Laos and Malaysia Past Paper PDF

## ST. DOMINIC COLLEGE OF ASIA ### REVOLUTIONIZING EDUCATION ## Department of Arts and Sciences (General Education) ### Topic 113: Laos and Malaysia #### Laos - officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic - socialist state - only landlocked country in Southeast Asia - located at the heart o...

## ST. DOMINIC COLLEGE OF ASIA ### REVOLUTIONIZING EDUCATION ## Department of Arts and Sciences (General Education) ### Topic 113: Laos and Malaysia #### Laos - officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic - socialist state - only landlocked country in Southeast Asia - located at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula - bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. ##### National Flag: - red-blue-red three horizontal stripes - white circle in the middle - first adopted in 1945 under the short-lived Lao Issara government - adopted on December 2, 1975 when it became a socialist state ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Vientiane - **National Anthem**: Pheng Xat Lao - Hymn of the Lao People - **Government**: Unitary Marxist-Leninist, One-party socialist republic - **President**: Thongloun Sisoulith - **Prime Minister**: Phankham Viphavanh - **Total Land Area**: 237,955 km2 - **Population (2019)**: 7,123,205 - **Currency**: Lao Kip (LAK) - **Banknotes**: 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 20,000 50,000 100,000 - **Coins**: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 - **Citizenship**: Lao/Laotian - **Official Languages**: Lao - **Religion**: 66.00% Buddhism #### Top 3 Interesting Facts About Laos: 1. "Simply beautiful" is the official Laos tourism slogan: - breathtaking scenery - fascinating history - welcoming, friendly locals - named World's Best Tourist Destination by the European Council on Tourism and Trade in 2013 2. Home to the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia: - Khone Phapheng waterfall, known as 'The Niagara of the east' - located on the Mekong River in southern Laos - highest point being 21 meters 3. Home to possibly the cheapest alcohol in the world: - Lao-lao is a potent rice-whiskey made in Laos that sells for less than a dollar per liter - easily located in any corner store and market across the country - the cheapest spirit in the world. #### Malaysia - country in Southeast Asia - consists of thirteen states and three federal territory, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: - Peninsular Malaysia - Borneo's East Malaysia ##### National Flag: - known as the Stripes of Glory - composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly - a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Kuala Lumpur - **National Anthem**: Negaraku - My Country - **Government**: Federal parliamentary elective constitutional monarchy - **King**: Sultan Ibrahim - **Prime Minister**: Anwar Ibrahim - **Total Land Area**: 330,803 km2 - **Population (2020)**: 32,730,000 - **Currency**: Malaysian Ringgit (RM) - **Banknotes**: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 - **Coins**: 5, 10, 20, 50 sen - **Citizenship**: Malaysian - **Official Languages**: Malay, Bahasa Malaysia - **Religion**: 61.30% Muslim #### Top 3 Interesting Facts About Malaysia: 1. Oldest name of Malaysia: - Aurea Chersonesus - the oldest name which means 'peninsula of gold' - given by Greco-Roman geographer Ptolemy in his book Geographia, written about AD 150. 2. Borneo is the third largest island in the world: - After Greenland and New Guinea - Three countries share the island: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. 3. Petronas Tower: - Located in Kuala Lumpur - World's tallest buildings from 1998-2004. - Still regarded as the world's tallest "twin buildings" with 88 floors. - Two buildings are joined by a sky bridge at 41st floor, which are 558 feet (170m) off the ground. ### Topic 114: Myanmar and Singapore #### Myanmar - officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar - formerly Burma - country in Southeast Asia - bordered by: - Bangladesh and India to the northwest, China to the northeast, Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast. - Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest. ##### National Flag: - three horizontal stripes of yellow, green and red with a five-pointed white star in the middle. - three colours of the stripes symbolize: - yellow: solidarity - green: peace and tranquility - red: courage and decisiveness ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Naypyidaw - **National Anthem**: Kaba Ma Kyei - Till the End of the World - **Government**: Unitary parliamentary assembly-independent republic under a military junta - **President**: Myint Swe - **Prime Minister**: Min Aung Hlaing - **Total Land Area**: 676,578 km2 - **Population (2017)**: 53,582,855 - **Currency**: Kyat (MMK) - **Banknotes**: K50, K100, K200, K500, K1000, K5000, K10,000 - **Coins**: 50 pyas, K1, K5, K10, K20 - **Citizenship**: Burmese - **Official Languages**: Burmese - **Religion**: 87.90% Buddhism #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Myanmar: 1. The longyi in Myanmar: - traditional piece of clothing that both men and women wear throughout Myanmar. - large 2-meter cloth is wrapped around the bottom half of the body in a similar way to a sarong. 