Far East

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IPA: [ˈdalʲnʲɪjvɐˈstok]

When Europeans traveled far to the east to reach Cathay, Japan and the Indies, they naturally gave those distant regions the general name 'Far East.' Americans who reached China, Japan and Southeast Asia by sail and steam across the Pacific could, with equal logic, have called that area the 'Far West.' For the people who live in that part of the world, however, it is neither 'East' nor 'West' and certainly not 'Far.' A more generally acceptable term for the area is 'East Asia,' which is geographically more precise and does not imply the outdated notion that Europe is the center of the civilized world. [9]

Today, the term remains in the names of some longstanding institutions, including the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Far Eastern University in Manila, the Far East University in South Korea, and Far East, the periodical magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. Furthermore, the United States and United Kingdom have historically incorporated Far East in the names of several military units and commands in the region, such as the British Royal Navy's Far East Fleet, for instance.

Territories and regions conventionally included in the Far East

Far East
Far east1.png
Location of the Far East, geographically defined
Romanization Dál'niy Vostók
Name of region [13] and
territory, with flag
Area
(km2)
Population
Population density
(per km2)
Capital Forms of government Currency Official languages
North Asia
Flag of Russia.svg Russia [14] [15] 13,100,00037,600,0002.6 Moscow [16] Federal semi-presidential republic Ruble Russian and
27 other co-official languages
East Asia
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China [17] 9,598,094 [18]
1,371,821,094 [19] 145.0 Beijing One-party socialist republic Yuan (Renminbi) Chinese (Mandarin) [20]
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong [21] 1,1087,448,9006,777.0Hong Kong Special administrative region
of the People's Republic of China
Hong Kong dollar Chinese, [22]
English
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 377,973126,440,000334.0 Tokyo Parliamentary democracy,
Constitutional monarchy
Yen None [23]
Flag of Macau.svg  Macau [24] 115.3653,10021,340.0Macau Special administrative region
of the People's Republic of China
Pataca Chinese, [25]
Portuguese
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 1,566,0003,081,6771.97 Ulaanbaatar Semi-presidential system Tögrög Mongolian
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea 120,54025,368,620212.0 Pyongyang Juche unitarian dictatorship
Socialist Republic
North Korean won Korean
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 100,36351,446,201507.0 Seoul Unitary presidential republic South Korean won Korean
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan [26] 36,19723,577,271650.0 Taipei Semi-presidential system New Taiwan dollar Chinese (Mandarin)
Southeast Asia
Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei 5,765417,20072.11 Bandar Seri Begawan Absolute Islamic Sultanate Brunei dollar Malay and English
Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia 181,03516,245,72981.8 Phnom Penh Constitutional monarchy Riel Khmer
Flag of Christmas Island.svg  Christmas Island [27] 1351,69212.5 Flying Fish Cove External territory of AustraliaAustralian dollarNone [28]
Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.svg  Cocos (Keeling) Islands [29] 1459342.4 West Island External territory of AustraliaAustralian dollarNone [30]
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 1,904,569261,115,456138.0 Jakarta Presidential republic Rupiah Indonesian
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos 237,9556,758,35326.7 Vientiane Socialist Republic Kip Lao
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 330,80332,049,70092.0 Kuala Lumpur Federal constitutional monarchy,
Parliamentary democracy
Ringgit Malay
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar (Burma) 676,57853,582,85576.0 Naypyidaw Unitary presidential
constitutional republic
Kyat Burmese
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 300,000100,981,437336.0 Manila Unitary presidential
constitutional republic
Philippine peso (Piso) Filipino and English
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 722.55,638,7007,804.0Singapore Parliamentary republic Singapore dollar Malay, English,
Chinese (Mandarin), and Tamil
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 513,12068,863,514132.1 Bangkok Constitutional monarchy,
Parliamentary democracy
Baht Thai
Flag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste (East Timor) 15,4101,167,24278.0 Dili Parliamentary republic U.S. dollar / Centavo coins Tetum and Portuguese
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 331,21294,569,072276.03 Hanoi One-party,
Socialist Republic
đồng Vietnamese

Cities

See also

Organizations

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References

  1. "Oxford Dictionaries – Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Grammar". askoxford.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  2. "What is the Far East?". WorldAtlas. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  3. "Far East, Middle East, Near East". 13 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. "Far East Definition". Law Insider. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  5. Farrell, Brian P.; Long, S.R. Joey; Ulbrich, David, eds. (18 July 2022), "From Far East to Asia Pacific: Great Powers and Grand Strategy 1900–1954", From Far East to Asia Pacific, De Gruyter Oldenbourg, doi:10.1515/9783110718713, ISBN   978-3-11-071871-3 , retrieved 10 August 2024
  6. "Where is the Middle East? The Near East? The Far East?". Dictionary.com. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  7. Fields, Larry. "The Eurocentric Worldwiew: Misunderstanding East Asia" (PDF). asj.upd.edu.ph. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  8. "A menagerie of monikers". The Economist . 7 January 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  9. 1 2 Reischauer, Edwin and John K Fairbank, East Asia: The Great Tradition, 1960.
  10. "East and Southeast Asia". ANDE. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  11. Robert Sewell (1901). A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagar; A Contribution to the History of India. Asian Educational Services. ISBN   9788120601253.
  12. Menzies, R.G. (26 April 1939). "73 Broadcast Speech". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  13. 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.
  14. Russia is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and North Asia, but is considered European historically, culturally, and ethnically, and the vast majority of its population (78%) lives within its European part.
  15. Asian part only.
  16. Moscow is located in Europe.
  17. 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.
  18. Includes PRC-administered area (Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract, both territories claimed by India).
  19. Information listed is for Mainland China only. The Special administrative region (i.e. Hong Kong and Macau), the island territories under the control of the Republic of China (which includes the islands of Taiwan, Quemoy, and Matsu) are excluded.
  20. "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language (Order of the President No.37)". Chinese Government. 31 October 2000. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013. For purposes of this Law, the standard spoken and written Chinese language means Putonghua (a common speech with pronunciation based on the Beijing dialect) and the standardized Chinese characters.
  21. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
  22. No specific variety of Chinese is official in the territory. Residents predominantly speak Cantonese, the de facto regional standard.
  23. Japan's National Diet have not officially enacted a law stating that the official language is Japanese.
  24. Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
  25. No specific variety of Chinese is official in the territory. Residents predominantly speak Cantonese, the de facto regional standard.
  26. 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.
  27. Christmas Island is an External Territory of Australia.
  28. English does not have de jure status in Christmas Island and in Australia, but it is the de facto language of communication in government.
  29. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are an External Territory of Australia.
  30. English does not have de jure status in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and in Australia, but it is the de facto language of communication in government.

Further reading