The entire realm has approximately 469 million people. Southeast Asia s few dense population clusters are relatively small and lie separated from one another by areas of much sparser human settlement. Reasons for population clusters are three favorable natural environments. Large scale invasions from other regions have not occurred historically because physical obstacles hinder overland travel along routes into SE Asia-rugged mountains and limits to agricultural pursuits due to densely covered tropical rainforests with their attendant soils leaded by heavy monsoonal rains. Indo part of Indo China refers to the cultural imprints from South Asia.
China refers to China s power which during historical times extended into Vietnam.
Chinese settlers benefited from Europeans who stimulated growth of agriculture, trade and industries. Chinese soon dominated the regions with retail trade, banking, industry and shipping and became stubborn competitors to Europeans who used Chinese for their own designs on the realm. The Chinese are also a source of irritance to local people of Malay ancestry. The main islands are Indonesia, Jawa, Sumatera, Kalimanton, Sulawesi, New Guinea and shares the island of Borneo with Malaysia. The country s fragmentation makes it difficult to govern.