Where the Land Meets the Sea: Coasts, Islands, and the Northeast Marine Cultural Space

Abstract

This article analyses the geopolitical and geocultural characteristics of the Northeast coast. Unlike previous studies, which often separate the coastal area from the “near-coastal” area and the ocean to consider and describe them as separate cultural entities, our research approaches coastal areas and islands as a unified cultural entity developed based on marine ecology. It suggests that the Northeast cultural space is the consequence of adapting to the ecosystem and the long process of contact and interaction between ethnic groups. The Northeast coast and islands are being strongly impacted by development projects, leading to conflicts and disruption of traditional cultural space. Integrated coastal and island management, therefore, becomes an urgent requirement.