Asian Countries Problem

Throughout the Asia-Pacific region, rapid economic and population growth creates serious social consequences from environmental problems of urban excess, deforestation, overfishing, global warming, air pollution, and limited safe water supplies. The Asian economic crisis has aggravated this trend. Economic policies have encouraged growth in some sectors while ignoring damage to others. Further, little regard is given to sustainability of the exploited resources. The social costs in terms of health, economic efficiency, and cultural dislocation are immediate, while the long-term costs of environmental rehabilitation are humbling. Left unbridled, environmental damage can lead to economic decline.

UrbanExcess
Environmental problems arise from the urban by-products of transport, industrial activities, and the overcrowding of human habitation. Economic policies have encouraged mass migration of labor to urban industries. The shift from rural to urban Asia will accelerate in the coming century, aggravating urban crowding and increasing the risk of social and political conflict. Asias urban profile increased from 27% (0.7B people) in 1980 to 38% (1.4B) in 2000 and will rise to 50% (2.3B) in 2020. To date, governments have stimulated urban migration by maintaining low food costs, which reduce rural incomes and increase the flight to the cities. About a third of the people in the Third Worlds cities live in desperately overcrowded slums and squatter settlements, with many people unemployed, uneducated, undernourished and chronically ill. Conditions will worsen as their numbers swell and transport, communication, health and sanitation systems break down. One solution to urban excesses is to divert industry and its induced labor migration away from the mega cities towards surrounding areas. This requires significant infrastructure investment, however, and establishes competing centers of political power.

Deforestation/Desertification
Asian food security is threatened by deforestation and desertification. More than a third of the arable land in Asia is at risk. Nearly 75% of Southeast Asias original forest cover has been destroyed at an annual loss rate that is the size of Switzerland. The loss of forests and agricultural land is due to both the exploitation for profit and the ignorance of good practices. Isolated, rogue regimes such as Burma exploit timber, oil, and mineral resources to support their governments. Poor farmers across Asia use improper irrigation and fertilization practices, resulting in increased salinity and toxic soils.

Regardless of motive and method, the loss of workable land hurts not only the harvester, but also has broad consequences for his neighbors in terms of erosion, downstream flooding, and pollution.

Water
As the demand for water grows with population and the economy, water supplies will be increasingly polluted from untreated sewage, from industrial discharges, and from salt-water intrusion of overexploited water tables.

In Jakarta, it costs $20M to $30M annually to boil water for home use. In Manila Bay, heavily polluted by sewage, fish catches have dropped 40% in the last decade. Fish catches near cities in India and China also have experienced major declines. Of Taiwan's 20 million people, less than 1 million are served by sewers. Each day in Hong Kong, about 1 million tons of sewage and industrial effluent pour untreated into the sea - a volume to fill 500 Olympic swimming pools, according to Hong Kong officials. Projecting to 2025, water shortages will affect India, China, North and South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Water disputes have affected international relations for years. Although an agreement was reached in 1996, India and Bangladesh have disagreed on the sharing of the waters of the Ganges for more than 20 years. Greater numbers of international disputes will arise and be more difficult to resolve as populations increase and economies grow, thereby placing a greater demand on scarce resources.

A domestic resource allocation problem that is common to the Pacific Islands soon will prevail over Asia: high-use agriculture will compete with populations for scarce water supplies. While more than 80% of the water consumed in Asia is used for agricultural purposes, 60 to 75% is lost to evaporation before reaching the crops. A technological solution may be to encourage the use of water-efficient drip irrigation techniques, which are employed in less than 1% of all irrigated areas.

Overfishing
Fish are a key source of food for virtually all Asian states, providing one of the largest sources of animal protein to the world's fastest growing commodity market. The worlds largest tuna fishery crosses the jurisdiction of at least 21 countriesas well as extensive high-seas areas of the Pacific Oceanand involves harvesting by fishing vessels from 26 different nations.

Across the Pacific and in many coastal and riparian parts of Asia, fishing is a significant part of the economic base, providing food, employment, revenue, and foreign exchange earnings. World fisheries are being overfished as marine catches increased from 17 million metric tons (MMT) in 1950 to a peak of 87.1 MMT in 1996. As a result, there has been a steady increase in the frequency of clashes and incidents at sea caused by foreign fishing trawlers illegally encroaching into Exclusive Economic Zones and territorial seas.

