Mongolia Taiwan North Korea South Korea Other Countries

Mongolia, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea • Other Countries of East Asia

Mongolia • Capital is Ulaanbaatar (or Ulan Bator) • History – Nomadic Herders – Genghis Khan (1162 – 1227) founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. – Controlled Central Asia for a short time Culture – Similar to China – 3 Games of Men: Wrestling, Archery, Horse Racing Current Issues – Isolated – Maximize use of natural resources to build economy – The country's richest resources are minerals--coal, copper, fluorite, gold, iron ore, lead • • Empire stretched from Korea to Poland, but eventually collapsed under its own weight… too large to rule.

Taiwan • Capital is Taipei • History – Controlled by Chinese Nationalist since 1949 – Pacific Rim – countries surrounding Pacific Ocean • Culture – Close to China – Language – Mandarin Chinese – Religion – Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism • Current Issues – Economic Tiger – Rapidly growing economy due to cheap labor, high technology, and aggressive exports. – Must continue to compete with Japan and China

Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea • Capital is Pyongyang • History – Power Shifting – 3 Kingdoms – 3 separate groups controlled Peninsula • Culture – Original settlers were from China – Communist (China is their neighbor to the north and west) • Current Issues – New Leader – Kim Jong Un – Kim Jong IL died in December 2011 – Unification with South Korea (is unlikely without war) • Kim Jong IL • CBS News Report 2010 Kim Jong Un

South Korea • Capital is Seoul • History – Korean War 1950 -1953 – Gained independence in 1953; US involved • Culture – Very influenced by Western Culture (USA/Europe) • Current Issues – Economic Tiger like Taiwan – Unification will make Korea an economic giant • North Korea vs South Korea