Chapter 31

Section 1

1. Rice farming is an important agricultural activity in Southeast Asia because it is a staple food and it is the top export of two of the countries in that region, Thailand and Vietnam.

2. The countries of Southeast Asia are industrializing at different rates because the have different products to offer other countries, and because some countries came out of the economic crisis of the 1980s more quickly than others.

Creative Writing: With the help of the Asian Development Bank and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Southeastern countries are quickly weaving themselves into economic interdependence. These organizations promote trade between all countries of the region and make trade much more valuable and worth while for those involved.

Section 2

1. Floods and typhoons kill hundreds of people and ruin millions of dollars of crops every year for the Southeast Asian region. Volcanic eruptions kill hundreds of people and destroy homes, along with blowing gases into the air that affect weather patterns around the world.

2. Economic progression has lead to pollution of land, water, and air, from urban and rural environments and from industrialization.

Creative Writing: While there are man-made issues that need to be dealt with, natural disasters are reeking havoc upon the Southeast Asian region. Typhoons, cyclones, eruptions, and floods cause millions of dollars in damage, as well as deprive us of crops and human lives. Without precautions made to protect ourselves from these disasters, these same effects will be drawn from these problems.

Chapter 29

Section 1

1. Cordilleras and archipelagoes make up most of the South Eastern Asian region.

2. The rich natural resources of the region help bring the economies of the countries up.

Creative Writing: Southeast Asia depends on its waterways because several farms are more inland. These waterways allow water to get into massive farms of rice, plants, other crops, and simple drinking water.

Section 2

1. Islands of Southeast Asia generally have a subtropical climate, while the mainland have tropical dry and subtropical climates.

2. The main climate types of this region are tropical wet and tropical dry.

Creative Writing: I can understand why urbanization of this area may be important to the people around it, however, our planet is already destroying much of its biodiversity and can afford to lose much more. As we cut down rainforests, we are destroying the homes of millions of creatures, as the rainforests are one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. If we continue to destroy these homes, we will move more species closer and closer to extinction.

Chapter 28

Section 1

1. In East Asia, China and North Korea are communist, while South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan are democratic. Because of this, China and North Korea have command economies, and South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have mixed economies and market economies.

2.The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation plays an important role in the economic activities of the East Asian region as it makes trade among China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan efficient and fair.

Creative Writing: It was a very good idea to have let China into the World Trade Organization on the United States' part. China may have had some critisism for past anti-humanitarian actions, that were used in order to stop citizens from speaking out against the government, but these actions can help keep workers in line and focused so that the world wide economy can increase.

Section 2

1. Industrialization of the East Asian region lead to nuclear power, and nuclear accidents like in 1999 in Japan. It has also lead to acid rain, deforestation, desertification and other forms of pollution.

2. East Asian countries naturally recieve many earthquakes and typhoons. Japan alone also has over 80 active volcanoes.

Creative Writing: Japan, since the 1970's has encouraged the stopping of pollution of industries and is now the leader of addressing environmental issues. In 2006, Japan was ahead of all other auto manufacturers in developing fuel cell engines that produced no emissions. Japan has also made aquacultures so that over fishing does not occur.

Chapter 27

Section 1

1. East Asia's culture and traditions originated from the ancient indigenous ancestors of that region.

2. The people of China mainly speak dialects of Mandarin.

Creative Writing: Before communism in China, people were free to practice the religions that they pleased. Most people were Confucist, Buddhist, or Taoist/Daoist. However, today the Chinese Communist government discourages anything other than atheism, and some restrictions are placed upon people that follow some religions, such as the fact that if a Tibetan is found owning a picture of the Dalai Lama, he risks arrest.

Section 2

1. Most Japanese people are located near the urban areas in valleys and coastal regions due to forested mountains covering a large area of Japan.

2. Japan built an empire from the 1890s to the 1940s through military force and diplomacy, mostly gaining land through wars with the Chinese and the Russians.

Creative Writing: Japan has been touched in several ways from the outside world and those small touches have caused large changes in Japan's culture. After the fall of the Japanese Empire after World War Two, Japan became a democracy, sharing the type of government that many nations in the world are controlled by today. Japanese language, too, has been modified by western influences and Chinese influences as well.

Section 3

1. Because Western diplomats came to visit Korea first with military force, Korea closed its doors to them and became an isolated nation.

2. Korean life is largely based upon Confucianism.

Creative Writing: The divergence between North and South Korea was due to the Korean War in the 1950s after World War 2, in which North Korea invaded South Korea in order to reunite both countries after their separtion after the second World War. World War Two had divided the countries into two, South Korea, the U.S. backed democratic state, and North Korea, the Communist nation. Due to South Korea's economy being based on capitalism, the economy has been growing and is currently doing much better than North Korea's. This, along with the United State's help has led to an increased life span of the general public, much greater than that of North Korea's. Because North Korea has been isolated by their government, they have had few contacts with any nations and has kept their own culture for much longer than South Korea, whose culture has been mixed with that of the West's.