The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite o ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographi ...
as well as the
Russian Far East to a lesser extent.
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental l ...
is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The term first came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 15th century, particularly the British, denoting the Far East as the "farthest" of the three "Easts", beyond the
Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
and the Middle East. Likewise, during the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...
of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the term "
Tàixī ()" – i.e., anything further west than the
Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
– was used to refer to the Western countries.
Since the mid-20th century, the term has mostly gone out of use for the region in international mass media outlets due to its
eurocentric connotations.
[Reischauer, Edwin and John K Fairbank, ''East Asia: The Great Tradition,'' 1960.] The Russian Far East is often excluded due to cultural and ethnic differences, and is often considered as part of North Asia or
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
instead.
Popularization
Among Western Europeans, prior to the
colonial era, ''Far East'' referred to anything further east than the Middle East. In the 16th century,
King John III of Portugal called
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on th ...
a "rich and interesting country in the Far East ()." The term was popularized during the period of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as th ...
as a blanket term for lands to the east of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region ...
.
In pre-
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in ...
European geopolitics, ''Near East'' referred to the relatively nearby lands of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
, ''Middle East'' denoted north-western South Asia and Central Asia, and the ''Far East'' meant countries along the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean. Many European languages have analogous terms, such as the French ('), Spanish ('),
Portuguese ('), German ('), Italian ('),
Polish ('),
Norwegian (') and
Dutch (').
Cultural and geographic meaning
Significantly, the term evokes cultural as well as geographic separation; the ''Far East'' is not just geographically distant, but also culturally exotic. It never refers, for instance, to the culturally Western nations of Australia and New Zealand, which lie even farther to the east of Europe than East Asia itself. This combination of cultural and geographic subjectivity was well illustrated in 1939 by
Robert Menzies, a
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomou ...
. Reflecting on his country's geopolitical concerns with the onset of
war, Menzies commented that: "The problems of the Pacific are different. What Great Britain calls the Far East is to us the Near North."
''Far East'', in its usual sense, is comparable to terms such as the ''
Orient
The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also co ...
'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
for "East"), ''
Eastern world
The Eastern world, also known as the East or historically the Orient, is an umbrella term for various cultures or social structures, nations and philosophical systems, which vary depending on the context. It most often includes at least ...
'', or simply ''the East'', all of which may refer, broadly, to East and South-East Asia in general. Occasionally, albeit more in the past, the
Russian Far East and
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental l ...
have been deemed to be part of the Far East.
Commenting on such terms,
John K. Fairbank and
Edwin O. Reischauer (both professors of East Asian Studies at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan cler ...
) wrote, in ''East Asia: The Great Tradition'':
Today, the term remains in the names of some longstanding institutions, including the
Far Eastern Federal University in
Vladivostok,
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University ( Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a private non-sectarian liberal arts university in Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( ...
in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
, the
Far East University in South Korea, and ''Far East'', the periodical magazine of the
Missionary Society of St. Columban. Furthermore, the United States and United Kingdom have historically incorporated ''Far East'' in the names of several military units and commands in the region, such as the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
's
Far East Fleet, for instance.
Territories and regions conventionally included in the Far East
{{clear
{, class="wikitable sortable"
! Name of
region
In geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science
Science is a systematic endeavor tha ...
and
territory, with
flag
!
Area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an ...
(km
2)
!
Population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish b ...
!
Population density
Population density (in agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products ...
(per km
2)
! Capital
!
Forms of government
! Currency
!
Official languages
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
, -
!colspan="8" , North Asia
, -
, {{flagicon, Russia
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, align="right" , 6,952,600
, align="right" , 8,371,257
, align="right" , 1.2
, Moscow
,
Federal semi-presidential republic
,
Ruble
The ruble (American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, w ...
, Russian and
27 other co-official languages
, -
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, -
, {{flag, Brunei
, align="right" , 5,765
, align="right" , 417,200
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,
Bandar Seri Begawan
,
Absolute Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the ce ...
Sultanate
This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula
The ...
,
Brunei dollar
,
Malay and English
, -
, {{flag, Cambodia
, align="right" , 181,035
, align="right" , 16,245,729
, align="right" , 81.8
,
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, ind ...
,
Constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies di ...
