Far East 11672 225536481 2008-07-14T05:17:30Z GPS94 7152252 /* Gallery */ {{otheruses4|the Asian regions|the A. R. Gurney play|Far East (play)|the newspaper published in Japan|The Far East (periodical)}} {{Chinese |title=Far East |float= |pic=Far east2.png |piccap=Location of Far East |picsize=200px |t=遠東 |s=远东 |l=Far East |p=Yuǎn Dōng |tp=Yuǎn Dōng |j=Yuen5 Dong1 |y=<!-- Cantonese Yale --> |hangul=극동 |hanja=極東 |rr=Geuk Dong |mr=Kŭk Tong |kanji=極東 |kana=きょくとう |hiragana=Japanese Hiragana |romaji=Kyoku Tō |msa=Timur Jauh |mnc=<!-- Manchu language --> |mon=<!-- Mongolian language --> |por=Extremo Oriente |rus=Дальний Восток |rusr=<!-- Russian language in Latin alphabet --> |tha=ตะวันออกไกล |rtgs=<!-- Royal Thai General System of Transcription --> |tib=<!-- Tibetan language --> |wylie=<!-- Wylie transliteration of Tibetan --> |thdl=<!-- THDL Simplified Phonetic Transcription of Tibetan --> |zwpy=<!-- Zangwen Pinyin (PRC's official Tibetan transliteration) --> |lhasa=<!-- Lhasa dialect of Tibetan in IPA --> |uig=<!-- Uyghur language --> |vie=<!-- Vietnamese language (generic) --> |qn=<!-- Vietnamese in Quoc Ngu script --> |chunom=<!-- Vietnamese Chu Nom --> |hantu=<!-- Vietnamese Han Tu --> |zha=<!-- Zhung language --> |dungan=<!-- Dungan language --> |dungan-xej=<!-- Dungan Xiao'erjing --> |dungan-han=<!-- Dungan Hanzi --> |dungan-latin=<!-- Dungan Romanization --> |bur=<!-- Burmese language --> |Burmese_language_content=<!-- Contents of bur --> }} The '''''Far East''''' is a term often used by people in the [[Western world]] to refer to the countries of [[East Asia]].<ref>[http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/fareast?view=uk AskOxford: Far East<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It is a [[Eurocentrism|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 other being the [[Middle East]]) literally near the Pacific Ocean. ==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 Raj|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 language|French]] ''[[:fr:Extrême-Orient|Extrême-Orient]]'', [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''[[:es:Extremo Oriente|Extremo Oriente]]'', [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''[[:pt:Extremo Oriente|Extremo Oriente]]'', [[German language|German]] ''[[:de:Ferner Osten|Ferner Osten]]'', [[Italian language|Italian]] ''[[:it:Estremo Oriente|Estremo Oriente]]'', [[Polish language|Polish]] ''[[:pl:Daleki Wschód|Daleki Wschód]]'', and [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''[[:nl:Verre Oosten|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, [[Robert Menzies|R. G Menzies]]. Reflecting upon his country's geopolitical concerns with the onset of war, Menzies commented that: <blockquote> "The problems of the Pacific are different. '''What Great Britain calls the Far East is to us the near north.'''"<ref>[http://www.info.dfat.gov.au/info/historical/HistDocs.nsf/(LookupVolNoNumber)/2~73 Broadcast Speech by Mr R.G. Menzies, Prime Minister<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> </blockquote> ''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 [[Russian Far East#Chinese diaspora|Chinese migration]] to [[Russia]], and the [[Koryo-saram|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 Review]]''NORTh America have historically used ''Far East'' for several military units and commands in the region: * [[British Far East Command]] * [[RAF Far East Air Force]] * [[U.S. Far East Air Force]] * The U.S. [[Far East Network]] ==Territories and regions conventionally included under the term ''Far East''== {{Far East.png}} <!--{{editnote | NOTE: The countries in this table are categorized according to alphabetical order used by the United Nations etc., and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated. If you have arguments or evidence to the contrary, please provide them on the talk page and await until the consensus supports making proposed edits. Thank you!--> <div style="clear:both"/> {| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="border:1px solid #aaa; border-collapse:collapse" |- bgcolor="#ECECEC" ! Name of [[subregion|region]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;Continental regions as per [[Media:United Nations geographical subregions.png|UN categorisations (map)]], except 12. Depending on definitions, various territories cited below (notes 6, 11-13, 15, 17-19, 21-23) may be in [[Transcontinental nation|one or both of]] Asia and [[Europe]], Africa, or [[Oceania]].<br/></ref> and<br/>territory, with [[flag]] ! [[List of countries by area|Area]]<br/>(km²) ! [[List of countries by population|Population]]<br/>([[1 July]] [[2002]] est.) ! [[List of countries by population density|Population density]]<br/>(per km²) ! [[Capital]] |- | {{flagicon|Brunei}} [[Brunei]] | align="right" | 5,770 | align="right" | 350,898 | align="right" | 60.8 | [[Bandar Seri Begawan]] |- | {{flagicon|Cambodia}} [[Cambodia]] | align="right" | 181,040 | align="right" | 12,775,324 | align="right" | 70.6 | [[Phnom Penh]] |- | {{flagicon|China}} [[People's Republic of China|China]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;The current [[state]] is formally known as the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC), which is subsumed by the [[China|eponymous entity and civilisation (China)]]. Figures given are for [[mainland China]] only, and do not include [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]], and [[Taiwan]].<br/></ref> | align="right" | 9,584,492 | align="right" | 1,384,303,705 | align="right" | 134.0 | [[Beijing]] |- | {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} [[Hong Kong]] (China)<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Hong Kong]] is a [[Special Administrative Region]] (SAR) of the PRC.<br/></ref> | align="right" | 1,092 | align="right" | 7,303,334 | align="right" | 6,688.0 | — |- | {{flagicon|Indonesia}} [[Indonesia]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;[[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]]).<br/></ref> | align="right" | 1,419,588 | align="right" | 227,026,560 | align="right" | 159.9 | [[Jakarta]] |- | {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Japan]] | align="right" | 377,835 | align="right" | 126,974,628 | align="right" | 336.1 | [[Tokyo]] |- | {{flagicon|Laos}} [[Laos]] | align="right" | 236,800 | align="right" | 5,777,180 | align="right" | 24.4 | [[Vientiane]] |- | {{flagicon|Macau}} [[Macau]] (China)<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Macau]] is a [[Special Administrative Region]] (SAR) of the PRC.<br/></ref> | align="right" | 25 | align="right" | 461,833 | align="right" | 18,473.3 | — |- | {{flagicon|Malaysia}} [[Malaysia]] | align="right" | 329,750 | align="right" | 22,662,365 | align="right" | 68.7 | [[Kuala Lumpur]] |- | {{flagicon|Mongolia}} [[Mongolia]] | align="right" | 1,565,000 | align="right" | 2,694,432 | align="right" | 1.7 | [[Ulaanbaatar]] |- | {{flagicon|Myanmar}} [[Myanmar|Myanmar (Burma)]] | align="right" | 678,500 | align="right" | 42,238,224 | align="right" | 62.3 | [[Naypyidaw]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;The administrative capital of [[Myanmar]] was officially moved from [[Yangon|Yangon (Rangoon)]] to a militarised greenfield just west of [[Pyinmana]] on 6 November 2005.</ref> |- | {{flagicon|North Korea}} [[North Korea]] | align="right" | 120,540 | align="right" | 22,224,195 | align="right" | 184.4 | [[Pyongyang]] |- | {{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Philippines]] | align="right" | 300,000 | align="right" | 84,525,639 | align="right" | 281.8 | [[Manila]] |- | {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Russia]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Russia]] is generally considered a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe (UN region) and [[Northern Asia]]; ''population and area figures are for Asian portion only''.<br/></ref> | align="right" | 13,115,200 | align="right" | 39,129,729 | align="right" | 3.0 | [[Moscow]] |- | {{flagicon|Singapore}} [[Singapore]] | align="right" | 704 | align="right" | 4,483,900 | align="right" | 6,369.0 | [[Singapore]] |- | {{flagicon|South Korea}} [[South Korea]] | align="right" | 98,480 | align="right" | 48,324,000 | align="right" | 490.7 | [[Seoul]] |- | {{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Thailand]] | align="right" | 514,000 | align="right" | 62,354,402 | align="right" | 121.3 | [[Bangkok]] |- | {{flagicon|Timor-Leste}} [[Timor-Leste|Timor-Leste (East Timor)]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Timor-Leste]] is often considered a transcontinental country in Southeastern Asia and [[Oceania]].<br/></ref> | align="right" | 15,007 | align="right" | 952,618 | align="right" | 63.5 | [[Dili]] |- | {{flagicon|Taiwan}} [[Republic of China|Taiwan]]<ref>&nbsp;&nbsp;Figures are for [[Taiwan Area|the area]] under the ''de facto'' control of the [[Republic of China]] (ROC) government, frequently referred to as [[Taiwan]]. Claimed in whole by the PRC; see [[political status of Taiwan]].<br/></ref> | align="right" | 35,980 | align="right" | 22,548,009 | align="right" | 626.7 | [[Taipei]] |- | {{flagicon|Vietnam}} [[Vietnam]] | align="right" | 332,885 | align="right" | 81,098,416 | align="right" | 246.1 | [[Hanoi]] |} ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Pudong New Skyline.jpg|[[Shanghai]],<br>[[China]], [[People's Republic of China|PRC]] Image:Tokyo aerial night.jpg|[[Tokyo]],<br>[[Japan]] Image:Singapore skyline night 1.jpg|[[Singapore|Singapore City]],<br>[[Singapore]] Image:Seoul nighview.jpg|[[Seoul]],<br>[[Korea]], [[South Korea|ROK]] Image:Saigonnightskyline.jpg| [[Ho Chi Minh City|Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)]],<br>[[Vietnam]] Image:Image-Osakanightview-7.jpg|[[Osaka]],<br>[[Japan]] Image:Yuri Vladivostok 20030804 118.jpg| [[Vladivostok]],<br>[[Russian Far East]], [[Russia]] Image:MetroManila.jpg| [[Manila]] ([[Makati]]),<br>[[Philippines]] Image:Taipeiview.jpg|[[Taipei]],<br>[[Taiwan]], [[Republic of China]] Image:Tianhe, Guangzhou.jpg|[[Guangzhou]],<br>[[China]], [[People's Republic of China|PRC]] Image:Jakarta25.jpg| [[Jakarta]],<br>[[Indonesia]] Image:Hanoi view.png| [[Hanoi]],<br>[[Vietnam]] Image:Phnom Penh aerial.jpg| [[Phnom Penh]],<br>[[Cambodia]] Image:Yangon View South.jpg| [[Yangon|Yangon (Rangoon)]],<br>[[Myanmar|Myanmar (Burma)]] Image:Malaysia.JPG| [[Kuala Lumpur]],<br>[[Malaysia]] Image:Macao by night.jpg| [[Macau|Macau (Macao)]],<br>[[People's Republic of China|PRC]] Image:Bangkok at Night.jpg| [[Bangkok]],<br>[[Thailand]] Image:Kaohsiung at night .jpg| [[Kaohsiung]],<br>[[Taiwan]], [[Republic of China]] Image:Pyongyang-May-2005.JPG| [[Pyongyang]],<br>[[Korea]], [[North Korea|DPRK]] Image:VictoriaHarbour.jpg| [[Hong Kong]],<br>[[People's Republic of China|PRC]] Image:Mosque bsb brunei.jpg| [[Bandar Seri Begawan]],<br>[[Brunei]] Image:Ulanbator-Panorama.jpg| [[Ulan Bator|Ulan Bator (Ulaanbaatar)]],<br>[[Mongolia]] Image:Kuching Skyline.jpg| [[Kuching]],<br>[[Malaysia]] Image:Haeundae 2008.png| [[Busan|Busan (Pusan)]],<br>[[Korea]], [[South Korea|ROK]] Image:Vientiane.jpg| [[Vientiane]],<br>[[Laos]] Image:Surabaya.jpg| [[Surabaya]],<br>[[Indonesia]] Image:พัทยา.jpg| [[Pattaya]],<br>[[Thailand]] <!-- Unsourced image removed: Image:Cebucity view from cordova.jpg| [[Cebu City]],<br>[[Philippines]] {{deletable image-caption|1={{subst:#time:l, j F Y| + 7 days}}}} --> Image:Chiangmai view.jpg| [[Chiang Mai|Chiang Mai City]],<br>[[Thailand]] </gallery> ==See also== {{Wiktionary}} * [[Sinosphere]] * [[Indosphere]] * [[Four Asian Tigers]] * [[East Asia]] * [[South Asia]] * [[Southeast Asia]] * [[Russian Far East]] ==References== {{reflist}} * Whitaker, Brian. "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1154165,00.html From Turkey to Tibet]," ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[February 23]], [[2004]]. {{-}} {{Regions of the world}} [[Category:Asia]] [[an:Estremo Orient]] [[frp:Èxtrèmo-Oriant]] [[be:Далёкі Усход]] [[be-x-old:Далёкі Ўсход]] [[bs:Daleki istok]] [[bg:Далечен Изток]] [[ca:Extrem Orient]] [[cv:Инçет Тухăç]] [[cs:Dálný východ]] [[da:Fjernøsten]] [[de:Ferner Osten]] [[et:Kaug-Ida]] [[es:Extremo Oriente]] [[eu:Ekialde Urruna]] [[fa:خاور دور]] [[fr:Extrême-Orient]] [[gl:Extremo Oriente]] [[ko:극동]] [[hr:Daleki istok]] [[id:Timur Jauh]] [[it:Estremo Oriente]] [[he:המזרח הרחוק]] [[hu:Távol-Kelet]] [[nl:Verre Oosten]] [[ja:極東]] [[no:Det fjerne østen]] [[nn:Det fjerne Austen]] [[pt:Extremo Oriente]] [[ro:Orientul Îndepărtat]] [[ru:Дальний Восток]] [[scn:Livanti stremu]] [[simple:Far East]] [[sl:Daljni vzhod]] [[sr:Далеки Исток]] [[sh:Daleki Istok]] [[sv:Fjärran östern]] [[th:ตะวันออกไกล]] [[vi:Viễn Đông]] [[tr:Uzak Doğu]] [[uk:Далекий Схід]] [[wo:Penku gu Sori]] [[wuu:远东]] [[zh:遠東]]