| Southeast Asia (or Southeastern Asia) is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic and volcanic activity. Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: the Asian mainland and island arcs and archipelagoes to the east and southeast. The mainland section consists of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia while the maritime section consists of Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore.[1] Papua New Guinea is an observer in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as is East Timor. Geographically speaking southern China, Taiwan,[2] Hong Kong[3][4] and Macau[5] are sometimes grouped in the Southeast Asia subregion, although politically they are rarely grouped as such. The same is true for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India.[6][7] Austronesian peoples predominate in this region. The major religions are Islam and Buddhism, followed by Christianity. However, a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including many Hindu and animist-influenced practices |
