Culture

 Capital  New Dehli

 Population  1.22 billion  Second most populous country in the world  17.3% of the world’s population  Median age is 25  Doubling in growth since 1947  Huge population growth strain on environment  Urbanization has taken place  Millions of people have moved to cities in search of job

 7 out of every 10 people live rural areas  Languages  Hindi  English  Southern states Tamil

 Agriculture plays major role in economy  GDP places among the worlds top 5 industrial countries  However per capita GDP is only $3900 millions of Indians live in poverty  One of India’s largest industries is the movie making industry  Bollywood

 Plays key role in daily life  Religious celebrations important part of life  Diwali-festival of lights  Vaisakhi-originated as a harvest festival in Punjab  Marks Sikhs new year  Most practice Hinduism  Buddhism  Sikhism  Jainism

 Mohandas Gandhi

 1947 Gained independence which has strengthened the government and economy  World’s largest democracy  Strongest nations in Asia  Current issues  is the struggle to continue to provide for the growing population  Resolving issues with Pakistan  Both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons

 Has taken steps to reduce poverty  Green Revolution  Program that encouraged farmers to adopt modern agriculture methods  Help to produce more food

Capital: Islamabad

 Population  190 million people  World’s sixth largest country  Rapid growth has been a challenge  Religion-Muslim  95 percent of the Pakistani population is Muslim,  two food customs that are followed almost universally.  One is that Muslims do not eat pork (therefore beef, chicken, lamb, and fish are the basic foods)  the other is that during the month of Ramadan, fasting is a daily activity.  Language-Urdu and English

 Lack government stability  Since creation in 1947 Pakistan has suffered rebellions and assassinations of government officials  2001 General Pervez Musharraf came to power  2008 protestors calling for a democracy Musharraf resigned  Pakistanis then elected Asif Ali Zardari as President

 Struggles to manage resources and to reduce poverty  Since separation India and Pakistan have clashed over the territory of Kashmir

 Rapid growth has doubled in last 30 years  Majority of the people are subsistence farmers  With the population continuing to grow they cut down trees to create more land for farming  Deforestation has caused an environmental threat  Soil erosion and harming the wild life  Religion-Hinduism and Buddhism  Language-Nepali is an Indo-European language derived from Sanskrit

 In 1990, the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (People's Movement) initiated a series of popular demonstrations for democratic reforms  Eventually forcing the king to abolish the panchayat system and institute a multiparty democracy.  government is plagued by corruption, and officials often rely on bribes to supplement their income.

 Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world.  This poverty can be attributed to scarce natural resources, a difficult terrain, landlocked geography, and a weak infrastructure  Also to feudal land tenure systems, government corruption, and the ineffectiveness of development efforts.

Capital: Thimphu

 Language-Dzongkha.  Most of the schools conduct classes in English  Buddhism, which was introduced in the seventh century, is the official religion of Bhutan  Because of the ethnic diversity of the people, there is a certain ethnic diversity in the food.  Northern Indian cuisine is often mixed with the chilies of the Tibetan area in daily dishes.  Mushrooms, apricots, asparagus, a variety of chilies and numerous spices are grown in abundance in nearly all the valleys

 Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy, ruled by a hereditary king,  "Druk Gyalpo," who governs with the aid of a Royal Cabinet and a National Assembly  Government limits the number of visitors to Bhutan to protect the environment

 Agriculture and forestry and provides the livelihoods for 90 percent of the population.  Agriculture is primarily subsistence farming and animal husbandry.  The economy of Bhutan is aligned with that of India through strong trade and monetary links.  legal system is based on English common law and Indian law

Capital: Dhaka

 Population 160 million  Capital: Dhaka largest city home to more than 13 million people  One of the world’s most densely populated countries  Primary language is Bangla,  called Bengali by most nonnatives, an Indo-European language spoken not just by Bangladeshis, but also by people who are culturally Bengali  Most significant social divide is between Muslims and Hindus  Symbols and sounds of Islam, such as the call to prayer, punctuate daily life.  Bangladeshis conceptualize themselves and others fundamentally through their religious heritage

 The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy  includes a president, a prime minister, and a unicameral parliament

 Flooding is Bangladesh’s biggest challenge  Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world.  The only significant natural resource is natural gas. Approximately 75 percent of the workforce is involved in agriculture  15 percent and 10 percent are employed in the service and industrial sectors

 Close location to India has been a huge influence  Two largest ethnic groups, are descended from Indian settlers  Tamil  Sinahalese  Three official languages in Sri Lanka:  Sinhala, Tamil, and English.  Sinhala, the language of the majority  Tamil, spoken by Muslims as well as ethnic Tamils, are the primary languages of the island  Buddhism, the religion of the majority of people in Sri Lanka, is given a place of preference in the national constitution and public life,  Although Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity are also practiced by significant portions of the population

 Conflict between the two ethnic groups cause Sri Lanka to be divided  Tamil minority has fought for years to create a separate state  2009 Tamil leader was killed and the government troops declared an end to fighting  Sri Lanka is governed by a democratically elected president and a 225-member parliament

 By the mid-1990s, roughly one-quarter of the population was employed as skilled workers in agriculture, fishing, or animal husbandry  2004 Tsunami in Indian Ocean killed thousands and more than 500,000 left homeless  Ag and fishing industries were damaged and they are still struggling to rebuild  Sri Lanka's economy is shifting away from its traditional agricultural base to include production for an international market

Stilt fishermen in the waters near Weligama, Sri Lanka. Fish are a large part of the Sri Lankan diet.

 Dhivehi, which is spoken in all parts of the country, is not spoken in any other part of the world.  English is the second language and is widely used in commerce and in many government schools.  population consists of a mix of people who trace their descent from Sri Lanka, India, Arab countries, and Africa  Rice and fish are the staple foods

 multiparty republic with one legislative house  Legislative assembly known as the Majlis is composed of fifty members: two from Malé, two from each of the twenty administrative atolls, and eight appointed by the president.  The constitution of the Maldives was adopted in 2008constitution

 One of the poorest countries in the world, Maldives has a developing economy based on fishing, tourism, boatbuilding, and boat repairing fishing  Basic food commodities such as rice, sugar, and flour are imported.  There are over seventy resort islands near the capital.