Slide 1
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Unit 8: South Asia
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Chapters 24, 25, & 26
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Slide 2
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The Indian Subcontinent
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• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, the Maldives
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• Subcontinent- large landmass that’s smaller
than a continent
– Called Indian Subcontinent because India
dominates the region
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• This area is half the size of U.S.
– This area has 1/5 of world’s people
– More than 1 billion inhabitants
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• Natural barriers separate subcontinent from
rest of Asia
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– Mountains form northern border, Indian Ocean
surrounds rest
– Arabian Sea to west, Bay of Bengal to east
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Slide 3
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Northern Mountains
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• South Asia was once part of East Africa
– Split off 50 million years ago and collided
with Central Asia
– Collision of tectonic plates pushed land into
huge mountain ranges
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• Himalaya Mountains -1,500 mile-long
system of parallel ranges
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– Include world’s tallest mountain -Mt.
Everest
– Form barrier between Indian subcontinent
and China
– Kingdoms of Nepal, Bhutan are also in these
mountains
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Slide 4
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Northern Mountains (continued)
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• At west end, Hindu Kush mountains
separate Pakistan, Afghanistan
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– Historically blocked invasions from Central
Asian tribes
Mt. Everest
– Khyber Pass is one of the major land routes
through the mountains
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• Karakoram Mountains are in
northeastern part of Himalayas
– Include world’s second highest peak, K2
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Everest Geology Video 2014
Miracle on Everest 2008
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K2
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Slide 5
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Southern Plateaus
• Tectonic plate collision also created
smaller mountain ranges
– Vindhya Range in central India
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• Deccan Plateau covers much of
southern India
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• Western, Eastern Ghats: mountain
ranges flank Deccan Plateau
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– Block moist winds and rain, making
Deccan mostly arid
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Slide 6
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Great Rivers
• Northern Indian, or Indo-Gangetic, Plain:
– Lies between Deccan Plateau, northern mountain
ranges
– Is formed by three river systems that originate in
Himalayas
• Indus River flows west, then south through
Pakistan to Arabian Sea
• Ganges River flows east across northern India
• Brahmaputra winds east, then west, south
through Bangladesh
• Ganges and Brahmaputra meet, from delta, flow
into Bay of Bengal
Slide 7
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Fertile Plains
• Rivers irrigate farmlands, carry rich alluvial soil
– Overflow deposits this soil on alluvial plains-rich
farmlands
• Indo-Gangetic Plain has some of the world’s
most fertile farms
• Heavily populated area has 3/5 of India’s people
– Area’s big cities: New Delhi, Kolkata in India; Dhaka
in Bangladesh
• Plain is drier to west between Indus, Ganges
• The Thar, or Great Indian Desert, lies to the
south
Slide 8
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Sri Lanka: The Subcontinent's "Tear Drop”
• Island in Indian Ocean, off India’s
southeastern tip
• Large, tear-shaped country with lush
tropical land
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• Range of high, rugged, 8,000-foot mountains
dominate center
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• Many small rivers flow from mountains
down to lowlands
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• Northern side has low hills, rolling farmland
• Island is circled by coastal plain, long palmfringed beaches
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Slide 9
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The Maldives Archipelago
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• Maldives is an archipelago-island
group-of 1,200 small islands
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– Stretch north to south for 500 miles off
Indian coast, near equator
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• Islands are atolls-low-lying tops of
submerged volcanoes
– Surrounded by coral reefs, shallow
lagoons
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• Total land area of Maldives is 115
square miles
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• Only 200 islands are inhabited
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Slide 10
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India’s Water and Soil
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• Water and soil resources provide food
trough farming, fishing
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• River systems help enrich land with
alluvia soil, water
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– Large & small scale irrigation projects divert
water to farmlands
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• Types of fish include mackerel, sardines,
carp, catfish
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• Waters provide transportation, power
– India, Pakistan work to harness hydroelectric
power
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Slide 11
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Forests
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• Indian rain forests produce hardwoods
like sal and teak
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– Also bamboo and fragrant sandalwood
• Bhutan’s and Nepal’s highland forests
have pine, fir, softwoods
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• Deforestation is a sever problem
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– Causes soil erosion, flooding, landslides,
loss of wildlife habitats
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– Overcutting has devastated forests in India,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
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Slide 12
