The Far East

• see also:
  • Asia
  • South East Asia
  • Central Asia
  • South Asia
  • History of the world

The Far East:

• consists of the countries of East Asia (China, Mongolia & Taiwan) as well as Japan & Korea.
•  

Japan:

• capital: Tokyo
• area:  377,835 sq.km
• pop:  126.5m (2000)
• govt: parliamentary democracy with Emperor as titular head of govt
• currency: yen
• language: Japanese
• religion: Shinto & Buddhist 84%
• geography:
  • an island country in the North Pacific Ocean consisting of 4 major islands and about 4,000 minor islands
  • major islands:
    • Hokkaido
    • Honshu
    • Shikoku
    • Kyushu
  • mainly mountainous & hilly

North Korea:

• capital: Pyongyang
• area:  120,540 sq.km
• pop:  21.7m (2000)
• govt: communist state dictatorship
• currency: North Korean won
• language: Korean
• religion: Buddhist, Confucian
• geography:
  • situated in E. Asia on the northern part of the Korean peninsula
  • bordered to the north by China, the south by South Korea, the east by the Sea of Japan, & the west by the Yellow Sea
  • mostly mountainous or hilly

South Korea:

• capital: Seoul
• area:  98,484 sq.km
• pop:  47.5m (2000)
• govt: republic
• currency: South Korean won
• language: Korean, English
• religion: Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucian 3%
• geography:
  • situated in E. Asia on the southern part of the Korean peninsula
  • bordered to the north by North Korea, the east by the Sea of Japan, south by the Korean Strait & the west by the Yellow Sea
  • mountainous backbone runs south down the east coast
  • western slopes are gentle, ending in a network of estuaries & tidal flats

Hong Kong:

• capital: Hong Kong
• area:  1045 sq.km
• pop:  5.8m (1986)
• govt:
• currency: 
• language: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
• religion:
• geography:
  • 13km island lying 1.5km across a channel from the peninsula of Kowloon
• history:
  • a barely inhabited offshore island, ceded to Britain on a lease following punitive raids into China by the British Royal Navy in 1840 resulted in the Treaty of Nanking in 1842.
  • intended as a trading post down-river from Canton (now Kwangchow), the excellent harbour encouraged its development as a port and naval base.
  • Kowloon peninsula & nearby Stonecutter's Island were added by a Convention of 1860, & in 1898, the New Territories were leased to the British by the Chinese for a period of 99yrs. 
  • under Japanese occupation in WWII
  •  

China:

• capital: Beijing
• area:  9.6m sq.km (incl. Taiwan)
• pop:  1,261.8m (2000)
• govt: one party people's republic
• currency: yuan
• language: Mandarin Chinese; other dialects, Tibetan, Turkic
• religion: officially atheist; Confucian, Buddhism , Taoism, Muslim 2-3%; Christian 1%
• geography:
  • bordered to the north & west by the Russian Federation, the north by Mongolia, the north-east by Korea, the east by the Pacific Ocean, the south by India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos & Vietnam, & the west by Afghanistan & Pakistan.
  • mountainous deserts in the west
  • plains & hills to the east

Taiwan:

• capital: Taipei
• area:  35,980 sq.km
• pop:  22.2m (2000)
• govt: multiparty democratic regime
• currency: new Taiwan dollar
• language: Chinese Manarin; Taiwanese & Hakka dialects
• religion: Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist
• geography:
  • island situated between the East & South China Seas, about 160km from the coast of the Fujian province, mainland China.
  • generally mountainous, west is flat & fertile

Mongolia:

• capital:
• area:  m sq.km
• pop:  (2000)
• govt:
• currency:
• language:
• religion:
• geography:
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