 | Southeast Asia: Encyclopedia II - Southeast Asia - Population
Southeast Asia - Population
Southeast Asia has an area of approx. 4,000,000 km² (1.6 million sq miles). As of 2004, more than 593 million people lived in the region, far over a sixth of them (+114 million) on the Indonesian island of Java, the most densely populated island in the world. The distribution of the religions and people is diverse in Southeast Asia and varies by country. And about 30 million Overseas Chinese are living here, most prominently Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. see Chinatowns
Southeast Asia - Ethnic groups in the subregion
Southeast Asians are primarily of Asiatic stock. According to a recent Stanford genetic study, the Southeast Asian population is entirely far from being homogenous. Although primarily descendants of Austronesian, Tai, and Mon-Khmer-speaking immigrants who migrated from Southern China during the Iron Age, there are overlays of Chinese genes (up to 54% in the Philippines), as well as European genes (3.4% in the Philippines - 45% in Mataram), and Papuan genes (55% in Irian Jaya).
- Brunei: Malay (69%), Chinese (18%), Indigenous Bruneians (6%), Others (7%)
- Cambodia: Khmer (94%), Chinese (4%), Vietnamese (1%), Others (mostly Chams) (1%)
- East Timor: Tetun (10%), Mambae (8%), Makasae (8%), Tukudede (6%), Bunak (5%), Galoli (5%), Kemak (5%), Fataluku (3%), Baikeno (2%), Others (48%)
- Indonesia: Javanese (45%), Sundanese (14%), Madurese (8%), Others (33%)
- Laos: Lowland Lao (56%), Lao Theung (34%), Lao Soung (10%)
- Malaysia: Malay and Orang Asli (60%), Chinese (30%), South Asian (7%), Others (3%)
- Myanmar: Bamar (68%), Shan (9%), Karen (6%), Rakhine (4%), Others (includes Chinese and South Asian) (13%)
- Philippines: Filipino (80%), Chinese (10%), South Asian (5%), Europeans and Americans (3%), Arab (1%), Others (1%)
- Singapore: Chinese (76%), Malay (15%), South Asian (7%), Others (2%)
- Thailand: Thai (75%), Chinese (14%), Malay (4%), Khmer (3%), Others (4%)
- Vietnam: Vietnamese (88%), Chinese (4%), Thai (2%), Others (6%)
Southeast Asia - Religions in the subregion
Countries in Southeast Asia practise many different religions. Mainland SEA countries, that is, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, practise predominantly Buddhism. In the Malay Archipelago, people living in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei practise mainly Islam. Christianity is predominant in the Philippines and East Timor.
The religious composition for each country (the percentages may be out-of-date and hence inaccurate) is as follows:
- Brunei: Islam (67%), Buddhism (13%), Christianity (10%), indigenous beliefs, and others(10%)
- Cambodia: Theravada Buddhism (93%), Animism, and others
- East Timor: Christianity (95%)
- Indonesia: Islam (81%), Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and others
- Laos: Theravada Buddhism (60%), Animism, and others (40%)
- Malaysia: Islam (61%), Mahayana Buddhism (20%), Christianity, Hinduism, and Animism
- Myanmar: Theravada Buddhism (89%), Islam (4%), Christianity (4%), Hinduism (1%), and Animism
- Philippines: Christianity (92%), Islam (5%), Buddhism and others (3%)
- Singapore: Chinese Religions (Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism) (42%), Islam (15%), Christianity (14%), Hinduism (4%)
- Thailand: Theravada Buddhism (95%), Islam (3%), Hinduism, Christianity, and Taoism
- Vietnam: Mahayana Buddhism (50%), Confucianism, and Christianity
Religions and peoples are diverse in Southeast Asia and not one country is homogenous. In the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia, Hinduism is dominant on islands such as Bali. Christianity also predominates in Papua and Timor. Pockets of Hindu population can also be found around Southeast Asia in Singapore, Malaysia etc. Garuda (Sanskrit: Garuḍa), the phoenix who is the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu, is a national symbol in both Thailand and Indonesia; in the Philippines, gold images of Garuda have been found on Palawan; gold images of other Hindu gods and goddesses have also been found on Mindanao. It should be noted that Balinese Hinduism is somewhat different from Hinduism practised elsewhere as Animism and local culture is incorporated into it. Christian can also be found throughout Southeast Asia; they are in the majority in East Timor and the Philippines, Asia's largest Christian nation. In addition, there are also older tribal religious practices in remote areas of Sarawak in East Malaysia and Irian Jaya in eastern Indonesia. In Vietnam, the form of Mahayana Buddhism practiced is heavily influenced by the Animism and tribal religions, of the native peoples of the region. With a heavier importance placed upon Ancestor Worship that is different from many of Vietnam's cutural neighbors.
Southeast Asia - Languages in the subregion
It should be noted that each of the languages have been influenced by cultural pressures due to trade and historical colonization as well. Thus, for example, a Filipino, educated in English and Tagalog, as well as in his native tongue (ex., Visayan), might well speak another language, such as Japanese for economic reasons; a Malaysian might well speak Chinese as well as English, again for economic reasons.