2. Myanmar still uses the imperial system: - Very few countries measure things using the Imperial System. - measure weight in pounds and distances in inches rather than kilograms and centimeters. - Only the United States and Liberia retain this system 3. How to get the waiters attention: - Most of the people wave their hands or try to catch the waiter's eye to call them over to the table. - Not in Myanmar. - Make a kissing sound two or three times in the direction of the person you're calling. #### Singapore - officially the Republic of Singapore - sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia - lies off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Straights of Malacca to the west, the Riau Islands to the south, and South China Sea to the east. - the country's territory is composed of: - one mainland, 63 satellite islands and one outlying islet ##### National Flag: - horizontal bicolour of red and white - charged in white in the canton with a crescent facing the fly and a pentagon of five stars representing the nation's ideals. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Singapore City - **National Anthem**: Majulah Singapura - Onward Singapore - **Government**: Unitary dominant-party parliamentary constitutional republic - **President**: Tharman Shanmugaratman - **Prime Minister**: Lee Hsien Loong - **Total Land Area**: 728.6 km2 - **Population (2021)**: 5,453,000 - **Currency**: Singaporean Dollar (S$) - **Banknotes**: 2,5,10, 50, 100 - **Coins**: 5c, 10c,20c, 50c, 1$ - **Citizenship**: Singaporean - **Official Languages**: Malay - **Religion**: 31.10% Buddhism #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Singapore: 1. It's a city of (man-made) waterfalls: - first man-made waterfall was built at Jurong Bird Park in 1971. - dropping from a height of 30 meters, it is said to be the tallest waterfall in an aviary to date. 2. It's home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site: - Lauded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 - Singapore Botanic Gardens has a history of over 150 years since its founding in 1859. 3. It's home to the world's first night zoo: - Singapore's Night Safari provides nocturnal experience like no other in the city - world's very first night zoo. - Opened in 1994, the 35 hectare park features over 1,000 animals in their naturalistic night-time environments. ### Topic 115: Thailand and Vietnam #### Thailand - historically known as Siam - officially the Kingdom of Thailand - country in Southeast Asia - located at the center of the Indochinese Peninsula - bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. ##### National Flag: - shows five horizontal stripes in the colours of red, white, blue, white and red, with the central blue stripe being twice as wide as each of the other four. - colours are said to stand for nation-religion-king. - red: the land and people, - white: religions - blue: the monarchy. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Bangkok - **National Anthem**: Phleng Chat Thai - Thai National Anthem - **Government**: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy - **King**: Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) - **Prime Minister**: Srettha Thavisin - **Total Land Area**: 513,120 km2 - **Population (2021)**: 69,950,850 - **Currency**: Baht (THB) - **Banknotes**: 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 - **Coins**: 1,2,5,10 satang - **Citizenship**: Thai - **Official Languages**: Thai - **Religion**: 93.50% Buddhism #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Thailand: 1. Thailand is home to the world's largest solid gold Buddha: - One of the most impressive sights in Thailand has to be the 15-foot-tall golden statue of Phra Phuttha Maha Suwana Patimakon. 2. Then Thai Language has 76 letters: - There are 76 letters in Thai alphabet, including 44 consonants and 32 vowels. 