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Gangtok is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is located in the Shivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range, at an altitude of 1,437 metres (4,715 ft). The town has a population of thirty thousand belonging to different ethnicities including Nepalis, Lepchas and Bhutia.<br/><br/> Gangtok rose to prominence as a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site after the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840. In 1894, the ruling Sikkimese Chogyal, Thutob Namgyal, transferred the capital to Gangtok. In the early 20th century, Gangtok became a major stopover on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and cities such as Kolkata (then Calcutta) in British India. After India won its independence from Britain in 1947, Sikkim chose to remain an independent monarchy, with Gangtok as its capital. In 1975, after integration with the union of India, Gangtok was made India's twenty-second state capital.<br/><br/> Today, Gangtok is a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning, with the presence of several monasteries, religious educational institutions, and centres for Tibetology.
The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj.<br/><br/> To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then and now used for political prisoners. Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s.<br/><br/> Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on Jan. 4, 1948.
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam including Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1948. In 1864, all French territories in southern Vietnam were declared to be the new French colony of Cochinchina, which was to be governed by Admiral Jules Marie Dupré from 1868-74. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bo.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. A perfect climate, fertile soil and an excellent irrigation system lent to some farmers enjoying three rice harvests a year. Farmers were also able to grow maize, corn, wheat and barley. Other crops include beans, peas, garlic, cauliflower, melons, pumpkin, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, mustard seed, mangoes, oranges, sugar cane, papaya, sago, opium poppies, many spices, coffee, tea, cotton and tobacco.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Fishermen, too, lived close to or on the rivers and canals. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water. Corn was mostly grown in the mountainous north of the country, often by ethnic hilltribes peoples.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Fishermen too lived close to or on the rivers and canals. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.
At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of Siamese were rice farmers who lived and worked along waterways. Every household had a boat, an estimated 600,000 of which navigated the canals and rivers of Bangkok. Rowing was done from the back of the boat. Most houses were made from wood and bamboo, and were built on stilts with a ladder running to the water.