The termIndochina (originallyIndo-China) was coined in the early nineteenth century, emphasizing the historical cultural influence ofIndian andChinese civilizations on the area. The term was later adopted as the name of the colony ofFrench Indochina (today'sCambodia,Laos, andVietnam). Today, the termMainland Southeast Asia is more commonly used, in contrast toMaritime Southeast Asia for the island groups off the coast of the peninsula.
In Indian sources, the earliest name connected with Southeast Asia isYāvadvīpa [ms].[1] Another possible early name of mainland Southeast Asia wasSuvarṇabhūmi ("land of gold"),[1][2] a toponym, that appears in many ancient Indian literary sources and Buddhist texts,[3] but which, along withSuvarṇadvīpa ("island" or "peninsula of gold"),[1] are also thought to refer to insular Southeast Asia.[1]
The origins of the name Indo-China are usually attributed jointly to the Danish-French geographerConrad Malte-Brun, who referred to the area asindo-chinois in 1804, and the Scottish linguistJohn Leyden, who used the termIndo-Chinese to describe the area's inhabitants and their languages in 1808.[4] Scholarly opinions at the time regarding China's and India's historical influence over the area were conflicting, and the term was itself controversial—Malte-Brun himself later argued against its use in a later edition of hisUniversal Geography, reasoning that it overemphasized Chinese influence, and suggestedChin-India instead.[5] Nevertheless,Indo-China had already gained traction and soon supplanted alternative terms such asFurther India and thePeninsula beyond the Ganges. Later, however, as the French established the colony ofFrench Indochina (covering present-day Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam), use of the term became more restricted to the French colony,[6] and today the area is usually referred to as Mainland Southeast Asia.[7]
The countries of mainland Southeast Asia received cultural influence from both India and China to varying degrees.[10] Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand are all influenced byIndian culture, only Vietnam is influenced byChinese culture but still has minor influences from India, largely via theChampa civilization that Vietnam conquered during its southward expansion.[citation needed]
^Kitiarsa, Pattana (2010). "Missionary Intent and Monastic Networks: Thai Buddhism as a Transnational Religion".Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia.25 (1):115–116.doi:10.1355/sj25-1e.ISSN0217-9520.JSTOR41308138.King Asoka in the third century BC is widely cited as the model monarch who organized networks of missionaries to preach the teachings of the Buddha outside India including to Suvarnabhumi or mainland Southeast Asia.
^Vimalin Rujivacharakul; et al., eds. (2013).Architecturalized Asia : mapping a continent through history. Hong Kong University Press. p. 89.ISBN9789888208050.
^Wesseling, H. L. (2015).The European Colonial Empires: 1815–1919. Routledge.ISBN9781317895060.
^Keyes, Charles F. (1995).The golden peninsula : culture and adaptation in mainland Southeast Asia (Pbk. reprint ed.). University of Hawaii Press. p. 1.ISBN9780824816964.
^"Malaysia".The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 28 September 2016.Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved24 January 2021.
^"Thailand".The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 28 September 2016.Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved24 January 2021.
^"Myanmar".The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 28 September 2016.Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved24 January 2021.
^"Cambodia".The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 28 September 2016.Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved24 January 2021.
^"Vietnam".The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 28 September 2016.Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved24 January 2021.
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