3. Thailand is the world's largest exporter of orchids. - It's no wonder, there are 1500 orchid species that grow in the wild in The Kingdom of Thailand. #### Vietnam - officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - country in Southeast Asia - Located at the eastern edge of the mainland Southeast Asia - bordered China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west - shares maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia through the South China Sea. ##### National Flag: - red flag with a golden star which was designed in 1940. - red background symbolizes revolution and bloodshed - yellow star represents the five main classes in Vietnamese society-workers, farmers, soldiers, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Hanoi - **National Anthem**: Tien Quan Ca - Army March - **Government**: Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic - **General Secretary**: Nguyen Phu Trong - **President**: Vo Thi Anh Xuan - **Prime Minister**: Pham Minh Chinh - **Total Land Area**: 331,699 km2 - **Population (2021)**: 96,208,984 - **Currency**: dong (VND) - **Banknotes**: 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000, 100000, 200000 - **Coins**: 200, 500, 1000, 2000 - **Citizenship**: Vietnamese - **Official Languages**: Vietnamese - **Religion**: 73.70% No religion/Folk #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Vietnam: 1. Almost every household in Vietnam has a motorcycle: - There are more than 60 million motorbikes in the country. - Every traveler knows that crossing the road in Vietnam can terrify newcomers. 2. Sepak Takraw is a traditional sport played in Vietnam. It is also known as 'kick volleyball: - Participants must pass a ball over a net, slightly smaller than a badminton net, using only their feet and heads. 3. Snake wine has an almost legendary status in Vietnam: - It's on the stranger gastronomic choices in Southeast Asia. - Bottles of wine with snake coiled inside, as if ready to strike, can be seen in shops and on markets throughout the country. ### Topic 111: Introduction to ASEAN & Brunei #### Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) - economic union comprising of 10 member states in Southeast Asia - Started as Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) which was founded on July 31, 1961 with Thailand, Philippines and the Federation of Malaya as founding members. - Officially, ASEAN was created on August 8, 1967 when foreign ministers of five countries signed the ASEAN declaration namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. - Brunei became the sixth member on January 7, 1984. - Vietnam on January 28, 1995. - Laos and Myanmar on July 23, 1997. - Cambodia on April 30, 1999. ##### Motto: "One vision, One Identity, One Community" ##### Emblem: - set upon a red circle background, ten yellow paddy or rice stalks are drawn in the middle. - Under the paddy, the organization name abbreviation "asean" is written in lower case Helvetica font in blue. - The red circle is drawn in a white and blue circumference ##### Purposes of ASEAN: - Promotes intergovernmental cooperation - Facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and sociocultural integration. - Accelerates economic growth, social progress and cultural development. - Promote regional peace, collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest. - Provides assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities. - Collaborates for better utilization of agriculture and industry to raise the living standards of the people. #### ASEAN Summit: - bi-annual meeting held by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in relational with economic, political, security and socio-cultural development of the member countries. #### ASEAN Summit Hosting: - Indonesia- 1976, 2003, 2011, 2023 - Malaysia-1977, 2005, 2015 - Philippines 1987, 2007, 2017 - Singapore-1992, 2007, 2018 - Thailand-1995, 2009, 2019 - Vietnam-1998, 2010, 2020 - Brunei-2001, 2013, 2021 - Cambodia-2002, 2012 - Laos-2004, 2016 - Myanmar-2014 #### Brunei Darussalam - officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace - country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. ##### National Flag: - the national emblem at the center on a yellow field cut by black and white diagonal stripes. - yellow field represents the royalty of sultan of Brunei - red crest consists of a crescent facing upwards, joined with a parasol, with hands on the sides. - Black and white stripes run across the flag. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Bandar Seri Begawan - **National Anthem**: Allah Peliharakan Sultan - God Bless the Sultan - **Government**: Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy Following the Islamic law and the Sultan is both the head of state and head of government - **Prime Minister**: Hassanal Bolkiah (Sultan of Brunei) - **Total Land Area**: 5,765 km2 - **Population (2020)**: 437,483 (2020) - **Currency**: Brunei Dollar BS - **Banknotes**: B$ 100, 50, 10, 5, 1 - **Coins**: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents - **Citizenship**: Bruneian - **Official Languages**: Bahasa Melayu (Malay) - **Religion**: 78.8% Islam #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Brunei 1. Brunei has the Largest Residential Palace in the World: - The Istana Nurul Iman is the formal residence of Brunei's Sultan. - It also serves as the seat of country's government. - The palace has 1,778 rooms, 257 bathrooms, a mosque, a garage with space for 110 cars, 5 swimming pools and a massive banquet hall. 2. Brunei is the First Asian Country to Ban Shark Finning: - Shark finning is a cruel practice and detrimental to the survival of many species of sharks. - In June 2013, Brunei became the first Asian country to ban finning, sale, import and trade of sharks. 