Region - East Asia
Central Asia | East Asia | Southeast Asia | South Asia
East Asia covers China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan and sometimes Vietnam. East Asia refers to those countries which have historically been influenced by the Chinese view of civilization. Thus, these countries share many common elements in their civilization and culture, such as the dominance of Confucianism, the role of rulers and elites, the importance of education, elements of the written language, traditional trade and international relations, etc. In terms of culture and international relations, China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, share many of these elements although they have taken different forms in the different countries. Vietnam also shares many of these elements and historically had many cultural, economic, and political ties to China. Thus, while geographically Vietnam is definitely part of Southeast Asia, culturally, it can also fit into the East Asian cultural tradition. One the other hand, while Mongolia is certainly East Asian in geographical terms, in terms of lifestyle and culture, it is more readily seen as part of the Central Asian complex of cultures which feature tribal, nomadic groups as opposed to the East Asian model of settled agricultural communities, large cities, and highly literate and integrated societies.