,
Riel
,
Khmer
, - bgcolor=lightblue
, {{flag, Christmas Island
, align="right" , 135
, align="right" , 1,843
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,
Flying Fish Cove
,
External territory of Australia
, Australian dollar
, None
, - bgcolor=lightblue
, {{flag, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
, align="right" , 14
, align="right" , 544
, align="right" , 43.0
,
West Island
,
External territory of Australia
, Australian dollar
, None
, -
, {{flag, Indonesia
, align="right" , 1,904,569
, align="right" , 261,115,456
, align="right" , 138.0
,
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southea ...
,
Presidential republic
,
Rupiah
,
Indonesian
, -
, {{flag, Laos
, align="right" , 237,955
, align="right" , 6,758,353
, align="right" , 26.7
,
Vientiane
,
Socialist Republic
,
Kip
,
Lao
, -
, {{flag, Malaysia
, align="right" , 330,803
, align="right" , 32,049,700
, align="right" , 92.0
,
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
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, su ...
,
Federal constitutional monarchy,
Parliamentary democracy
,
Ringgit
,
Malay
, -
, {{flag, Burma, name=Myanmar (Burma)
, align="right" , 676,578
, align="right" , 53,582,855
, align="right" , 76.0
,
Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw, officially spelled Nay Pyi Taw (; ), is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British Engli ...
,
Unitary presidentialconstitutional republic
,
Kyat
,
Burmese
, -
, {{flag, Philippines
, align="right" , 300,000
, align="right" , 100,981,437
, align="right" , 336.0
,
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
,
Unitary presidentialconstitutional republic
,
Philippine peso (Piso)
,
Filipino and English
, -
, {{flag, Singapore
, align="right" , 722.5
, align="right" , 5,638,700
, align="right" , 7,804.0
, Singapore
,
Parliamentary republic
,
Singapore dollar
,
Malay, English,
Chinese (Mandarin), and
Tamil
, -
, {{flag, Thailand
, align="right" , 513,120
, align="right" , 68,863,514
, align="right" , 132.1
,
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a c ...
,
Constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies di ...
,
Parliamentary democracy
,
Baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code
In communication
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer t ...
,
Thai
, -
, {{flag, East Timor, name=Timor-Leste (East Timor)
, align="right" , 15,410
, align="right" , 1,167,242
, align="right" , 78.0
,
Dili
,
Parliamentary republic
,
U.S. dollar /
Centavo coins
,
Tetum and
Portuguese
, -
, {{flag, Vietnam
, align="right" , 331,212
, align="right" , 94,569,072
, align="right" , 276.03
,
Hanoi
,
One-party,
Socialist Republic
,
đồng
,
Vietnamese
, -
!colspan="8" , East Asia
, -
, {{flag, China
, align="right" , 9,598,094
, align="right" , 1,371,821,094
, align="right" , 145.0
, Beijing
,
One-party socialist republic
,
Yuan (Renminbi)
,
Chinese (Mandarin)[{{cite web , url=http://www.gov.cn/english/laws/2005-09/19/content_64906.htm , title=Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language (Order of the President No.37) , publisher=Chinese Government , date=31 October 2000 , access-date=21 June 2013 , quote=For purposes of this Law, the standard spoken and written Chinese language means Putonghua (a common speech with pronunciation based on the Beijing dialect) and the standardized Chinese characters. , archive-date=24 July 2013 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724204951/http://www.gov.cn/english/laws/2005-09/19/content_64906.htm , url-status=dead ]
, - bgcolor=lightblue
, {{flag, Hong Kong
, align="right" , 1,108
, align="right" , 7,448,900
, align="right" , 6,777.0
, ''Hong Kong''
,
Special administrative regionof the People's Republic of China.
,
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code
In communication
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to t ...
, Chinese,
English
, -
, {{flag, Japan
, align="right" , 377,973
, align="right" , 126,440,000
, align="right" , 334.0
, Tokyo
,
Parliamentary democracy,
Constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies di ...
,
Yen
, None
, - bgcolor=lightblue
, {{flag, Macau
, align="right" , 115.3
, align="right" , 653,100
, align="right" , 21,340.0
, ''
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is ...
''
,
Special administrative regionof the People's Republic of China
,
Pataca
, Chinese,
Portuguese
, -
, {{flag, Mongolia
, align="right" , 1,566,000
, align="right" , 3,081,677
, align="right" , 1.97
,
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a ...
