Manchuria

Manchuria (Manchu: Manju, {{zh-stp |s=满洲 |t=滿洲 |p=Mǎnzhōu}}) is name given to a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria either falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is divided between China and Russia.

Extent of Manchuria

Depending on the definition one uses, "Manchuria" can refer to any of several regions of various sizes. These are, from smallest to largest:

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• The provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning in the People's Republic of China, when their borders were drawn in 1956;
• The above, plus the eastern part of Inner Mongolia (specifically, the areas administered today by Hulunbuir, Xing'an League, Chifeng and Tongliao);
• The above, plus the now defunct province of Jehol. Jehol overlaps partially with some areas that are already included above, but it also adds the northernmost part of Hebei province, around Chengde. This is equal to the extent of Manchukuo;
• The above, plus Outer Manchuria or Russian Manchuria, a region in Russia that stretches from the Amur and Ussuri rivers to the Stanovoy Mountains and the Sea of Japan. (To contrast with Outer Manchuria, the rest of Manchuria may also be called "Inner Manchuria".) Outer Manchuria comprises Primorsky Krai, southern Khabarovsk Krai, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and Amur Oblast. These were part of Manchu China according to the Treaty of Nerchinsk of 1689, but were ceded to Russia by the Treaty of Aigun (1858);
• The above, plus Sakhalin Oblast, which is generally included on Chinese maps as part of Outer Manchuria because it is directly offshore from the rest of Outer Manchuria and can thus be argued as a natural part thereof, even though it is not explicitly mentioned in the Treaty of Nerchinsk.

Greater Manchuria can also be seen used as an ethnic term. In addition to the area described above, Greater Manchuria also includes the whole of the Korean peninsula, Sakhalin and the Kuriles, and sometimes embraces the Japanese archipelago. The term is sometimes used when discussing the ethnic history of the area, and is not used in conjunction with the situation of the political entities of the area, past or present.

Related Topics:
Korean peninsula - Sakhalin - Kuriles - Japanese archipelago

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Manchuria borders Mongolia in the west, Siberia in the north, China proper to the south and North Korea in the east.

Related Topics:
Mongolia - Siberia - China proper - North Korea

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