Dark green: always included, Light green: usually included, Red: sometimes included
, or the
Indochinese Peninsula, is a
region in
Southeast Asia. It lies roughly east of
India, south of
China.
The name has its origins in the French,
Indochine, and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory to bordering countries.
Historically, the
countries of Mainland Southeast Asia were culturally influenced by
China and
India, but to varying degrees. Indochina refers to an area inhabited by different Mongoloid races having significant Indian cultural influences. Some Southeast Asian cultures, such as that of
Laos and
Thailand are heavily influenced by
Indian culture as well as by
Cambodian culture.
Cambodia exhibits little
Indian cultural influence, exhibiting many strong
Chinese cultural influences, found in
Cambodian cuisine and
Cambodian clothing. Together with
Java, these influences have been present since the era of the
Khmer Empire.
Myanmar appears to be equally influenced by Indian and Chinese cultures.
Others, such as
Vietnam, are more heavily influenced by
Chinese culture, with only minor cultural influences from India, largely via the
Champa civilization that Vietnam conquered during its
southward expansion.
Malaysia and
Singapore were at first strongly influenced by Indian culture followed by Islamic influences. Later, Chinese culture becomes a major influence following large numbers of Chinese immigration and settlement.
Today, most of these countries also show pronounced Western cultural influences which began during
colonialism of western countries in
Southeast Asia.
In a strict sense, Indochina comprises the territory of the former
French Indochina:
However, in a wider sense, the cultural region is better described as
Mainland Southeast Asia in which sense it also includes:
Note that the term
Sino-Indian is used to describe things relating to
India and
China. (e.g.
Sino-Indian relations).
See also