Aquaculture production is a growing part of the fisheries sector. In 1996, 20% of all global fisheries production was from aquaculture. Asia dominates world aquaculture for fish, shrimp and shellfish, with China producing 68% of the global total. If done in an environmentally friendly manner, aquaculture can be a positive contributor to the world food supply.

For example, giant tiger prawn production in Thailand has exploded from 900 to 277,000 tons in the last decade. However, reckless pumping of seawater into shrimp ponds can damage neighboring fields and hurt coastal marine life.

To protect fisheries and insure sustainability, cooperative resource management schemes such as fishing quotas need to be established and enforced. Militaries, coast guards, law enforcement, and courts should cooperate to reduce the possibility of disputes, collisions, and pollution, such as negligent oil spills.

Global Warming
Carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, and nitrous oxide act like a glass in a greenhouse, letting the suns rays in but trapping heat that would otherwise be released back into space. Carbon dioxide accounts for more than half of the warming affect, while CFCs contribute about a quarter and methane and nitrous oxide cause the remainder. Temperatures have increased .3 to .6 degrees C over the last century, consistent with the rise in greenhouse gases as predicted in recently developed computer models. Climate models predict that temperatures will be 1 to 3 degrees C higher in 2100.

Rising ocean temperatures and melting polar caps will elevate sea levels by 15 to 95 cm in the next century. Bangladesh could lose 17% of its land area to rising seas, while several island nations, such as the Maldives and Tuvalu will become uninhabitable or disappear. Parts of Northern Europe and Canada will benefit from better harvests, but crop yields in India could decline by 30% by 2050.

The controversial solution of the Kyoto Protocol of December 1997 places legally binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The protocol aims to reduce emissions from developing countries to approximately 95% of their 1990 levels by the 2008 to 2012 timeframe.

Air Pollution
ir pollution from vehicles, power plants, incinerators and industry is a major problem in Asia. Outdated pollution control technology and the use of high polluting fuels compound this problem.

Health. Nine of the fifteen cities with the highest particulate levels in the world and six out of the fifteen cities worst affected by sulfur dioxide are in East Asia. Air pollution in China caused more that 175,000 premature deaths in 1995 and nearly 2 million cases of chronic bronchitis. Damage to health and buildings cost Bangkok $1B annually, while air pollution in Delhi decreased crop yields by 30%.

Cross-impacts. Air pollution, in the form of acid rain, can be transported hundreds of miles by wind before being deposited through fog, rain or snow. The acidic deposition damages buildings, degrades the environment and reduces crop yields. In India, wheat growing near a power plant suffered a 49% reduction in yield compared with that grown 22 kilometers away.

Transnational interest. South Korea and Japan are concerned about economic and health effects of airborne pollutants and acid rain from coal burning power plants in nearby China.China's heavy use of air-polluting coal blurs the distinction between domestic economics and transnational threats.

Technology. The developed countries have dramatically reduced the amount of pollutant emissions in the last 20 years through the implementation of new technologies. Widespread use of these proven technologies in developing and advanced Asian economies, coupled with cleaner burning fuels such as unleaded gasoline, natural gas and low sulfur coal can reduce total emissions regardless of rising energy consumption. Implications for Cooperation Since trade has a significant effect on environmental conditions, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is making efforts to address these problems in a multilateral forum. Also, the APEC forum is discussing environmental policy, technologies, sustainability, and education and information.

Countries are increasingly participating in global and regional conventions on atmosphere and oceans, protection of wildlife and habitat, and the handling of hazardous substances. The United Nations and the World Bank are providing aid through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for countries suffering from spillover pollution of neighboring countries. Fledgling regional organizations are develop a dialog for resolving contentious issues by discussing environmental management; nature conservation; industrial, marine, and urban settings; and education, training, and information. Among these organizations are ASEAN, the South Asia Cooperative Environment Program (SACEP), the South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP), and the Lower Mekong Basin Development Environment Program (LMBDEP). The latter organization links economic cooperation and development in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, addresses food and power production, flood control, and navigation in the lower Mekong River basin.

