Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Southeast Asia - Introductory

Study this list to review the land features, natural resources, and political structures of countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Learn about flora such as lemongrass and mangrove, fauna such as the pangolin and the tapir, and weather events like cyclones and typhoons.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agrarian
    relating to rural matters
  2. agriculture
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  3. animism
    the doctrine that all natural objects have souls
  4. armistice
    a state of peace agreed to between opponents
  5. batik
    a dyed fabric
  6. Bay of Bengal
    an arm of the Indian Ocean to the east of India
  7. Bengal tiger
    southern short-haired tiger
  8. Borneo
    3rd largest island in the world
  9. Brunei
    a sultanate in northwestern Borneo
  10. buffer state
    a neutral country situated between two rival powers
  11. Cambodia
    a nation in southeastern Asia
  12. canal
    long and narrow strip of water for boats or for irrigation
  13. capitalism
    an economic system based on private ownership of assets
  14. cash crop
    a cultivated plant that is grown to be sold for profit
  15. civil war
    a war between factions in the same country
  16. coastal
    located on or near or bordering on a shore
  17. coastline
    the outline of a coast
  18. colonialism
    exploitation by a stronger country of a weaker one
  19. colony
    a geographical area controlled by a distant country
  20. communism
    a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership
  21. coup d'etat
    a sudden and decisive change of government by force
  22. crude oil
    a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
  23. cyclone
    a violent rotating windstorm
  24. deforestation
    the state of being clear of trees
  25. delta
    a low area of alluvial deposits where a river divides
  26. democracy
    a political system in which power lies in a body of citizens
  27. development
    making some area of land or water more profitable or useful
  28. diversity
    noticeable variety
  29. dry season
    one of the two seasons in tropical climates
  30. earthquake
    vibration from underground movement along a fault plane
  31. East Timor
    a former Portuguese colony that was annexed by Indonesia in 1976; voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999 and in May 2002 became an independent nation
  32. embargo
    a government order imposing a trade barrier
  33. erosion
    the process of wearing or grinding something down
  34. eruption
    the sudden occurrence of a violent discharge
  35. fauna
    all the animal life in a particular region or period
  36. flora
    all the plant life in a particular region or period
  37. gemstone
    a crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry
  38. globalization
    growth to a worldwide scale
  39. highland
    elevated (e.g., mountainous) land
  40. human right
    any basic freedom to which all people are entitled
  41. import
    commodities bought from a foreign country
  42. independence
    freedom from control or influence of another or others
  43. Indian Ocean
    the 3rd largest ocean
  44. indigenous
    originating where it is found
  45. Indonesia
    a republic in southeastern Asia on an archipelago including more than 13,000 islands; achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1945; the principal oil producer in the Far East and Pacific regions
  46. industrialization
    the development of commercial enterprise
  47. infrastructure
    basic facilities needed for the functioning of a country
  48. insular
    relating to or characteristic of or situated on an island
  49. isthmus
    a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
  50. kingdom
    the domain ruled by a monarch
  51. Komodo dragon
    the largest lizard in the world
  52. Krakatoa
    a small volcanic island in Indonesia between Java and Sumatra; its violent eruption in 1883 was the greatest in recorded history
  53. Laos
    a mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern Asia; achieved independence from France in 1949
  54. lemongrass
    a tropical grass native to India and Sri Lanka
  55. mainland
    the main land mass of a country or continent
  56. Malaysia
    a constitutional monarchy in southeastern Asia on Borneo and the Malay Peninsula; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957
  57. mangrove
    a tree that grows in salty, tropical water near the coast
  58. manufacture
    put together out of artificial or natural components
  59. manufacturing
    the act of making something (a product) from raw materials
  60. maritime
    relating to ships or navigation
  61. metropolitan
    relating to or characteristic of a large urban area
  62. migration
    the movement of persons from one locality to another
  63. monarchy
    autocracy governed by a ruler who usually inherits authority
  64. monsoon
    a seasonal wind in southern Asia
  65. mountainous
    containing many mountains
  66. Myanmar
    a mountainous republic in southeastern Asia on the Bay of Bengal
  67. natural resource
    material in the environment that can be used by people
  68. outsource
    obtain goods or services from an external supplier
  69. paddy
    an irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown
  70. pangolin
    a toothless mammal with horny scales and a long snout
  71. peninsula
    a large mass of land projecting into a body of water
  72. petroleum
    a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
  73. Philippines
    a republic on the Philippine Islands
  74. Philippine Sea
    a naval battle in World War II
  75. plain
    an extensive tract of level, open land
  76. plateau
    a relatively flat raised area of land
  77. population growth
    increase in the number of people who inhabit a territory or state
  78. prime minister
    head of government, especially of a parliamentary democracy
  79. proboscis monkey
    Borneo monkey having a long bulbous nose
  80. rainforest
    a densely wooded tropical area with heavy precipitation
  81. rainy season
    one of the two seasons in tropical climates
  82. refugee
    an exile who flees for safety
  83. regime
    the governing authority of a political unit
  84. resource
    a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed
  85. rural
    of or relating to the countryside as opposed to the city
  86. sanction
    the act of punishing
  87. silt
    mud or clay or small rocks deposited by a river or lake
  88. Singapore
    a country in southeastern Asia on the island of Singapore
  89. socialism
    an economic system based on state ownership of capital
  90. South China Sea
    a tropical arm of the Pacific Ocean near southeastern Asia subject to frequent typhoons
  91. subsistence farming
    farming that provides for the basic needs of the farmer without surpluses for marketing
  92. sultan
    the ruler of a Muslim country
  93. sultanate
    country or territory ruled by a sultan
  94. tapir
    large inoffensive chiefly nocturnal ungulate of tropical America and southeast Asia having a heavy body and fleshy snout
  95. terrain
    a piece of ground having specific characteristics
  96. textile
    artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting fibers
  97. Thailand
    a country of southeastern Asia that extends southward along the Isthmus of Kra to the Malay Peninsula
  98. tourism
    the business of providing services to travelers for pleasure
  99. trade
    the commercial exchange of goods and services
  100. tribe
    a group of people with shared ancestry and customs
  101. tropical
    relating to part of the Earth's surface with hot climate
  102. tropics
    the part of the Earth's surface between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; characterized by a hot climate
  103. tsunami
    a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave
  104. tungsten
    a heavy grey-white metallic element
  105. typhoon
    a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific or Indian oceans
  106. urbanization
    the social process whereby cities grow
  107. valley
    a long depression in the surface of the land
  108. Vietnam
    a communist state in Indochina on the South China Sea
  109. volcano
    a fissure in the earth's crust through which gases erupt
  110. wetland
    an ecosystem, like a bog or swamp, saturated with water
Created on February 22, 2017 (updated March 31, 2017)

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