Why You Can t Understand Southeast Asia Without Its History

Why India built mega-empires while Southeast Asia stayed fragmented comes down to geography. This film contrasts the flat, fertile 700,000 sq km Indo-Gangetic Plain with mainland Southeast Asia's comb of north-south ranges from the Himalayas to the Annamites. It traces how the West Baray, Pataliputra, Mauryan and Mughal tax systems, Sanskrit kingship and the Khyber Pass created repeat super-states in one place and isolated river valleys in the other.

Understand Southeast Asia history by looking at how geography shaped its empires, from Angkor's reservoirs to trade routes.