The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia.[1] It is a Eurocentric term that nevertheless retains strong popular usage. "Far East" came because from Europe the Eastern Asia is the "farthest" of the two "easts" (the others being Near East and Middle East) literally near the Pacific Ocean. For the same reason, ancient Chinese people called western country "Tàixī (泰西)" (lit. more west than Arabia).
Popularisation
The term Far East was popularized in the English language during the period of the British Empire as a blanket term for lands to the east of British India. Prior to World War I, the Near East referred to relatively nearby lands of the Ottoman Empire, Middle East to northwestern South Asia and Central Asia, and Far East for countries along the western Pacific Ocean and countries along the eastern Indian Ocean. Many European languages have analogous terms, such as the French Extrême-Orient, Spanish Extremo Oriente, Portuguese Extremo Oriente, German Ferner Osten, Italian Estremo Oriente, Polish Daleki Wschód, and Dutch Verre Oosten.
Cultural as well as geographic meaning
Significantly, the term evokes cultural as well as geographic separation; the Far East is not just geographically distant, but also culturally exotic. It never refers, for instance, to the culturally Western nations of Australia and New Zealand, which lie even farther to the east of Europe than East Asia itself. This combination of cultural and geographic subjectivism was well illustrated in 1939 by the Prime Minister of Australia, R. G Menzies. Reflecting upon his country's geopolitical concerns with the onset of war, Menzies commented that:
"The problems of the Pacific are different. What Great Britain calls the Far East is to us the near north."[2]
Far East in its usual sense is comparable to terms such as the Orient, which means East; the Eastern world; or simply the East. South East Asia and the Russian Far East might now be included in the Far East to some extent due to recent Chinese migration to Russia, and the Korean diaspora in Russia.
Eurocentrism
Use of the term in the Western world has become somewhat circumscribed due to its Eurocentrism and association with European imperialism in Asia. The more precise East Asia and Southeast Asia, or larger umbrella terms, such as Pacific Rim, are preferred in cultural and economic studies. The region's growth has also given new meaning to the term as meaning the Far East of the world (i.e. the easternmost continental land in the Eastern Hemisphere) rather than to the Far East of Europe.
Despite its shortcomings, the term is unlikely to fade from use completely due to historical usage within the names of many Asian-based commercial enterprises and institutions. Examples include: Far Eastern National University in Vladivostok, Far Eastern University in the City of Manila, South Korean's Far East University, and the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic ReviewNORTh America have historically used Far East for several military units and commands in the region:
Territories and regions conventionally included under the term Far East
Name of region[3] and
territory, with flag |
Area
(km²) |
Population
(2008 est.) |
Population density
(per km²) |
Capital |
Government |
Currency |
Official languages |
Coat of Arms |
| East Asia |
 People's Republic of China[4] |
9,640,821[5] |
1,321,851,888[6] |
140.0 |
Beijing |
Single-party state,
Socialist republic |
Yuan (Renminbi) |
Chinese (Mandarin) |
 |
 Hong Kong (of the PRC)[7] |
1,104 |
6,985,200 |
6,352.0 |
— |
One country, two systems |
Hong Kong dollar |
Chinese (Cantonese),
English |
 |
 Japan |
377,873 |
127,433,494 |
337.0 |
Tokyo |
Parliamentary democracy,
Constitutional monarchy |
Yen |
Japanese |
  |
 Macau (China)[8] |
28.6 |
520,400 |
17,310.0 |
— |
One country, two systems |
Macanese pataca |
Chinese (Cantonese),
Portuguese |
 |
 Mongolia |
1,564,116 |
2,951,786 |
1.7 |
Ulaanbaatar |
Parliamentary republic |
Tögrög |
Mongolian |
 |
 North Korea |
120,540 |
23,301,725 |
190.0 |
Pyongyang |
Juche,
Socialist Republic |
North Korean won |
Korean |
 |
 South Korea |
100,032 |
49,044,790 |
493.0 |
Seoul |
Presidential republic |
Won |
Korean |
 |
 Republic of China (Taiwan)[9] |
36,188 |
22,911,292 |
633.12 |
Taipei |
Semi-presidential system |
New Taiwan dollar |
Chinese (Mandarin) |
 |
| Southeast Asia |
 Brunei |
5,765 |
381,371 |
66.0 |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
Absolute Islamic Sultanate |
Brunei dollar |
Malay, Bruneian |
 |
 Cambodia |
181,035 |
14,241,640 |
78.0 |
Phnom Penh |
Constitutional monarchy |
Riel |
Khmer |
 |
 East Timor
(Timor-Leste)[10] |
15,410 |
1,115,000 |
64.0 |
Dili |
Parliamentary republic |
U.S. Dollar |
Tetum and Portuguese |
 |