Conclusions
Environmental issues are an underlyingand often neglectedcause for conflicts, disasters, or dislocations. Militaries in the region may be called upon not only to resolve conflicts, butlike the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use their organizational skills and resources to address both crisis relief and long-term issues of security and infrastructure. Furtherat the micro-economic leveleach country's military faces a broad array of environmental

challenges from the impact of their infrastructure and operations. The U.S. military is highly skilled in confronting these challenges. By sharing these environmental security practices with other countries, the U.S. military promotes good governance and sets an example for reducing environmental threats.

TAIWAN

taiwan's Environmental Problems According to Geographical Region A. Mountains Development of transportation, agriculture, and tourism leads to pollution. Taiwan's mountains are important as a water source (rivers begin from mountain springs), and for their support of forests, bird and animal life; they are also the traditional homelands of aboriginal peoples. When the Northern, Central and Southern Cross-Island Highways were completed in the 1960s and 1970s, the aborigines' life was improved but the landscape along the highways also changed. As many people came to take advantage of the mountains' resources, environmental problems were created: water pollution, soil erosion, landslides, forest fires, sedimentation of reservoirs (water sources), and flooding at the middle and lower altitudes. Now the mountain ecosystem is under increasing pressure; some areas of the land are threatened with destruction, and some wildlife species are threatened with extinction. B. Hills-Overdevelopment endangers the midstream and downstream catchment areas. Taiwan's hills have been overdeveloped for the sake of agricultural, residential, industrial and recreational uses (e.g. golf courses). Together with the problems of water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution and solid waste disposal, the ecological system in midstream and downstream catchment areas has been seriously undermined. Pig farmers' careless handling of wastewater and tea and fruit growers' use of chemicals to improve their yield in these regions also can lead to polluted water for downstream city users. C. Plains and Basins-All sorts of pollution and proliferation of garbage cause environmental problems. This region faces the most serious threat from industrialization and urbanization. Metropolitan cities like Taipei and Kaohsiung struggle with dangerous levels of air, water and noise pollution; the disposal of solid and toxic wastes in a safe and clean

manner remains a problem. On average each person produces 1.13 kilograms of garbage a day; this stretches to the limit the capacity of the environment to absorb waste safely. D. Coasts-It is urgent that we reduce pollution produced by large facilities at river mouths and along the coasts. Economic activity has always started early in coastal areas. Today large facilities like nuclear power plants, international airports, commercial ports, fishing harbors, industrial parks and fish farms are having a complex impact on the coastal environment. To control the pollution at the mouths of rivers in western Taiwan is a particularly pressing problem.

E. Outlying Islets-The environmental threat of population growth and nuclear waste clouds the future. Although the economy of the outlying islets relies on a pollution-free industry, namely tourism, the natural population growth rate in this region is high and the islets have long been considered the most suitable potential dumpsite for nuclear waste. The islets, being isolated, are fragile ecosystems. For places like Lan Yu (Orchid Island) the threats to the environment are immediate and very real.

Many Chinese Dialects

Mandarin, also called Beijing, uses five tones. Spoken by the citizens of northern China and the governments of both (mainland) China and Taiwan, Mandarin represents the standard Chinese pronunciation. Cantonese is the most common regional Chinese dialect, spoken by the people in southern China and Hong Kong. Cantonese uses nine distinct tones!
Chinese and Japanese Are Harder

For English speakers, Chinese and Japanese are much harder to master than European languages. The English language and culture share common roots with the European languages and cultures. Chinese and Japanese, however, have substantially different sentence structures and are based on radically different conceptual frameworks and cultural assumptions. For example, a simple exclamation in English or Japanese could require a paragraph in the other language.

