Indochina

Indochina Indochinese Peninsula Mainland Southeast Asia
Peninsulas of Asia
Countries	Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam
Topographical map of mainland Southeast Asia

Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula (also known as Mainland Southeast Asia), refers to the continental portion of Southeast Asia^[1] lying east of India and roughly south or southwest of China. The historical name "Indochina" has its origins in the French Indochine, a combination of the names of "India" and "China", referring to the location of the territory between those two countries.

The countries of mainland Southeast Asia received cultural influence from both India and China to varying degrees.^[1] Some cultures, such as those of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia are influenced mainly by India with a smaller influence from China. Others, such as Vietnam, are more heavily influenced by Chinese culture with only minor cultural influences from India, largely via the Champa civilization that Vietnam conquered during its southward expansion.

The region experienced colonial rule through the 19th century into the mid-20th century with French Indochina as well as British India.

Geography

Mainland Southeast Asia, 1886

The territories of mainland southeast Asia comprise the following:

• Cambodia
• Laos
• Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia only)
• Myanmar (formerly Burma; part of the British India until 1937)
• Thailand (formerly Siam)
• Vietnam

Biogeography

In biogeography the term Indochinese Region is used to mean a major biogeographical region in the Indomalaya ecozone, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It includes the native flora and fauna of all the countries above. The adjacent Malesian region covers the maritime Southeast Asian countries, and straddles the Indomalaya and Australasian ecozones.

See also

References

• History of the mountain people of southern Indochina up to 1945 (Bernard Bourotte, i.e. Jacques Méry, U.S. Agency for International Development, 195?

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indochina, Flora of Indo-China.

• (English) (French) The Colonization of Indochina from 1892

Regions of the World Africa Northern (Maghreb) Sub-Saharan Western East Central Southern Horn Islands North America Northern Caribbean Central Middle Anglo French Latin (Hispanic) South America Southern Northern (Guianan states) Western Latin (Hispanic) Asia Central Far East Russian Eastern  Northeastern Southeastern Mainland Maritime Northern Siberia Southern Indian subcontinent Western South Caucasus Middle East Near East Asia-Pacific Europe Central Northern Nordic Northwestern Scandinavia Scandinavian Peninsula Baltic Eastern Southeastern Balkans North Caucasus Southern Russia European Russia Middle East Southern Iberia Western Northwestern British Isles Germanic Romance Oceania Australasia Australia New Guinea Zealandia Pacific Islands Micronesia Melanesia Polynesia Polar Antarctic Arctic Oceans World (Sea) Arctic Atlantic Indian Pacific Southern List of seas Continents of the world / List of seas / Physical Earth