Southeast Asia has a total area of 4.47 million square kilometers. The total population is about 530 million, mostly yellow people, including Sino-Tibetan, Hindi, South Asian, Austronesian and other ethnic groups. Among them, Javanese, Jing (Vietnamese), Thai, Burmese, Lao, Khmer, Sulu and others have a large population. There are about 30 million overseas Chinese, which is one of the regions with the largest concentration and number of overseas Chinese in the world. The proportion of Chinese in Singapore is more than 70%, followed by Malaysia, accounting for about 30%. The population distribution in Southeast Asia is uneven, mainly concentrated in coastal plains, plains on both sides of rivers, estuary triangle and islands, and the rainforest area is sparsely populated.
The largest and most populous country in Southeast Asia is Indonesia, with a land area of about 65.438+0.9044 million square kilometers and a population of about 265.438+0 billion. It is a veritable big country in Southeast Asia, with the fourth largest population in the world, second only to China, India and the United States. The smallest country is Singapore, which is a city with an area of just over 600 square kilometers. A car can travel all over the country in one day. Although Singapore is the smallest, it has a population of about 4 million, much more than Brunei, which covers an area of 5,767 square kilometers. With a population of more than 300,000, Brunei is the least populous country in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia is located in the southeast of Asia, with an orientation of 93 ~ 14 1.5 east longitude and 25 ~ 10 south latitude. It spans the equator, mostly in tropical areas, bordering Chinese mainland in the north, Australia in the south, the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Indian Ocean in the west, and Bangladesh and India in the west. The geographical position of Southeast Asia is very important, connecting three continents (Asia, Africa and Oceania) and two oceans (Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean). The Malacca Strait between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Island is about 900 kilometers long, and the narrowest point is only 37 kilometers. It is the shortest sea route and necessary passage from Northeast Asia to Europe and Africa via Southeast Asia, and has always been a battleground for military strategists and businessmen.
The geography of Southeast Asia has two outstanding features:
One is "hot". "Hot" is tropical. The latitude in Southeast Asia is relatively low, mostly south of the Tropic of Cancer and near the equator. It is like summer all year round, hot all year round, and the annual temperature is 25℃ ~ 30℃. The temperature difference between the hottest month and the hottest month in Leng Yue is very small, less than 2℃ near the equator. The temperature difference between day and night in 24 hours a day is much larger than that in a year.
The second is the "sea". Except Laos, Southeast Asian countries are all coastal countries or island countries. Indonesia is a "land of ten thousand islands" with more than 10000 islands. The Philippines is a "land of thousands of islands" with more than 7,000 islands. Brunei is located in Sarawak, kalimantan island.
The Mekong River with a total length of more than 4,400 kilometers is not only the largest river in Southeast Asia, but also one of the most important international rivers in the world. It originates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, and enters the sea from Vietnam. The number of countries flowing through it is second only to the Danube in Europe.
In Malaysia, smuggling and counterfeiting cigarettes are obviously a big problem due to the geographical location of the peninsula. According to the statistics of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers Association, it accounted for 265,438+0% of the whole cigarette market in 2002. The government did not raise tobacco tax in the budget put forward in September 2002, and manufacturers exercised self-discipline in marketing according to the "International Standards for Tobacco Product Marketing".
In Thailand, the Thai government cancelled the privatization plan of tobacco monopoly in Thailand (TTM) last year, and the government thought it was better to control it by itself. At the beginning of February, it was reported that TTM planned to invest 654.38+06 billion baht (654.38+0 baht =0.02 USD) to build a new factory with an annual output of 40 billion cigarettes to replace two old factories with a total output of 26 billion cigarettes. At the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Health began to draft laws and regulations requiring cigarette cases to amplify health warnings and include clear pictures of smokers' sick lungs and hearts.
In the Philippines, Philip Morris' new factory in St. Thomas was put into operation in June 2002, with an annual output of 40 billion cigarettes for the local market. Its Marlboro occupies 65,438+06.1%of the market share, ranking third, second only to Fuchuan Hope and YunStearns of Japan Tobacco International. Before July this year, there will be health warnings on both sides of cigarette cases. It is reported that the parliament may propose a bill to increase taxes.
In Vietnam, cigarette production is monopolized by the state and international brands are made by state-owned cigarette factories. In August, 20001year, the government approved the joint venture between British American Tobacco and Vinataba, and its tobacco development exceeded expectations. In 2002, Britain and the United States purchased and exported 2,200 tons, and the target for 2003 was 4,500 tons. A silk factory will be built in Tongnai in a few months, which can reduce Vietnam's dependence on imported tobacco.