3. Southeast Asia's Biggest and Most Expensive amusement Park is in Brunei: - The Jerudong Park - an amusement park in Brunei that was established in 1994. - a whopping $ 1 billion was spent in its construction and it was funded by the country's government. - regarded as the largest and most expensive park in Southeast Asia. ### Topic 112: Cambodia and Indonesia #### Cambodia - officially the Kingdom of Cambodia - formerly Kampuchea - country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula. - bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. ##### National Flag: - three horizontal bands of blue, red (double width) and blue, with a depiction of Angkor Wat in white centered on the red band. - Angkor Wat represents integrity, justice, heritage and religion. - Blue represents liberty, cooperation and brotherhood while red represents bravery for the country. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Phnom-Penh - **National Anthem**: Nokor Reach or Majestic Kingdom - **Government**: Constitutional Monarchy - **King**: King as the Head of State - **Prime Minister**: Prime Minister is the Head of Government - **King**: Norodom Sihamoni - **Prime Minister**: Hun Sen - **Total Land Area**: 181,035 km2 - **Population (2020)**: 15,552,211 (2019) - **Currency**: Riel (KHR) - **Banknotes**: 100, 500, 1000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 100,000 - **Coins**: 50, 100, 200, 500 - **Citizenship**: Cambodian - **Official Languages**: Khmer - **Religion**: 97.1% Buddhism #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Cambodia 1. The New Year's Celebration takes place in April: - Khmer New Year is the biggest annual celebration. - takes place by the end of the harvesting season, just before the beginning of the wet season. - commonly falls on April 13-14, and the party goes on for three days. 2. Tuk Tuks are primary transport options: - Tuk-tuks, locally known as remorque-motos are the common sight on the streets of Cambodia's towns and cities. - motorcycles towing carriages, in which you can accommodate yourself and the baggage you are carrying. - It is also typically the most affordable transport options. 3. There is no McDonald's in Cambodia: - It is one of the very few countries in the world where there isn't, and has never been a McDonald's. - It is the only country in the world that fast-food chain is not turning a profit. #### Indonesia - officially the Republic of Indonesia - country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between Indian and Pacific oceans. - consists of 17,504 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. - the world's largest island country. ##### National Flag: - simple bicolor with two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom). - It was introduced and hoisted in public during the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on August 17, 1945. ##### General Information: - **Capital**: Jakarta - **National Anthem**: Indonesia Raya - Great Indonesia - **Government**: Unitary Presidential Constitutional Republic - **President**: Joko Widodo - **Total Land Area**: 1,904,569 km2 - **Population (2020)**: 270,203,917 (2020) - **Currency**: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) - **Banknotes**: 2,000 5,000 10,000 20,000 50,000 100,000 - **Coins**: 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 - **Citizenship**: Indonesian - **Official Languages**: Bahasa - **Religion**: 86.70% Islam #### Top 3 Interesting Facts about Indonesia: 1. Indonesia has 139 volcanoes: - Indonesia has the third most volcanoes in the world, behind the United States of America and Russia accoding to the National Museum of Natural History's Global Volcanism program. 2. Home to the world's largest lizard: - The Komodo dragon lives on just five Indonesian islands-Komodo., Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar. - They are truly fearsome, weighing up to 150lbs and possessing toxic bites allowing them to hunt and kill far bigger animals-even humans. 3. Indonesia still enforces the death penalty-by firing squad: - Capital punishment methods in Indonesia have not changed since 1964 and the death penalty is enforced only in very severe cases of drug trafficking or murder.