| 1 | The southeast Asian realm is fragmented into numerous peninsulas and islands. |
| 2 | Southeast Asia, like Eastern Europe, exhibits shatter-belt characteristics. Pressures on this realm from external sources have always been strong. |
| 3 | Southeast Asia exhibits intense cultural fragmentation, reflected by complex linguistic and religious geographies. |
| 4 | The legacies of powerful foreign influences (Asian as well as non Asian) continue to mark the cultural landscapes of Southeast Asia. |
| 5 | Southeast Asia's politico geographical traditions involve frequent balkanization, instability, and conflict. |
| 6 | Population in Southeast Asia tends to be strongly clustered, even in rural areas. |
| 7 | Compared to neighbouring regions, mainland Southeast Asia's physiologic population densities remain relatively low. |
| 8 | Rapid population growth has prevailed in the island regions of Southeast Asia, notably in the Philippines, during much of the twentieth century. |
| 9 | Intra-regional communications in Southeast Asia remain poor. External connections are often more effective than internal linkages. |
| 10 | The boundaries of the Southeast Asian realm are problematic. Transitions occur into the adjoining South Asian, Chinese, and Pacific realms. |