Singapore is still a developing country.
Singapore has a high per capita GNP. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) initially designated it as a developed country from this year. However, the Singapore government has written to the organization many times, saying that it is "premature" to include it in developed countries, and asked the organization to clarify this. In the middle of 5438+ 10 this year, OECD changed Singapore into a "more developed developing country".
Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong1October 2 1 Sunday presided over the graduation ceremony at the Armed Forces Military Training Academy, saying that Singapore's achievements are "not deeply rooted, so the possibility of a sudden collapse of prosperity will never be ruled out". Singapore's leaders are worried from several aspects.
Singapore's labor force is small, and labor prices are soaring. The prospect of labor-intensive industries that have played a role in Singapore's economic take-off is very bleak, and it is urgent to transfer such enterprises abroad.
Singapore's domestic market is small. With the increasingly fierce competition in the international market and the increasingly obvious trend of regional economic collectivization, the challenges faced by Singapore in the international market are also increasing.
Compared with developed countries, there is still a big gap between Singapore's labor quality and scientific and technological level. There is still a long way to go to truly step into the ranks of developed countries.
Malaysia's natural rubber exports no longer rank first in the world.
Malaysia's natural rubber production and export volume once ranked first in the world for a long time. However, since 199 1, it has lost its position as the "largest rubber producer". Since then, the output has been relegated to the third place in the world for many years, second only to Thailand and Indonesia. The natural rubber export volume of 1993 also lags behind these two countries.
1877, the first Brazilian three-leaf rubber saplings were introduced to Malaya. Due to its superior geographical location, convenient external transportation and contact with the international market, Malaya has obvious advantages over countries with similar climatic conditions. Since 19 12, the output of natural rubber has been ranked first in the world for a long time, and it was surpassed by Indonesia only during and after the Second World War. Since 1958, it has been ranked first in the world again.
At the end of 1980s, especially since 1990s, the rubber industry in Malaysia has been declining for various reasons. The sharp drop in oil prices has greatly enhanced the competitiveness of synthetic rubber, resulting in oversupply of natural rubber and falling prices. With Malaysia stepping on the threshold of "newly industrialized country", the labor cost has increased, and the average wage is 1/3 to 1 times higher than that of Thailand and Indonesia, which is unfavorable for rubber planting in labor-intensive industries. Foreign investment in Malaysia has shifted from natural rubber to more profitable crops, such as oil palm and cocoa. The Malaysian government has also vigorously promoted the development of palm industry. Because if it is well managed, the income of 1 mu palm garden is equivalent to the income of 30 mu rubber garden.
Malaysia lost the title of "Tin Kingdom"
Malaysia is rich in tin deposits. Tin ore originated from the granite intrusion contact zone in the central mountainous area, and was transported downstream by the river after weathering and denudation, forming rich placer in the foothills. Although the grade is not very high, it has obvious advantages over other tin-producing countries in the world because of its large scale, thick seam, easy mining, relatively concentrated distribution and good coordination with other social and economic conditions. Since the end of 19, tin production and export have been ranked first in the world for a long time.
In recent years, due to the competition of aluminum and other reasons, the demand for tin in the world market has decreased and the price has fallen. In addition, after long-term intensive mining, resources are gradually exhausted. With the shift of production to scattered and low-grade mining areas, Malaysia's advantages over other tin-producing countries have gradually lost. Coupled with the high labor cost and land lease price in Malaysia, the cost of tin mining has been higher than that in Indonesia and other countries, resulting in a sharp drop in tin production and loss of the title of "Tin Kingdom" since 1988. Its output first lags behind Brazil and Indonesia, ranking third in the world, and then relegated to 4th1994 and 6th, behind China, Indonesia, Peru, Brazil and Australia.
By the way, Brazil has made rapid progress in tin mine production due to the discovery of large tin mines in the Amazon region in the 1970s. The production efficiency is high, the cost is low and the quality of tin ore is good, but it causes environmental problems. In order to protect the environment, some tin mining areas were closed, so the output decreased from 1990.
1994, Malaysia's tin production was only 6,500 tons, while Indonesia's was 30,000 tons. Is Malaysia still the country with the largest tin export in Southeast Asia?
Are Brunei and Indonesia the countries that export the most oil in Southeast Asia?
1995 Indonesia's oil output is 66.45 million tons, most of which is used for export. Brunei's annual output is only 7.95 million tons, even if it is all exported, it is far from Indonesia's export volume.