Complexities of Chinese

Beyond the enormous task of learning sufficient numbers of hanzi, spoken Chinese has its own unique set of complexities. First, Chinese uses several phonemes (sounds) not found in English which English speakers must learn. Further, Chinese distinguishes syllables by tones, the pitch at which a syllable is uttered. Of course, all languages make use of tones to some degree. English, for example, uses tone to convey the meaning of a word or phrase (consider the many ways you can say "oh, really"). But tones are not part of an English word's spelling. Chinese pronunciation is further complicated by rules specific to the tones themselves that change the tone of a syllable under certain circumstances. For example, a third tone preceding a second or third tone is pronounced as a second tone. Japanese uses an inverted word order and a word stack concept to construct complicated compound sentences. Lengthy phrases are used to modify words which may, themselves, be a part of other phrases, etc. On top of that, key sentence elements are customarily omitted if they can be deduced from "context," but what is context in absence of comprehension? Also, as a spoken language, Japanese uses fewer phonemes than English, giving rise to repetitive, confusing sound combinations. For example imagine aurally distinguishing "atatatakatada" from "attakatada". Additionally, because the Japanese writing system was "borrowed" from the Chinese system, the written language is highly irregular. Both pronunciation and meaning of kanji can vary according to context, with kanji capable of having up to five or more different contextspecific pronunciations!
Location: South-eastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean Capital: Jakarta Population: 241,973,879 (July 2005 est.) Ethnic Groups: Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26% Religions: Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% Language The official language of Indonesia is known as Indonesian or 'Bahasa Indonesian'. Indonesian is a standardised dialect of the Malay language and was formulated at the time of the declaration of Indonesian independence in 1945. Malay and Indonesian remain very similar. Although the official langauge, in reality it is most of the population's second language. Due to the sheer size and fractured, island make-up of the country most people speak regional dialects such as Minangkabau or

Javanese. These will usually be spoken at home and in the local community but at work or at school Indonesian is used.

Communication Styles . Indonesians are indirect communicators. This means they do not always say what they mean. It is up to the listener to read between the lines or pay attention to gestures and body language to get the real message. . Generally speaking Indonesians speak quietly and with a subdued tone. Loud people would come across as slightly aggressive. Business is personal in Indonesia so spend time through communication to build a strong relationship. Dealing with someone face-to-face is the only effective way of doing business. . Indonesians abhor confrontation due to the potential loss of face. To be polite, they may tell you what they think you want to hear. If you offend them, they will mask their feelings and maintain a veil of civility. If an Indonesian begins to avoid you or acts coldly towards you, there is a serious problem.

CHINA
Facts and Statistics Location: Eastern Asia bordering Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km Capital: Beijing Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north Population: 1,298,847,624 (July 2004 est.) Ethnic Make-up: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4% Government: Communist state The Chinese Language Chinese is a family of closely-related but mutually unintelligible languages. These languages are known variously as fngyn (regional languages), dialects of Chinese or varieties of Chinese. In all over 1.2 billion people speak one or more varieties of Chinese. All varieties of Chinese belong to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages and each one has its own dialects and sub-dialects, which are more or less mutually intelligible. Why not learn some useful Manadarin or Cantonese phrases before your visit? Chinese Society & Culture The Importance of "Face"

. The concept of 'face' roughly translates as 'honour', 'good reputation' or 'respect'. . There are four types of 'face': 1) Diu-mian-zi: this is when one's actions or deeds have been exposed to people. 2) Gei-mian-zi: involves the giving of face to others through showing respect. 3) Liu-mian-zi: this is developed by avoiding mistakes and showing wisdom in action. 4) Jiang-mian-zi: this is when face is increased through others, i.e. someone complementing you to an associate. . It is critical you avoid losing face or causing the loss of face at all times. Confucianism Confucianism is a system of behaviours and ethics that stress the obligations of people towards one another based upon their relationship. The basic tenets are based upon five different relationships: . . . . . Ruler and subject Husband and wife Parents and children Brothers and sisters Friend and friend

Confucianism stresses duty, sincerity, loyalty, honour, filial piety, respect for age and seniority. Through maintaing harmonious relations as individuals, society itself becomes stable. Collectivism vs. Individualism . In general, the Chinese are a collective society with a need for group affiliation, whether to their family, school, work group, or country. . In order to maintain a sense of harmony, they will act with decorum at all times and will not do anything to cause someone else public embarrassment. . They are willing to subjugate their own feelings for the good of the group. . This is often observed by the use of silence in very structured meetings. If someone disagrees with what another person says, rather than disagree publicly, the person will remain quiet. This gives face to the other person, while speaking up would make both parties lose face. Non-Verbal Communication . The Chinese' Non-verbal communication speaks volumes. . Since the Chinese strive for harmony and are group dependent, they rely on facial expression, tone of voice and posture to tell them what someone feels. . Frowning while someone is speaking is interpreted as a sign of disagreement. Therefore, most Chinese maintain an impassive expression when speaking. . It is considered disrespectful to stare into another person's eyes. In crowded situations the Chinese avoid eye contact to give themselves privacy.

