The countries of Southeast Asia: the list and features of economic development

South-East Asia is a fairly large region of the planet, within which 600 million people live. Today there are 11 states. The countries of South-East Asia, the list of which is listed below, differ significantly in terms of level and models of economic development. These differences are discussed in our article.

Southeast Asian countries: list and capitals

The South-East Asia region covers an area of five million square kilometers. From the very name it is clear that it is located in the south-eastern part of Asia. In this region, geographers usually include 11 states. Six of them are located on the continent, and five more - on the islands adjacent to the mainland and archipelagos.

So, all countries of Southeast Asia (list):

• Vietnam.
• Cambodia.
• Laos.
• Myanmar.
• Thailand.
• Malaysia.
• Indonesia.
• Philippines.
• Singapore.
• Brunei.
• East Timor.

It should be noted that the eastern parts of India and Bangladesh also belong geographically to Southeast Asia.

South-East Asia: cultural and economic-geographic characteristics of the region

In this region there are at least 600 million people, 35% of which are residents of one country, Indonesia. It is here that the island of Java (the most densely populated on the planet) is located. There are a lot of migrants from China in the region. They mostly live in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

The indigenous peoples of this region are very diverse. The Malays, the Thais, the Vietnamese, the Burmese, the Javanese and dozens of less numerous nations reside within Southeast Asia. The most popular religions here are Islam and Buddhism, in some areas Protestantism is widespread.

The formation of local culture was greatly influenced by Chinese, Indian, Arab, and Spanish culture. The cult of tea and the habit of eating with sticks are very common in Southeast Asia. Music, architecture, painting are very slightly different in each of the ethnic groups in the region.

The economy of many countries in Southeast Asia is heavily tied to agriculture, and industry and services are gradually developing. In some countries of the region, tourism became an important sector of the national economy (first of all, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia).

Developing Southeast Asian countries: list

A developing country is a relatively relative concept. It means a state whose per capita GDP is much lower than that of the rest of the world.

According to the generally accepted classification, all 11 states of South-East Asia should be classified as a group of developing countries. However, among them there are three countries with a weaker level of development. They are also called the least developed countries. These include:

• Laos.
• Cambodia.
• Myanmar.

The richest and most developed state in the region is Brunei, which is often referred to as the "Islamic Disneyland". The reason for such well-being is simple - a solid oil and gas reserves. The country has long been in the world's top ten in terms of incomes. It is curious that every second who works at industrial enterprises of Brunei came here from neighboring, less prosperous countries.

NIS countries in the region

Under the new industrial countries (abbreviated as NIEs) are understood a group of states that have experienced a significant leap in development and substantially improved all their economic and social indicators in a very short time (only a few decades).

The countries of this group demonstrate tremendous rates of economic development (up to 5-8% per year), generate powerful transnational corporations, actively introduce the latest technologies, devote much attention and resources to the development of science and education. Which states in the region can be attributed to the NIS group?

So, the newly industrialized countries of Southeast Asia (list):

• Singapore.
• Malaysia.
• Thailand.
• Indonesia.
• Philippines.

In addition, another country in the region - Vietnam - has a very real prospect of replenishing this list.

Finally...

The countries of South-East Asia, listed in this article, are among the developing states of weak and medium development. Their economies are still largely dependent on agriculture.

The most developed countries in the region are Singapore and Brunei, and the poorest are Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.