,
Parliamentary republic
,
Tögrög
,
Mongolian
, -
, {{flag, North Korea
, align="right" , 120,540
, align="right" , 25,368,620
, align="right" , 212.0
,
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 popula ...
,
Juche unitarian dictatorship
Socialist Republic
,
North Korean won
,
Korean
, -
, {{flag, South Korea
, align="right" , 100,363
, align="right" , 51,446,201
, align="right" , 507.0
,
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the K ...
,
Unitary presidential republic
,
South Korean won
,
Korean
, -
, {{flag, Taiwan
[ Figures are for the area under the ''de facto'' control of the ]Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation
A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as ...
(ROC) government, commonly referred to as Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's R ...
. Claimed in whole by the PRC; see political status of Taiwan.
, align="right" , 36,197
, align="right" , 23,577,271
, align="right" , 650.0
,
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City
New Taipei City is a spec ...
,
Semi-presidential system
A semi-presidential republic, is a republic
A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a " government, or system of government, of such ...
,
New Taiwan dollar
,
Chinese (Mandarin)
Cities
{{Further, Cities of East Asia, List of cities in East, South and Southeast Asia by population, List of ports and harbors of the Pacific Ocean
See also
{{Wiktionary
{{Div col, colwidth=30em
*
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, dep ...
*
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
*
East Asian cultural sphere
*
East–West dichotomy
*
Far West, a term for Europe
*
Four Asian Tigers – Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan
*
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, Japanese idea from the 1930s–1940s
*
Inner Asia
*
List of Mongol states
*
List of Turkic dynasties and countries
*
North Asia
**
Russian Far East
**
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
*
Orient
The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also co ...
*
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental l ...
*
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographi ...
*
Tropical Asia
*
Turkic migration
Organizations
*
ASEAN+3
*
Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia
*
East Asian Community
*
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
*
Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
{{Div col end
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Further reading
* Burghart, Sabine, Denis Park, and Liudmila Zakharova. "The DPRK’s economic exchanges with Russia and the EU since 2000: an analysis of institutional effects and the case of the Russian Far East." ''Asia Europe Journal'' 18.3 (2020): 281–303. on North Korea
* Clyde, Paul Hibbert, and Burton F. Beers. ''The Far East: A History of Western Impacts and Eastern Responses, 1830–1975'' (1975)
online* Crofts, Alfred. ''A history of the Far East'' (1958
online* Fairbank, John K., Edwin Reischauer, and Albert M. Craig. ''East Asia: The great tradition'' and ''East Asia: The modern transformation'' (1960)
vol 1960online, famous textbook.
* Green, Michael. ''By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783'' (2019
excerpt* Iriye, Akira. ''After Imperialism; The Search for a New Order in the Far East 1921–1931.'' (1965).
* Keay, John. ''Empire's End: A History of the Far East from High Colonialism to Hong Kong'' (Scribner, 1997)
online
* Louis, Wm Roger. "The road to Singapore: British imperialism in the Far East, 1932–42." in ''The fascist challenge and the policy of appeasement'' (Routledge, 2021) pp. 352–388.
* Macnair, Harley F. & Donald Lach. ''Modern Far Eastern International Relations.'' (2nd ed 1955) 1950 edition online free, 780pp; focus on 1900–1950.
* Norman, Henry. ''The Peoples and Politics of the Far East: Travels and studies in the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Siberia, China, Japan, Korea, Siam and Malaya'' (1904
online* Paine, S. C. M. ''The Wars for Asia, 1911–1949'' (2014
excerpt* Ring, George C. ''Religions of the Far East: Their History to the Present Day'' (Kessinger Publishing, 2006).
* Solomon, Richard H., and Masataka Kosaka, eds. ''The Soviet Far East military buildup: nuclear dilemmas and Asian security'' (Routledge, 2021).
* Stephan, John J. ''he Russian Far East'' (Stanford University Press, 2022).
* Vinacke, Harold M. ''A History of the Far East in Modern Times'' (1964
online free* Vogel, Ezra. ''China and Japan: Facing History'' (2019
excerpt* Woodcock, George. ''The British in the Far East'' (1969) online.
{{portalbar, Geography, Asia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam
{{Asia topics
{{Regions of the world
{{Authority control
Regions of Asia
Regions of Eurasia
Geographical regions
North Asia
Southeast Asia
East Asia
Asia-Pacific
Eurocentrism