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Minerals
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• India is fourth in world in coal
production, has petroleum, & uranium
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• Pakistan, Bangladesh have natural gas
resources
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• Iron ore from Indi’s Deccan Plateau used
in steel industry, exported
• Other minerals: manganese, gypsum,
chromium, bauxite, copper
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• India has mica for electrical equipment
and growing computer industry
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• India is known for diamonds; Sri Lanka
for sapphires & rubies
Rubies
Sapphires
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Slide 13
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Climate Zones
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• Cold highland zone in Himalayas,
other northern mountains
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• Humid subtropical in foothills (Nepal,
Bhutan), Indo-Gangetic Plain
• Semiarid zone of west Plain, Deccan
Plateau is warm with light rain
Cherrapunji
• Desert zone covers lower Indus Valley,
west India, south Pakistan
– Thar Desert is driest area, with 10 inches
of rain annually
• Tropical wet zone in Sri Lanka and
coasts of Indian, Bangladesh
– Cherrapunji, India, holds rainfall record366 inches in one month
Slide 14
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Monsoons and Cyclones
• Monsoons –seasonal winds that affect entire region
– Dry winds blow from northeast October- February
– Moist ocean winds blow from southwest June- September
– Moist winds bring heavy rainfall, especially in southwest,
Ganges Delta
– Unpredictable; cause hardship in lowlands of India,
Bangladesh
• Cyclone –violent storms with fierce winds, heavy
rain
– Hurricanes, cyclones, & typhoons are all the same
We just use different names for these storms in different
places
•
•
•
In the Atlantic & Northeast Pacific, the term “hurricane” is used
Northwest Pacific is called a “typhoon”
“Cyclones” occur in the South Pacific & Indian Ocean
– In Bangladesh low coastal region swamped by high waves
Slide 15
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Vegetation Zones
• Forested tropical wet zone in India’s west coast, south
Bangladesh
– Lush rain forests of teak, ebony, bamboo
• Highland forests of pine, fir in north India, Nepal, Bhutan
• Humid subtropical river valleys; foothills have sal, oak,
chestnut
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• Less vegetation in semiarid areas; desert shrubs, grasses
– Deccan Plateau, Thar Desert
• Sri Lanka’s tropical wet and dry climate produces grasses,
trees
– Rivers play a central role in the lives of South Asians.
– Water pollution and flooding pose great challenges to South
Asians countries
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Slide 16
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Mother Ganges
• Ganges is best-known South Asian river
– It’s shorter than the Indus, Brahmaputra
– Flows 1,500 miles from Himalayan glacier to Bay
of Bengal
– Drains area three times France; home to 250
million people
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• Provides drinking and farming water,
transportation
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• Known as Gangamai- “Mothers Ganges”
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– Becomes the Padma where it meets the
Brahmaputra
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Slide 17
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A Scared River
• Hinduism is the religion of most Indians
• To Hindus, the Ganges River is the scared home
of the goddess Ganga
• Hindus believe waters have healing powers;
temples line its banks
– Pilgrims come to bathe, scatter ashes of dead
– At sacred site of Varanasi they gather daily for
prayer, purification
– Floats blankets of flowers, burning candles on water
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Slide 18
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A Polluted River
• Centuries of use have made Ganges most
polluted river in world
– Sewage, industrial waste, human bodies poison
the water
– Users get stomach and intestinal diseases,
hepatitis, typhoid, cholera
• In 1986, government plans sewage treatment
plants, regulations
– Today few plants are operational, factories still
dump waste
• Clean up will take time, money, a change in
how people see river
Slide 19
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A River Overflows
• Feni River flows from Chittagong Hills to
Bay of Bengal
• Wide, slow-moving river flows through lowlying coastal plain
– Flat, marshy area floods during wet season due
to monsoon rains
• Cyclones bring storms surges- high waters
that swamp low areas
– Sea water surges up river into flatlands, flooding
villages
• In 1980s, Bangladesh builds earthen dam
over river’s mile-wide mouth
Slide 20
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Using People Power
• Bangladesh uses large population's unskilled workers to build dam
• Use cheap materials, low-tech process
– Lay bamboo mats, weight with boulders, cover with bags of clay
• Build partial closer, then close Feni completely February 28, 1985
– When tide goes out 15,000 workers fill gaps with 600,000 bags
– Seven hours later the dam is closed
• Completing the Dam
• Dump trucks, earthmovers raise clay dam to height of 30 feet
– Put concrete, brick over sides, build road on top
• South Asia’s largest estuary-arm of sea at river's lower end-dam
• Dam holds against cyclones and storm surges
– Villages and lands are protected
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Slide 21
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Early History
• Indian civilization begins in Indus Valley in 2500 B.C.
• Aryans from north of Iran invade in 1500 B.C.
– Establish kingdoms on Ganges Plain, push Dravidians south
– Persians, Greek later invade Indus Valley
• Mauryan Empire unites India in 321 B.C.; Asoka spreads Buddhism
• Gupta Empire later rules northern India
• Muslim Mughal Empire rules much of India
by early 1500s
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Slide 22
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Europeans Arrive
• In 1500s, French, Dutch, Portuguese build cloth,
spice trades
• British East India Company controls Indian trade
by 1757
– British establish direct rule in 1857
• Raj –The name of the British Empire in India
– 90-year period of direct British control, opposed by
most Indians
– Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance achieves
goals peacefully
• India gains its independence from Hindu India;
violence, migrations result
Slide 23
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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.