 Indonesia[11] |
1,419,588 |
237,512,355 |
159.9 |
Jakarta |
Presidential republic |
Rupiah |
Indonesian |
 |
 Laos |
236,800 |
6,521,998 |
25.0 |
Vientiane |
Socialist Republic |
Kip |
Lao |
 |
 Malaysia |
329,847 |
27,730,000 |
83.0 |
Kuala Lumpur |
Federal constitutional monarchy,
Parliamentary democracy |
Ringgit |
Bahasa Melayu (Malay) |
 |
 Myanmar (Burma) |
676,578 |
55,390,000 |
75.0 |
Naypyidaw[12] |
Military junta |
kyat |
Burmese |
 |
 Philippines |
300,000 |
90,500,000 |
295.0 |
Manila |
Unitary presidential
constitutional republic |
Peso (Piso) |
Filipino and English |
 |
 Singapore |
707.1 |
4,588,600 |
6,489.0 |
Singapore |
Parliamentary republic |
Singapore dollar |
English, Malay,
Mandarin, and Tamil |
 |
 Thailand |
513,115 |
63,038,247 |
122.0 |
Bangkok |
Parliamentary democracy,
Constitutional monarchy |
Baht |
Thai |
 |
 Vietnam |
331,690 |
86,116,559 |
253.0 |
Hanoi |
Socialist Republic |
đồng |
Vietnamese |
 |
| Indian subcontinent |
 Bangladesh |
147,570 |
150,448,340 |
1045.0 |
Dhaka |
Parliamentary republic |
Taka |
Bengali |
 |
 Bhutan |
47,000 |
672,425 |
45.0 |
Thimphu |
Parliamentary democracy,
Constitutional monarchy |
Ngultrum, Indian rupee |
Dzongkha |
 |
 India |
3,287,590 |
1,132,446,000 |
329.0 |
New Delhi |
Federal republic, Parliamentary democracy |
Indian rupee |
Hindi, English and
20 other official languages |
 |
 Nepal |
147,181 |
29,519,114 |
184.0 |
Kathmandu |
Interim government |
Nepalese rupee |
Nepali |
 |
 Pakistan |
803,940 |
172,800,000 |
206.0 |
Islamabad |
Islamic Republic |
Pakistani rupee |
Urdu, English, Balochi,
Pashto, Punjabi, Siraiki, and Sindhi |
 |
 Sri Lanka |
65,610 |
19,668,000 |
319.0 |
Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte |
Democratic Socialist Republic |
Sri Lankan rupee |
Sinhala, Tamil |
 |
| Central Asia |
 Afghanistan |
647,500 |
31,889,923 |
46.0 |
Kabul |
Islamic presidential republic |
Afghani |
Dari (Persian) and Pashto |
 |
 Kazakhstan |
2,724,900 |
15,217,711 |
5.4 |
Astana |
Presidential republic |
Tenge |
Kazakh, Russian |
 |
 Kyrgyzstan |
199,900 |
5,264,000 |
26.0 |
Bishkek |
Presidential republic |
Som |
Kyrgyz, Russian |
 |
 Tajikistan |
143,100 |
6,920,300 |
45.0 |
Dushanbe |
Unitary presidential republic |
Somoni |
Tajik |
 |
 Turkmenistan |
488,100 |
5,110,023 |
9.9 |
Ashgabat |
Single-party presidential republic |
Turkmen Manat |
Russian, Uzbek, Dari |
 |
 Uzbekistan |
447,400 |
27,372,000 |
59.0 |
Tashkent |
Presidential republic |
Uzbekistan som (O'zbekiston so'mi) |
Uzbek |
 |
| Russian Far East |
 Russia[13] |
13,115,200 |
84,525,639 |
3.0 |
Moscow |
Federal semi-presidential republic |
Ruble |
Russian and
27 other co-official languages |
 |
Gallery of the major cities in the Far East
See also
References
- ^ AskOxford: Far East
- ^ Broadcast Speech by Mr R.G. Menzies, Prime Minister
- ^ Continental regions as per UN categorisations (map), except 12. Depending on definitions, various territories cited below (notes 6, 11-13, 15, 17-19, 21-23) may be in one or both of Asia and Europe, Africa, or Oceania.
- ^ The state is commonly known as simply "China", which is subsumed by the eponymous entity and civilisation (China). Figures given are for mainland China only, and do not include Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
- ^ Includes PRC-administered area (Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract, both territories claimed by India), Taiwan is not included.
- ^ Information listed is for mainland China only. The Special Administrative Regions of the PRC: Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. In addition, the island territories under the control of the Republic of China, which includes the islands of Taiwan, Kinmen, and Matsu are also excluded.
- ^ Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC.
- ^ Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC.
- ^ Figures are for the area under the de facto control of the Republic of China (ROC) government, commonly referred to as Taiwan. Claimed in whole by the PRC; see political status of Taiwan.
- ^ East Timor is often considered a transcontinental country in Southeastern Asia and Oceania.
- ^ Indonesia is often considered a transcontinental country in Southeastern Asia and Oceania; figures do not include Irian Jaya and Maluku Islands, frequently reckoned in Oceania (Melanesia/Australasia).
- ^ The administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved from Yangon (Rangoon) to a militarised greenfield just west of Pyinmana on 6 November 2005.
- ^ Russia is generally considered a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe (UN region) and Northern Asia; population and area figures are for Asian portion only.
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