The official languages have been italicized
- Brunei: Malay, Chinese dialects, indigenous Borneian dialects
- Cambodia: Khmer, Chinese dialects, Vietnamese, Chamic dialects
- East Timor: Tetun, Portuguese, Mambae, Makasae, Tukudede, Bunak, Galoli, Kemak, Fataluku, Baikeno, other Timorese dialects
- Indonesia: The official language is Bahasa Indonesia. However, there are 583 languages and dialects spoken in the archipelago. They normally belong to different ethnic groups of the population. Some of the distinctly different local languages are: Acehnese, Batak, Sundanese, Javanese, Sasak, Tetum of Timor, Dayak, Minahasa, Toraja, Buginese, Halmahera, Ambonese, Ceramese, and several Irianese languages. Chinese dialects like Hokkien, Hakka and Mandarin and Dutch.
- Laos: Lao, Miao, Mien, Dao, Shan, and other Tibeto-Burman derived languages
- Malaysia: Malay, English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, other Indian languages, various indigenous languages (of the Orang Asli and natives of Sabah and Sarawak).
- Myanmar: Burmese, Shan dialects, Karen dialects, Arakan, Kachin, Chin, Chinese, Mon, other Indian hilltribes dialects, other Chinese dialects, English
- Philippines: Filipino, English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Bicolano, Maranao, Maguindanao, other Chinese dialects, other Spanish dialects, other Indian languages, Arabic dialects, other Philippine languages and dialects
- Singapore: Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil, English, other Chinese dialects, other Indian languages, Arabic dialects.
- Thailand: Thai, Chinese dialects, Isan, Shan, Lue, Phutai, Khmer, Mon, Mein, Hmong, Karen, Jawi
- Vietnam: Vietnamese, Tay, Muong, Khmer, Chinese dialects, Nung, Hmong, Tai Dam, and other languages and dialects.
Other related archives1 CE, 100 CE, 1400s, 1459, 1500, 1500s, 1521, 1980s, 1986, 1997, 20th century, 5000 BCE, 525 CE, ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, ASEAN Free Trade Area, Ancestor Worship, Animism, Ao Dai, As of 2004, Asia, Asian, Asian Elephant, Asian financial crisis, Asian values, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Atlantic, Australasian, Austroasiatic languages, Austronesian languages, Bali, Balinese, Bamar, Banaue Rice Terraces, Bataks, Borneo, Brunei, Brunei Darussalam, Buddhism, Buddhist, Bukit Cina, Burma, Burmese, Cambodia, China, Chinatowns, Chinese, Chinese Taipei, Christianity, Christmas Island, Clouded Leopard, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Confucianism, Duarte Barbosa, East Asian Tigers, East Malaysia, East Timor, Europe, Filipino, Fujian, Garuda, Geological, Guam, Hang Li Po, Hang Li Poh, Hindu, Hinduism, Hinduism in Southeast Asia, History of Asia, History of Brunei, History of Cambodia, History of Indonesia, History of Laos, History of Malaysia, History of Myanmar, History of Singapore, History of Southeast Asia, History of Thailand, History of Vietnam, History of present-day nations and states, History of the Philippines, Hokkien, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, IATA, India, Indian Ocean, Indian subcontinent, Indochina, Indonesia, Indonesian, Irian Jaya, Islam, Islamic, Island arcs, Japan, Java, Karen, Kazakhstan, Khmer, Kris, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Laos, Literature of Southeast Asia, Macao, Macau SAR, Madagascar, Mahayana Buddhism, Malacca, Malay, Malay World, Malay archipelago, Malay people, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mindanao, Mongkut, Mongolia, Mount Kinabalu, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands, Orang Asli, Orangutan, Overseas Chinese, Pacific, Pacific Islanders, Palau, Palawan, Papua, Papua New Guinea, Penang, Peninsular Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Peranakan, Philippines, Portugal, Portuguese, Puncak Jaya, Qi pao, Rakhine, Ramayana, Rice paddy, Russia, Sabah, Sarawak, Shan, Siam, Singapore, South Asian, South China Sea, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, Southeast Asian Buddhism, Southeast Asian Capitals, Southeast Asian Games, Southeast Asian coral reefs, Southern Ocean, Spain, Spratly Islands, Stanford, Stilt houses, Strait of Malacca, Sultan, Sultanate of Malacca, Sumatra, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Tajikistan, Taoism, Thai, Thai (lunar), Thai (solar), Thailand, The Ugly American, Theravada Buddhism, Timor, Timor Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venice, Viet Nam, Vietnam, Vietnamese, Vishnu, Wallace Line, Wallace's line between Australasian and Southeast Asian fauna, Water Buffalo, Wayang Kulit, West Asia, abugidas, archipelagoes, authoritarian, babirusa, bearcat, biodiversity, cannon, chopsticks, continental plate, deforestation, drongo, endangered species, foreign direct investment, ft, gamelan, gongs, haze, hornbill, international investment portfolios, logging, mainland Southeast Asia, maritime Southeast Asia, market, microprocessors, monsoons, mouse deer, oil, peafowl, pentatonic scale, petroleum, phoenix, planned, tea, uplifts, vulcanological, whale shark
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Population", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
