What Is Indochina?

Indochina is a peninsula of south Asia that includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. It is also called the Indochinese Peninsula. Its exact location is approximately east of India; it lies to the south of China and exhibits the cultural influences of both these Asian giants. Owing to this fact it is called Indochina.

In the age of imperialism back in the nineteenth century the Europeans applied the term Indochina to the area of Southeast Asia between China and India. French Indochina compromised of three countries Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia since they were colonized by the French between 1858 and 1954.

The religion that is followed by a majority of the population is Buddhism, more specifically the Hinayana or Theravada Buddhism. However in Vietnam Mahayana Buddism is common despite the fact that it is a communist nation. In Malaysia the religion of the majority is Islam while the minorities practice Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.