Chinese Etiquette and Customs

Meeting Etiquette . Greetings are formal and the oldest person is always greeted first. . Handshakes are the most common form of greeting with foreigners. . Many Chinese will look towards the ground when greeting someone. . Address the person by an honorific title and their surname. If they want to move to a first-name basis, they will advise you which name to use.

. The Chinese have a terrific sense of humour. They can laugh at themselves most readily if they have a comfortable relationship with the other person. Be ready to laugh at yourself given the proper circumstances. Gift Giving Etiquette . In general, gifts are given at Chinese New Year, weddings, births and more recently (because of marketing), birthdays. . The Chinese like food and a nice food basket will make a great gift. . Do not give scissors, knives or other cutting utensils as they indicate the severing of the relationship. . Do not give clocks, handkerchiefs or straw sandals as they are associated with funerals and death. . Do not give flowers, as many Chinese associate these with funerals. . Do not wrap gifts in white, blue or black paper. . Four is an unlucky number so do not give four of anything. Eight is the luckiest number, so giving eight of something brings luck to the recipient. . Always present gifts with two hands. . Gifts are not opened when received. . Gifts may be refused three times before they are accepted. Dining Etiquette . The Chinese prefer to entertain in public places rather than in their homes, especially when entertaining foreigners. . If you are invited to their house, consider it a great honour. If you must turn down such an honour, it is considered polite to explain the conflict in your schedule so that your actions are not taken as a slight. . Arrive on time. . Remove your shoes before entering the house. . Bring a small gift to the hostess. . Eat well to demonstrate that you are enjoying the food! Table manners: . Learn to use chopsticks. . Wait to be told where to sit. The guest of honour will be given a seat facing the door. . The host begins eating first. . You should try everything that is offered to you. . Never eat the last piece from the serving tray. . Be observant to other peoples' needs. . Chopsticks should be returned to the chopstick rest after every few bites and when you drink or stop to speak. . The host offers the first toast. . Do not put bones in your bowl. Place them on the table or in a special bowl for that purpose. . Hold the rice bowl close to your mouth while eating. . Do not be offended if a Chinese person makes slurping or belching sounds; it merely indicates that they are enjoying their food. . There are no strict rules about finishing all the food in your bowl. Tipping Etiquette: Tipping is becoming more commonplace, especially with younger workers although older workers still consider it an insult. Leaving a few coins is usually sufficient.

Business Etiquette and Protocol in China

Relationships & Communication . The Chinese don't like doing business with companies they don't know, so working through an intermediary is crucial. This could be an individual or an organization who can make a formal introduction and vouch for the reliability of your company. . Before arriving in China send materials (written in Chinese) that describe your company, its history, and literature about your products and services. The Chinese often use intermediaries to ask questions that they would prefer not to make directly. . Business relationships are built formally after the Chinese get to know you.

. Be very patient. It takes a considerable amount of time and is bound up with enormous bureaucracy. . The Chinese see foreigners as representatives of their company rather than as individuals. . Rank is extremely important in business relationships and you must keep rank differences in mind when communicating. . Gender bias is nonexistent in business. . Never lose sight of the fact that communication is official, especially in dealing with someone of higher rank. Treating them too informally, especially in front of their peers, may well ruin a potential deal. . The Chinese prefer face-to-face meetings rather than written or telephonic communication. . Meals and social events are not the place for business discussions. There is a demarcation between business and socializing in China, so try to be careful not to intertwine the two. What to Wear? . . . . . Business attire is conservative and unpretentious. Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits. Women should wear conservative business suits or dresses with a high neckline. Women should wear flat shoes or shoes with very low heels. Bright colours should be avoided.

