1. Human Geography Chapter 25
South Asia
Human Geography
Chapter 25

2. India
India is the largest country in South Asia and has the most developed economy.
Indian culture is deeply influenced by religion

3. History Indian civilization begins in Indus Valley in 2500 B.C. Muslim
___Mughal Empire_rules much of India by early 1500s

4. British establish direct rule in 1857
___Raj___—90 year period of direct British control, opposed by most Indians
Mohandas Gandhi’s ___nonviolent resistance____achieves goals peacefully
India gains its independence from Britain in 1947
Muslim Pakistan splits from Hindu India; violence, migrations result

5. India After Independence
Constitution is created under first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
a democratic republic since 1950
System has federation of states, strong central government, like U.S.
_Parliamentary Democracy__ system, like U.K.
India is mostly Hindu, but with large Muslim, Sikh, Tamil minorities
Sikhs kill Nehru’s daughter, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 1984
Tamils assassinate her son, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 1991

6. Pakistan & Bangladesh
1947 ___partition____ creates Hindu India, Muslim Pakistan
Hindu-Muslim violence killed one million people
10 million crossed borders: Hindus to India, Muslims to Pakistan
Ethnic differences led to civil war between West and East Pakistan
East Pakistan won independence in 1971, became Bangladesh

7. Kashmir
Kashmir’s problem: population is Muslim, but its leader was Hindu
Indus River is critical source of drinking, irrigation water in Pakistan
Pakistan doesn’t want India to control that resource

8. Religion Hinduism 80% of Indians are Hindu; polytheistic
reincarnation—rebirth of the soul after death
Original Aryan _______caste system___ of social classes:
Brahmans—priests, scholars; Kshatriyas—rulers, warriors
Vaisyas—farmers, merchants; Sudras—artisans, laborers
Dalits (untouchables) are outside caste system—lowest status
___dharma____ is a caste’s moral duty; only reincarnation changes caste
Other Religions
India’s other faiths include Jainism, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism
Buddhism originated in northern India, but Islam is still strong in certain parts of India
Millions of Muslims left after 1947 independence

9. Islamic Culture Customs include daily prayer
Pakistan’s stricter Islamic law includes purdah— women’s seclusion
Women have no contact with men they are not related to
Must wear veils in public
Bangladesh’s religious practices are less strict

10. Mountain Kingdoms: Nepal and Bhutan
Both countries are located in Himalayas
Mountain landscape isolates Nepal, Bhutan; hard to reach, conquer
Today both are constitutional monarchies
Kingdom where ruler’s power is limited by constitution
Bhutan’s king is supreme ruler, Nepal’s shares power with parliament (Parliamentary Republic)

11. Religious Customs Siddharta Gautama, the Buddha, born in 500s B.C.
Rejects caste system of Hindu religion
Nepalese were Buddhist; today most are Hindu
Tibetan-style Buddhism is official religion of Bhutan
Dalai Lama - the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet

12. Today’s Issues: South Asia
South Asia faces the challenges of rapid population growth, destructive weather, and territorial disputes caused by religious and ethnic differences
Today’s Issues: South Asia

13. Population Explosion
Population growth in South Asia has contributed to social and economic ills in the region
Education is key to controlling population growth and improving the quality of life in South Asia
In 2012, India’s population reached 1.2 million

14. Population Grows
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh among top 10 most populous countries
Region has 22% of world’s population, lives on 3% of world’s land

15. Region has widespread poverty, illiteracy—inability to read or write, despite free public education through age 14
Poor sanitation, health education which leads to disease outbreaks
Every year, to keep pace, India would have to:
Build 127,000 new schools and 2.5 millioin new homes
Create 4 million new jobs and produce 6 million tons of food
Inadequate Resources

16. Managing Population Growth
India spends nearly $1 billion a year encouraging smaller families
Programs have only limited success
Indian women marry before age 18, start having babies early
To poor, children are source of money (working fields) and can later take care of elderly parents
Managing Population Growth

17. Living with Extreme Weather
South Asia experiences a yearly cycle of floods, often followed by drought
The extreme weather of South Asia leads to serious physical, economic and political consequences.

18. Monsoon flooding nourish rainforests, irrigate crops
Cyclones are common with summer monsoons
_severe_________ droughts turn lush lands into arid wastelands
Impact of the Monsoons

19. Economic Impact Floods, droughts make agriculture difficult
Weather catastrophes also destroy homes, families
People build: house on stilts, concrete cyclone shelters, dams
Economic Impact