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– Parliamentary system, like UK
• India is mostly Hindu, but with large Muslim, Sikh,
Tamil minorities which clash
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– Sikhs kill Gandhi’s daughter, Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi, 1984
– Tamils assassinate her son, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi,
1991
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Slide 24
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Subcontinent Partitioned
• British left India in 1947 & partitioned/divided
the subcontinent
– Created two independent countries
– India is predominantly Hindu, Pakistan is mostly
Muslim
• Britain lets each Indian state choose which
country to join
– Muslim states join Pakistan, Hindu states remain
in India
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Slide 25
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Politics and Religion
• Kashmir’s problem: population is Muslim, but its
leader was Hindu
• Maharajah of Kashmir wants and independent
nation
– But was forced to cede territory to India in 1947
• Pakistan invades; a year later India still controls
much of Kashmir
• India & Pakistan fight two more wars over
Jammu & Kashmir territories in 1965 & 1971
– Dispute remains unresolved; each country still
controls part
– China has had a small portion since 1962
Slide 26
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A Question of Economics
• Indus River flows through Kashmir
– Many of its tributaries originate in the territory
• Indus is critical source of drinking,
irrigation water in Pakistan
– Pakistan doesn’t want India to control that
resource
• Kashmir is a strategic prize neither side will
give up
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Slide 27
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Dangerous Testing & Maintaining Priorities
• India and Pakistan each test nuclear weapons in 1998
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– Raise fears that the 50-year-old dispute could go nuclear
– After tests, both countries vow to seek political solution
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• Border clashes continue
– Pakistan supports Kashmir Muslims fighting Indian rule
• Both India and Pakistan have large populations,
widespread poverty
– Both overspend on troops, arms, nuclear programs
– That money could be used for education & social programs
• Resolving Kashmir problem would bring peace
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– The quality of people’s lives could start improving
– The resolution could reduce the region’s political tensions
Slide 28
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Dependence on Farming
• India has large economy, but half its people live in
poverty
• Two-thirds of people farm; most farms are small with
low crop yields
• Land reform-more balanced distribution of land among
farmers
– 5 percent of farm families own 25 percent of farmland
– Land-reform proposals make little progress
• After famines of 1960s, scientists improve farm
techniques, crops
– Green Revolution increases crop yields for wheat, rice
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Slide 29
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Growing Industry
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• Cotton textiles have long been a major product
– Iron, steel, chemical, food industries develop after
1940s
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• Main industrial regions include:
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– Kolkata (Calcutta), Ahmadabad, Chennai (Madras),
Delhi
• Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s most prosperous
city
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– A commercial center which produces metals
chemicals, electronics
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• Bangalore is the high-tech center, home to
software companies
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Slide 30
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Daily Life
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• Most Indians have male-dominated,
arranged marriages
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• Diet is mostly vegetarian: rice, legumes,
flatbreads
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– Meat is eaten in curry dishes, but is limited by
religious beliefs
• Sports include soccer, field hockey, cricket
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• Classical music uses sitar, table
instruments
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• Large film industry in Mumbai
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Slide 31
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Education & Languages
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• Indian economy is changing; more people work
in factories, offices
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• Education is key to change, most middle-class
kids go to school
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• Literacy has risen steadily since the 1950s
– In slums and rural areas, school attendance, literacy
still low
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• Constitution recognizes 18 major languages
– India has over 1000 languages and dialects
– Hindi is the official language
– English is widely used by government & business
workers
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Slide 32
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Religion in India
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• 80% of Indians are Hindu; complex Aryan religion includes many gods
– Aryan –ancient people & culture of Iran & India
•
Aryan has a double meaning –also Hitler’s idea of a master race
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– Reincarnation –rebirth of the soul after death
• Original Aryan caste system of social classes
– Brahmans-priests, scholars; Kshatriyas-rulers, warriors
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– Vaisyas-farmers, merchants; Sudras-artisans, laborers
• Dalits (untouchables) are outside caste system-lowest status
• Dharma is the code of conduct of righteous living; only reincarnation
change caste
• Other religions:
– India’s other faiths include Jainism, Christianity, Skhism, and Buddhism
•
•
Buddhism originated in northern India
Islam is still strong in certain parts of India
• Millions of Muslims left after 1947 independence
• Moved to new Muslim states in northwest, northeast
Dalits
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Slide 33
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Early History of Pakistan
• Indus Valley civilization -largest of early civilizations
– Arises around 2500 B.C. in what is now Pakistan
– Features well -planned cities like Harappa
• Civilization falls around 1500 B.C.; