Indochina
Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly east of India, south of China. The word has French origins, Indochine, and was adopted when French colonisers in Vietnam began expanding their territory to bordering countries.
Historically, the countries of Mainland Southeast Asia received cultural influence from China and India, but to varying degrees. Some Southeast Asian cultures, such as that of Cambodia or Laos, are influenced mainly by the culture of India with a smaller influence from the culture of China. Others, such as the culture of Vietnam, received a much larger influence from China, with only minor cultural influences from India, largely via the Champa civilization that Vietnam conquered during its southward expansion.
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 also includes:
- 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 1937)
- Singapore (also considered part of Maritime Southeast Asia if the man-made Johor-Singapore Causeway is not taken into account)
- Thailand (formerly Siam)
Note that the term Sino-Indian is used to describe things relating to India and China. (e.g. Sino-Indian relations).
