Sunday, August 12, 2007

~information on ASEAN countries~


VIETNAM





Meaning of flag
The flag of Vietnam has a red background with a golden or yellow colored five pointed star placed right at the center. The proportion of the Vietnamese flag is 2:3. The current national flag of Vietnam is officially effective from 1955 a year after Vietnam gained independence from France. But initially the flag was used only in North Vietnam under communist influence at that time and since 1976 the flag was in operation all over the country. The red color of the flag signifies the bloodshed and sacrifices which was responsible for securing sovereignty and freedom. The five points of the star on the flag of Vietnam symbolize five sections of the citizens who had worked hand in hand for the cause of socialism.

Official name=Socialist Republic of Vietnam/ Cong hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Vietnam

Capital City=Hanoi

Independence Date=September 2, 1945

Type of Government=Socialist republic

Official Language: Vietnamese

Population = Around 84 million people.The population in Vietnam consists of 54 various ethnic groups of which the Kinh (Viet) people constitute 90% of the population and the remaining 53 ethnic groups form the 10%.

Religions=The religions in Vietnam are Buddhism (blend of Taoism and Confusianism forms), Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), islam, Caodaism and the Hoa Hao sect.

Size of the country=331,689 km²,128,065 sq mi .

President=Nguyễn Minh Triết

Prime Minister=Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Natural resources =

GDP= Purchasing power parity: $280.2 B (2006 est.)
Real growth rate: 8.2% (2006 est.)
Per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,300 (2006 est.)
Composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.1%
industry: 41.8%
services: 38.1% (2006 est.)

GNP=

Major exports= crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes, pepper .

Countries=Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong.

Major Imports=machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles.

Countries= Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong Kong.


2.BRUNEI DARULSSALAM

Map of Brunei
Flag

Meaning of flag
The National Flag of Brunei is designed with white and black bands of color on the yellow background that extend diagonally the flag. There a white band of color which is a little wider. This is depicted on the upper portion of the black one. In the middle of the National flag of Brunei the “coat of arms” is designed in red. The proportion of the flag is traced as 1:2 which suggests the length of the flag is twice of the height. The base yellow color signifies liberality while the white color stands for morality and peace. The crescent which is the emblem of Islam and sun umbrella form the “Coat of Arms” together with pictogram of monarchy gloves on the two sides.

Official name = State of Brunei Darul Salam.

Capital City = Bandar Seri Begawan.

Independence date = January 1, 1984

Type of Government = Sultanate.

Official language = Malay (official), English, Chinese

Population = 383,990 (177th), Malay 67%, Chinese 15%, indigenous 6%, other 12%.
Official religion = Islam (official religion) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs and other 10%

Size of the country = 2,228 sq mi (5,770 sq km).

Sultan = Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (1967).

Prime minister = Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (1967).

Natural resources= petroleum, natural gas, timber,crude oil, natural gas, refined products

GDP= $9.531 billion; per capita $23,600

GNP=

Major exports = crude oil, natural gas, refined products.

Countries = Japan, South Korea, Australia, U.S., Thailand, Indonesia.

Major imports = machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals.

Countries = Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and United Kingdom.


MALAYSIA

MAP OF MALAYSIA

FLAG OF MALAYSIA

MEANING OF FLAG
The flag of Malaysia, also known as the Jalur Gemilang ("Stripes of Glory"), comprises a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan or Federal Star. The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. [1] The crescent represents Islam, the country's official religion; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers; the blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people. This blue canton was originally chosen to represent a connection between the federation and the Commonwealth but this was gradually downplayed and eventually supplanted by its current interpretation.

Official name = Malaysia.

Capital city = Kuala Lumpur.

Independence Date = August 31, 1957.

Type of Government = Federal Constitutional Monarchy.

Official Language = Malay.

Official religion = Islam (official), Hinduism, Buddhism

Populations = 27,122,000

Size of the Country = 329,847 km² (67th)127,355 sq mi

Head of state = Yang Di Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

Prime Minister = Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Natural Resources = petroleum, rubber, palm oil, tin mining.

GDP = $308.8 billion.

GNP =

Major exports =

Countries = United States 16.63%, Singapore 13.86%, Japan 11.87%, China 8.79%, Thailand 5.33% , Hong Kong 4.34%.

Major Imports =

Countries = Japan 14.52%, United States 12.88%, Singapore 11.71%, China 11.6%, South Korea 4.98%, Germany 4.44%, Taiwan 5.52%, Thailand 5.27%.


THAILAND

Map of Thailand

Flag of Thailand

Meaning of Flag
Thailand has a simple rectangular flag comprised of the colors blue, red and white. The flag also has a name; it is called the “Thong Trairong” meaning ‘tricolor flag'. There are five horizontal stripes running from end to end of the flag. The red and the white stripes are equal in width while the central blue stripe is double in width to the red or the white. On the top and the bottom of the broad blue stripe is one white stripe each, and next to the white stripes are the red ones. The colors in the flag are representative of the unspoken motto of Thailand – namely ‘Nation-Religion-King'

Official Name =
Ratcha Anachak Thai
Kingdom of Thailand.

