The document provides information about several Southeast Asian countries including their geography, demographics, economies, and political leadership. It compares statistics like GDP per capita, population size, life expectancy, and exports/imports of countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. It also summarizes two news articles about recent earthquakes in Indonesia and historical tensions between Indonesia and Malaysia.

1. The countries that we chose to present are the countries that have the highest and lowest GPD- per capita, this is allows us to compare the standard of living in Southeast Asia to Canada. GDP-per capita $39,100 (2008 est.) Population: 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.)

2. Rivers: Mountain Ranges: Shipping Route:

3. Life Expectancy (years): Average Life Expectancy: 67.59yrs. Burma: 63.39 Cambodia: 62.1 Indonesia: 70.76 Laos: 56.68 Malaysia: 73.29 Papua New Guinea: 66.34 Philippines: 71.09 Thailand: 73.10 Vietnam: 71.58 Population (millions of people) Total Population (nearest million): 592.4 Burma: 48.1 Cambodia: 14.5 Indonesia: 240.3 Laos: 6.8 Malaysia: 25.7 Papua New Guinea: 6.1 Philippines: 98.0 Thailand: 65.9 Vietnam: 87.0 Government leaders: Burma: Prime Minister, Lt. Gen Thein Sein Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen Indonesia: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Laos: Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavahn Malaysia: Prime Minister Mohamed Najib bin Abdul Razak Papua New Guinea: Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare Philippines: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thailand: Prime Minister Abhisit Wetchachiwa Vietnam: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung

4. (The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing.) Land Geography: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber GDP-per capita: $53,100 (est. 2008) Population: 388,190 Life Expectancy: Male 73.52 years and Female 78.07 years Nationality: Bruneian Ethnic Groups: Malay 66.3%, Chinese 11.2%, indigenous 3.4%, other 19.1% Language: Malay (official), English, Chinese Literacy: Males 93.7% and Females 84.7% Government Type: Constitutional sultanate Political Parties and Leaders: National Development Party or NDP Wealth: Highest in Asia Population below Poverty Line: N/A% Exports: $8.25 billion- crude oil, natural gas, garments Imports: $2.055 billion- machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals

5. Land Geography : Low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest Natural Resources : Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower GDP- per capita : $2800 (est. 2008) Population : 86,967,524 Life Expextancy : Male: 68.78 years, female: 74.57 years Nationality : Vietnamese Ethnic Groups : Kinh 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% Language : Vietnamese, English , some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) Literacy : Male: 93.9%, female: 86.9% Goverment Type : Communist state Political Parties and Leaders : Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH] Population Below Poverty Line : 14.8% Exports : $61.6 billion-crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes Imports : $77.61 billion-machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles (CIA World Factbook sept,2009) (extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point)

6. Land Geography: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus Natural Resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones GDP- per capita : $2100 (est. 2008) Population: 6,834,942 Life Expectancy: male: 54.56 years, female: 58.9 years Nationality: Lao or Laotian Ethnic Groups: Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26% Language: Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Literacy: male: 77%, female: 60.9% Government Type: Communist state Political Parties and Leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason] Population below Poverty Line: 30.7% Exports: $1.163 billion- wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold Imports: $1.384 billion- machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods (landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand)

7. Land Geography: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north Natural Resources: oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential GDP- per capita : $2000 (est. 2008) Population: 14,494,293 Life Expectancy: male: 60.03 years, female: 64.27 years Nationality: Cambodian Ethnic Groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4% Language: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English Literacy: male: 84.7%, female: 64.1% Government Type : multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy Political Parties and Leaders: Cambodian People's Party or CPP [CHEA SIM]; Human Rights Party or HRP [KHEM SOKHA, also spelled KEM SOKHA]; National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [KEV PUT REAKSMEI]; Norodom Ranariddh Party or NRP [CHHIM SEAK LENG]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI, also spelled SAM RAINSY] Population below Poverty Line : 35% Exports : $4.312 billion-clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear Imports : $6.37 billion-petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products (a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap)

8. Southeast Asia’s Deep Malaise. Sunday September 14, 2009 “ On the streets of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta last week, dozens of vigilantes armed with sharpened bamboo poles set up barricades and demanded identification from every passing pedestrian, motorcyclist and driver. They were looking for Malaysians and were threatening to impale them on the bamboo poles if they found any. Fortunately, they did not.” This was an example of the troubles between Indonesia and Malaysia, which share a common language and ethnicity as well as similar cultures. The main issue is the vigilante gang Ganyang Malaysia or “Crush” Malaysia, formed in the 1960s by the Indonesian President Sukarno, aiming to fight the formation of the Malaysian confederate state out of British Colonies. The threats to regional security posed by the former leader, caused and overthrow by the army’s commanding General Suharto in 1966. During Suharto’s term, ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was founded. ASEAN was formed to bring Indonesia into the regional fold, and stop bringing a threat it neighbors. Earthquake Strikes off Bali Coast Saturday September 19, 2009 “ An earthquake off the Indonesian holiday island of Bali has sent people running from their homes in panic. At least seven people have been injured - some were hurt jumping from buildings while others had been hit by falling debris, an official said. The quake - measuring 5.8 according to the US Geological Survey - struck at dawn 75km (45 miles) south of Denpasar. No tsunami warning was issued and there were few reports of serious material damage, local officials said.” “ Two weeks ago, an earthquake on the main Indonesian island of Java left at least 50 dead. In December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people around Asia. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most active areas for earthquakes and volcanic activity in the world. “ Bali is located directly in the Pacific Rim, which tends to be a hot spot for Earthquakes, Tsunamis and other natural disasters caused by the movements of continental plates.

9. BBC News. (2009). Earthquake Strikes off Bali Coast . Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8264169.stm Cloutier, B. (N.D). People of South East Asia . Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://berclo.net/page00/00en-sea-people.html Manthorpe, J. (2009). Retrieved September 19, 2009, from Calgary Herald: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Southeast+Asia+deep+malaise/1992542/story.html Central Intelligence Agency . (2009, July 20). The World Factbook . Retrieved September 2, 2009, from Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html