Prologue
2. Middle East connecting Europe and Asia
Spain,
Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom used the name of Asia in the
Age of Discovery in the 15th century. These European countries competed each
other to monopolize the trade. They battled not only in India but also in
Indonesia and various location. They strengthened the colonial rule each other.
The geographical concept of Asia was established during this period. It was a
one-sided decision by the Europeans.
Asians,
however, did not share the one Asia. None of Japanese thinks Arabs as the same
Asians. On the contrary people in the Middle East seem Japanese as the same
Asians. The Middle Eastern people consider the Far East as the same Asia due to
the imprinting by Europeans. The grouping of the countries for various sports
competitions shows the evidence. Asian League of the World Cup Football covers
the countries from the Far East to the Middle East countries. In other words,
the definition of Asia means the areas except Europe in Eurasian Continent.
Asia
occupies a large part of the Eurasian Continent. The Eurasian continents extends
from the east longitude 10 degrees, where the Portugal is, and 180 degrees of
the Bering Strait. Istanbul, the east end of Europe, is located at 30 degrees
east longitude. This means that five-sixth of the Eurasian continent is Asia
and Europe occupies only one sixth.
Asia is so
wide that Europeans could not bundle Asia as one region, They, therefore, divided
Asia into several regions. It was a very simple and unilateral division from
the viewpoint of their geographical perspective. They named each region as the
Near East, Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and Far East. Far East means
the end of the east. It is a very rude naming for the people living in that
region. (Suppose that If the history was reversed, Britain, France might have
been called "Far West" at the end of the west!)
Anyway, when
crossing the Bosporus Strait, you are now in "Near East". It covers
the Anatolian peninsula. And the eastern Levant (nowadays Syria and Lebanon), Israel,
Iraq and Iran consist "Middle East". In modern history, however, "Near
East" and "Middle East" are united and called "Middle East".
India and Pakistan are called South Asia.
Europeans desired
to trade with South Asia, South East Asia and Far East countries without
brokerage by Ottoman Empire. But the onshore route had to pass through the soil
of Ottoman Empire. Free trade was hindered in those days. During the 15th
century to the 17th century, the biggest reason why European countries embarked
on the ocean was to get peppers and tea at coastal countries of Indian Ocean or
to obtain gold, silver and China pottery from Japan (Zipang). Europeans found
the offshore route instead of onshore route through the Cape Hope at the
southern tip of African Continent by sailing ship. Age of Discovery has begun.
European
countries advanced from South Asia to Far East Asia along the coast of the
Indian Ocean and South China Sea. It was an invasion from one port to another.
The Age of Discoveries was an age of trading. At that time European countries themselves
did not have own bartering goods to export to India, Southeast Asia and Java. Europeans
purchased local products at one port and resell them at another port resulting
big margin. Sometimes they looted the precious products from the local and
brought them back to home. Many merchants got huge wealth. Western people have
achieved industrial revolution with accumulated wealth and made weapons in the 19th
century. Colonization of Asia by arms has started.
Ottoman Empire gradually
eroded through Western colonial invasion. France opend the Suez Canal in 1869.
The UK became a substantial ruler of the Suez Canal afterwards. The new route,
from the Mediterranean to the Suez Canal and then through the Red Sea to the
Indian Ocean, has been secured. The reign of Asia by Western powers has been
established. Ottoman Empire was defeated in the First World War. The Asian
region from the Middle East to Southeast Asia was dominated by Western
colonialists of the UK, France and the Netherlands. They monopolized the wealth
of Asia.
(To be continued
----)
By Areha
Kazuya
E-mail:
areha_kazuya@jcom.home.ne.jp
Home Page: OCIN
INITIATIVE
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