Capital city = Bangkok

Independence date =

Type of Government = Military Junta and Monarchy

Official Language = Thai

Population = 62,828, 7062

Official religion = Buddhist and Muslim

Size of the country = 514,000 km² (49th)198,115 sq mi

Head of State = HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Head of Government = General Surayud Chulanont

Natural resources = timber, rubber, natural gas, lignite, tungsten, lead, tantalum, gypsum.

GDP = 28.7%

GNP =

Major exports = textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry,automobiles, computers and electrical appliances lex.

Countries =
Major imports = Machinery and parts, vehicles, electronic integrated circuits, chemicals, crude oil and fuels, and iron and steel.
Countries =


SINGAPORE

MAP OF SINGAPORE

FLAG OF SINGAPORE

MEANING OF FLAG
The flag was also carefully designed to please the community. Red was chosen, as it symbolised good fortune for the Chinese and courage for the Malays. White was chosen as it was the traditional Malay and universal colour for purity. The Malays wanted a crescent moon to symbolise Islam. So, the government came to a compromise with five stars and a moon instead of the traditional star and crescent representing Islam.[1] While the crescent may be seen by some as an Islamic symbol, the moon on the flag represents a young nation. Democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality are symbolised by the 5 stars, although it is not assigned which star represents which quality. Contrary to popular belief, the stars are not symbolic of the mainland Chinese flag, whose 4 stars represents different classes of people, such as the the workers, the peasants, the petty bourgeoisie, and the patriotic capitalists, and not democracy and other ideals that are represented on the Singaporean flag.

Official name = Republic of Singapore

Capital city = Singapore City

Independence date = August 9, 1965

Type of government = Parliamentary republic

Official languages = English ,Mandarin Chinese ,Tamil, Malay

Populations = 4,553,009

Official religion = Singapore is also a multi-religious country. Around 51% of Singaporeans practice Buddhism and Taoism. About 15%, mostly Chinese and Indians, practice Christianity. Muslims constitute 16%, of whom Malays account just over 13%. Smaller minorities practise Sikhism, Hinduism, and others, according to the 2000 census. About 15% of the population have no religious affiliation.

Size of the country = 704.0 km² (272 square miles

Head of state = Sellapan Ramanathan

Head of government = Lee Hsien Loong

Natural resources = estract from others

GDP =$138.6 billion

GNP =

Major exports = machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels.

Countries = Malaysia 14.7%, US 11.5%, Indonesia 10.7%, Hong Kong 10.4%, China 9.5%, Japan 6%, Thailand 4.5%, Australia 4.1%

Major imports = machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs.

Countries = Malaysia 14.4%, US 12.4%, China 10.8%, Japan 10.1%, Indonesia 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, South Korea 4.5%.


LAOS

MAP OF LAOS

FLAG OF LAOS

MEANING OF FLAG
The flag consists of three horizontal strips, middle blue strip is twice the height of the top and bottom red stripes. In the middle is a white disc, the diameter of the disc is 0.8 times the height of the blue stripe. The flag ratio is 2:3.
The red color in the flag represents the blood shed in the struggle for independence, the blue color symbolizes the wealth of the country. The white disc represents the moon over the river Mekong, as well as the unity of the country under the communist government.

Official name = Lao People's Democratic Republic

Capital city = Vientiane

Independence date = 19 July 1949

Type of government = Socialist Republic

Official languages = Lao

Population = 5,859,000

Official religion = Buddhism, animism, Christian, Islam.

Size of the country = 236,800 km² , 91,429 sq mi

Head of state = Lt. Gen. Choummaly Sayasone

Head of government = Bouasone Bouphavanh

Natural Resources =

GDP = $12.547 billion

GNP =

Major exports = - commodities: wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin, copper, gold

Countries = Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium

Major imports = machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel
Countries = Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, People's Republic of China, Singapore, Hong Kong



CAMBODIA

MAP OF CAMBODIA

FLAG OF CAMBODIA

MEANING OF FLAG
A blue-red-blue horizontal triband (in 1:2:1 proportions) with a depiction of Angkor Wat on the centre band in white. The Cambodian flag has featured a depiction of Angkor Wat in the center. The current flag, with a blue border and red central (the stripes are in the ratio 1:2:1) was adopted following Cambodia's independence in 1948. It was used until October 9, 1970, when a new flag was introduced for Lon Nol's Khmer Republic. The subsequent state of Democratic Kampuchea, which existed from 1975 to 1979, used a red flag with the Angkor Wat design retained in yellow. When the People's Republic of Kampuchea was established in 1979 the flag was modified slightly. Other flags were used from 1989-1991 and 1992-1993, in the latter case an UNTAC flag. In 1993 the original flag was readopted.
Official name = Kingdom of Cambodia
Capital City = Phnom Penh

Independence date = declared, 1949, recognized, 1953.