Asian Countries Country Afghanistan Armenia Official and national Languages Pashtu (Pushtu), Dari Persian Armenian (Hayeren) is an independent, onelanguage subgroup within the Indo-European language family. The unique Armenian alphabet, which consists of 39 characters, was created in 405 AD by a monk named Mesrop Mashtots. Azerbaijani (Azeri; a Turkic language of the Altaic family) 89% Arabic (Arabiyya) Bengali (Bangla) Bhutanese (Dzongkha) Other spoken Languages other Turkic and minor languages. Russian widely used

Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan

Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6%

Brunei Darussalam Cambodia China Cyprus Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq

Malay, English

English, Farsi, Urdu English The Bhotes (the principal ethnic majority 50%) speak various Tibetan dialects like Tshanglakha and Khenkha, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects like Lhotsamkha. Chinese

Khmer spoken by more than 95% of the population (Khmer language is influenced by spoken and some French still spoken, English increasingly popular as a second language. written Thai) Putonghua (Mandarin) Wu (spoken in Shanghai), Yue (Cantonese) and other Chinese dialects like Min, Hakka (Kejia), Gan and Xiang. Greek, Turkish English Georgian Russian, Armenian, Azeri and other. note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia. Hindi, English (the most important language for Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, national, political, and commercial communication) Panjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay) English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese. Persian and Persian dialects 58% (Farsi) Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic Arabic (Arabiyya), Kurdish (official since 8 March Assyrian (Syriac-Aramaic), Armenian, Turcoman

Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan

2004) Hebrew (Ivrit), Arabic

Japanese (Nihongo) Arabic (Arabiyya) Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% Korea (North) Korean (Choso'nmal or Choson'o) Korea (South) Korean (Hangungmal); Korean is written in English widely taught in junior high and high school. Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Kuwait Arabic (Arabiyya) English widely spoken. Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Macau Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar (Burma) Nepal Kyrgyz, Russian Lao Arabic (Arabiyya) Putonghua (Mandarin), Portuguese Bahasa Melayu

Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Tat, Judeo-Berber, English - is the major foreign language. Ryukyuan Languages English widely understood among upper and middle classes.

note: in December 2001, the Kyrgyzstani legislature made Russian an official language, equal in status to Kyrgyz.

French, English, and various ethnic languages French, English, Armenian everyone speaks Yue Chinese (Cantonese), English is used as a "working language". English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note: in addition,
in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest are Iban and Kadazan.

Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived English spoken by most government officials. from Arabic) Khalkha Mongol (a branch of the Altaic family) Turkic, Russian Burmese 135 minority ethnic groups have their own languages. Nepali (official and lingua franca of the country) 90%

Oman Palestine Pakistan Philippines

Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Timor-Leste

sixty ethnic groups, who speak seventy different dialects and eleven major languages like Tibeto-Burman, Lhotsamkha, Nepalbhasa, Tamang languages; minorities Bhutanese (Dzongkha), Tibetan languages, possibly Chinese dialects. note: many in government and business also speak English Arabic (Arabiyya) English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects. Arabic (Arabiyya), Hebrew (Ivrit, spoken by Israeli English (widely understood) settlers and many Palestinians) Urdu 8%, English (official and "lingua franca" of Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Balochi Pakistani elite and most government ministries) 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, Burushaski, and other 8% Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English. Filipino is the national language. English is also widely used Major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, and is the medium of instruction in higher Pampango, and Pangasinense. education. Arabic (Arabiyya) English commonly used as a second language. Arabic (Arabiyya) Chinese, Malay, Tamil, English Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population. (national language) 18% Arabic (Arabiyya) Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood. Chinese Mandarin (PuTongHua) Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects. Tajik Russian widely used in government and business. Thai English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects Tetum, Portuguese Indonesian, English; note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and
Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people.

