Indochina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly east of India, south of China, culturally influenced by both—hence the name.
Note that the term Sino-Indian is used to describe things relating to India and China. (e.g. Sino-Indian relations). The term Indochina is exclusively used to denote the region that comprises modern-day Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Indochina comprises the territory of the following countries:
- in strict sense, only the former colonial French Indochina:
- in the wider sense, better described as Mainland Southeast Asia, it includes furthermore:
- Peninsular Malaysia (comprising the southern end of the Malay peninsula but none of the Malay islands)
- Myanmar (formerly Burma and part of British India until 1947)
- Thailand (formerly Siam)
The main religion in this region is Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is predominant in Vietnam, while Malaysia is a multi-religious nation, with Islam as the main religion, and adherents of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity as major minorities.
