilometers (9,500 sq mi) during the rainy season. This densely populated plain, which is devoted to wet rice cultivation, is the heartland of Cambodia. Much of this areahas been designated as a biosphere reserve.

Most (about 75%) of the country lies at elevations of less than 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level, theexceptions being theCardamom Mountains(highest elevation 1,813 m / 5,948 ft) and their southeastextension theDmrei Mountains("Elephant Mountains") (elevation range 5001,000 m or 1,640 3,280 ft), as well the steep escarpment of theDngrk Mountains(average elevation 500 m / 1,640 ft)along the border with Thailand'sIsanregion. The highest elevation of Cambodia isPhnom Aoral, near Pursatin the center of the country, at 1,813 meters (5,948 ft).

POPULATION : 14,244,293 (YEAR 2009)

Asian Civilizations

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Transcript of Asian Civilizations