Manchuria

Manchuria
Map of Manchuria with the central part coloured in red (northeast China); eastern Inner Mongolia to the west, in slightly lighter red; and Outer Manchuria to the north-east, in pink.
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	满洲
Traditional Chinese	滿洲
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǎnzhōu Bopomofo ㄇㄢˇ ㄓㄡ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Maanjou Wade–Giles Man-chou Tongyong Pinyin Mǎnjhou IPA [màn.ʈʂóʊ] Wu Romanization Moe上-tseu平 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Mun5-zau1
Korean name
Hangul	만주
Hanja	滿洲
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Manju McCune–Reischauer Manju
Mongolian name
Mongolian Cyrillic	Манжуур
Mongolian script	ᠮᠠᠨᠵᠤᠤᠷ
Transcriptions SASM/GNC Manjuur
Japanese name
Kanji	満州
Kana	まんしゅう
Transcriptions Romanization Manshū Kunrei-shiki Mansyû
Manchu name
Manchu script	ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ
Romanization	Manju Gurun
Russian name
Russian	Маньчжурия
Romanization	Man'chzhuriya

Manchuria is a term that refers to a region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China, and historically parts of the modern-day Russian Far East, often referred to as Outer Manchuria. Its definition may refer to varying geographical extents as follows: in the narrow sense, the area constituted by three Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning but broadly also including the eastern Inner Mongolian prefectures of Hulunbuir, Hinggan, Tongliao, and Chifeng, collectively known as Northeast China; in a broader sense, the area of historical Manchuria includes the aforementioned regions plus the Amur river basin, parts of which were ceded to the Russian Empire by the Manchu-led Qing dynasty during the Amur Annexation of 1858–1860. The parts of Manchuria ceded to Russia are collectively known as Outer Manchuria or Russian Manchuria, which include present-day Amur Oblast, Primorsky Krai, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, the southern part of Khabarovsk Krai, and the eastern edge of Zabaykalsky Krai.

The name Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endonym "Manchu") of Japanese origin. The history of "Manchuria" (Manzhou) as a toponym in China is disputed, with some scholars believing it was never used while others believe it was by the late 19th century. The area was historically referred to by various names in the Qing dynasty such as Guandong (East of the Pass) or the Three Provinces referring to Fengtian, Heilongjiang, and Jilin. Manchuria as a geographical term was first used in the 18th or 19th centuries by the Japanese before spreading to Europe. The term was promoted by the Japanese Empire in support for the existence of its puppet state, Manchukuo. Although the toponym is still used, some scholars treat the term with caution or avoid it altogether due to its association with Japanese colonialism. The term is deprecated in China due to its association with Japanese imperialism and ethnic connotations. As a result, areas once considered part of Manchuria are simply referred to as the Northeast.^[1] The Three Provinces and the Northeast were also in concurrent use among the Japanese along with Manchuria until the Mukden Incident of 1931.^[2]

The area is home to many ethnic groups, including the Manchus, Mongols, Koreans, Nanai, Nivkhs, and Ulchs. Many of the early ancient Koreanic kingdoms were established in the area. It is the ancestral homeland to the Tungusic-speaking Jurchens and their descendants, the Manchus.