Turkey Turkish (trke) Turkmenistan Turkmen 72% United Arab Arabic (Arabiyya)

Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Emirates Uzbekistan Viet Nam Yemen

Uzbek 74.3% Vietnamese Arabic (Arabiyya)

Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Afghanistan[1]

Muslim (99%), other (1%)

Bangladesh[72]

Muslim (90%), Hindu (9%), Christian (.5%), Buddhist (.5%), Believers in tribal faiths (0.1%)

British Indian Ocean Territory[73]

Christian (45.55%), Hindu (38.55%), Muslim (9.25%), Non-Religious (6.50%), Atheist (0.10%), Other (0.05%)

Bhutan[74]

Buddhist (75%), Hindu (25%)

Burma[75]

Theravada Buddhist (89%), Muslim (4%), Christian (4%) (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Animist (1%), others (including Hinduism) (2%)

India[76][77]

Hindu (80.5%), Muslim (13.4%), Christian (2.3%), Sikh (1.9%), Buddhist (0.8%), Jain (0.4%), Others (0.6%)

Iran[78]

Shi'a Muslim (89%), Sunni Muslim (9%), Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i (2%)

Maldives[79]

Sunni Muslim (100%) (One must be a Sunni Muslim to be a citizen on the Maldives[80][81])

Nepal[82]

Hindu (80.6%), Buddhist (10.7%), Muslim (4.2%), Kirat (3.6%)

Pakistan[83]

Muslim (96.28%), Hindu (1.85%), Christian (1.59%), Ahmadi (0.22%)

Sri Lanka[84]

Theravada Buddhist (70.42%), Hindu (10.89%), Muslim (8.78%), Catholic (7.77%), Other Christian (1.96%), Other (0.13%)

Territory and region data

Country Area km Population (2009) Population density per km 6 27 51 Nominal GDP GDP per millions of USD capita (2009) (2009) 109,273 4,570 4,982 $6,823 $850 $766 Capital Official languages

Kazakhstan 2,724,900 16,004,800 Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan 199,900 143,100 5,482,000 7,349,145

Astana Bishkek

Kazakh, Russian Kyrgyz, Russian

Dushanbe Tajik

Turkmenistan Uzbekistan [edit]Nations

488,100

5,110,000

10

16,197

$3,242

Ashgabat Turkmen

447,400 27,606,000

62

32,816

$1,175

Tashkent Uzbek

with territories sometimes included

Area km Population (2009) Population density per km 49 139.6 45 Capital Official languages

Country or Territory

Afghanistan China Iran

647,500 9,640,821 1,648,195

31,889,923 1,338,612,968 76,923,300

Kabul Beijing Tehran Ulan Bator

Persian, Pashto Chinese Persian

Mongolia

1,564,116

2,736,800

Mongolian

Pakistan Russia

803,940 13,000,000

168,925,500 141,945,966

210 8.3

Islamabad Urdu, English Moscow Russian

Capital (and largest city)

Seoul
3735 N 1270 E

Official language(s)

Korean

Official scripts

Hangul

Demonym

South Korean, Korean

Government

Presidential republic

President

Lee Myung-bak

Prime Minister

Kim Hwang-sik

Speaker

Park Hee-tae

Legislature

National Assembly

Establishment

National Foundation Day

October 3, 2333 BCE

Independence declared

March 1, 1919

Provisional Government

April 13, 1919

Liberation

August 15, 1945

Constitution

July 17, 1948

Government proclaimed

August 15, 1948

Area 100,210 km2 (108th) 38,691 sq mi

Total

Water (%)

0.3

Population 48,875,000[1] (24th)

2010 estimate

Density

491/km2 (21st) 1,271/sq m

Capital (and largest city)

Pyongyang
392 N 12545 E

Official language(s)

Korean

Official scripts

Chos n'g l

Demonym

North Korean, Korean

Government

Juche unitary single-party military dictatorship

-Eternal President

Kim Il-sung
(deceased)
[a]

-Supreme Leader[2][3]

Kim Jong-il

-NDC Chairman

Kim Jong-il

-Chairman of the Presidium

Kim Yong-nam[b]

-Premier

Choe Yong-rim

Legislature

Supreme People's Assembly

Establishment

-Independence declared

March 1, 1919

-Liberation

August 15, 1945

-Formal declaration

September 9, 1948

Area 120,540 km2 (98th) 46,528 sq mi

-Total

-Water (%)

4.87

Population 24,051,218[4] (51st)

-2009 estimate

-2008 census

24,052,231[5]

-Density

198.3/km2 (55th) 513.8/sq m