The Southeast Asian realm borders South Asia and East Asia on land and the Pacific and Austral realms at sea(Fing 10-2) Note that one political entity that forms part of it Indonesai extends bevond the realms borders the easternmost province of indonesai the western of the pacific island of New Guinea where indigenous cultures are Papuan Today Indonesian rules what is in effect a Pacific island colony celled papua We discuss this territor as part of our assessment of Indonesia but we will alos consider all of New Guinea as a component of the Pacific Realm chapter 12
Because the politico-geographical map(Fing 10-2) is so complicated it should be studied attentively One good way the strengthen your mental map of this realm is to follow the mainland coastlin form west to east The westernmost state in the realm Myanmar (called Burma before 1989 and still referred to by that name) the only country in Southeast Asia that boeders both India and China Myanmar shares the neck of the Malay Peninsula with Thailand heart of Mainland region The south of the peninsula is part of Malaysia except for Singapore at the very tip of it Facing the Gulf of strip of land that e Thailand is Cambodia Still moving generally eastward we reach Vietnam a strip of land that extends all the way to the Chinese border And surrounded by its neighbors is landlocked Loas remote and isolated This