Type of government = Democratic constitutional monarchy

Official languages = Khmer

Population = 13,971,000

Official religion =

Size of the Country = 181,035 km² (89th), 69,898 sq mi

Head of state = King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government = Prime Minister Hun Sen

Natural resources = Oil and Natural gas.

GDP = $36.82 billion

GNP =

Major exports = commodities: clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear

Countries = US 48.6%, Hong Kong 24.4%, Germany 5.6%, Canada 4.6%

Major imports = commodities: petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products

Countries = Hong Kong 16.1%, China 13.6%, France 12.1%, Thailand 11.2%, Taiwan 10.2%, South Korea 7.5%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4.9%, Japan 4.1%



PHILIPPINE

MAP OF PHILIPPINE

FLAG OF PHILIPPINE

MEANING OF FLAG
The Flag of Philippines is beautiful and also symbolic. It contains two horizontal bands, which are of same size. The upper band is blue and the lower one is red. In the hoist side there is a triangle, colored in white. It is an equilateral triangle. The triangle bears a yellow sun, which has eight rays. The sun is featured in the center of the triangle. In the three corners of the triangle, there are three stars. These stars are symbolic of the three geographical partitions of Philippines. The eight rays of the sun are representative of eight provinces of the country. The blue color signifies peace and justice. On the other hand the red color signifies the courage.

Official name = Republic of the Philippines

Capital city = Manila

Independence date = recognized; July 4, 1946, Current constitution; Feb 2, 1987.

Type of government = Unitary presidential constitutional republic

Official languages = Filipino, English

Population = 88,706,3002

Official religions = Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist

Size of the country = 300 000 km² ,115,831 sq mi

Head of state and government = Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Natural Resources = Mining and natural gas

GDP = $453bn

GNP =

Major exports = electronic equipment, machinery and transport equipment, garments, optical instruments, coconut products, fruits and nuts, copper products, chemicals

Countries = United States 18%, Japan 17.5%, China 9.9%, Netherlands 9.8%, Hong Kong 8.1%, Singapore 6.6%, Malaysia 6%, Taiwan 4.6%

Major imports = raw materials, machinery and equipment, fuels, vehicles and vehicle parts, plastic, chemicals, grains

Countries = United States 19.2%, Japan 17%, Singapore 7.9%, Taiwan 7.5%, China 6.3%, South Korea 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.1%


MYANMAR

MAP OF MYANMAR

FLAG OF MYANMAR

MEANING OF FLAG

The Flag of the Union of Myanmar is rectangular shaped and it contains three colors i.e. red, blue and white. The base color of the flag is red and it has blue rectangle, featured in the upper corner of the hoist side. The blue part of the flag has 14 stars, colored in white. These stars surround a cogwheel and a stem of rice. All these stars are symbols of seven states and their seven administrative sections.

Official name = Union of Myanmar

Capital city = Yangon

Independence Date = 4 January 1948

Type of government = Military junta

Official languages = Burmese, Karen, Shan, Kachin

Population = 50,519,000². The major part of this huge population is covered by the Burmese people. The other minorities of the country include the Shan, Rakhine, Chinese, Karen, Mon, Indian and some other races.

Official religion = Theravada Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Animist

Size of the country = 676,578 km² (40th), 261,227 sq mi

Head of state and government = Senior General Than Shwe

Natural resources = opium, agricultural goods, textiles, wood products, construction materials, gems, metals, oil and natural gas.

GDP = $78.74 billion

GNP=

Major exports = clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice

Countries = Thailand 44.9%, India 11.5%, the People's Republic of China 6.9%, Japan 5.1%

Major imports = fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products.

Countries = China 29.3%, Thailand 22.2%, Singapore 18.7%, Malaysia 5.4%


INDONESIA

MAP OF INDONESIA

FLAG OF INDONESIA

MEANING OF FLAG

It is designed subsequent to the 13 th century Indonesian Empire banner, wherein the flag is separated into two parallel halves with about 2:3 ratio where the topmost band is colored in red and the bottommost in white. The color red represents the basic body with the symbol of bravery while the white stands for the presence of soul within the region.
The flag is even called as the "Sang Merah Putih" in their native language and belongs to the Majapahit Empire.

Official name = Republic of Indonesia

Capital city = Jakarta

Independence date = Declared; August 17, 1945, Recognized; Dec 27, 1949.

Type of government = Presidential Republic

Official languages = Indonesian, English, Javanese, Sundanese.

Population =245,452,739

Official religion = Islam 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%

Size of the country = 1,919,440 km² , 735,355 sq mi

Head of government = Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Natural resources = petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver.

GDP = US$1,038 bn, US$408 bn

GNP =

Major exports = oil and gas, plywood, textiles, rubber

Countries = Japan 22.3%, United States 12.1%, Singapore 8.9%, South Korea 7.1%, the People's Republic of China 6.2%

Major imports = machinery and equipment; chemicals, fuels, food

Countries = Japan 13%, Singapore 12.8%, China 9.1%, United States 8.3%, Thailand 5.2%, Australia 5.1%, South Korea 4.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%.

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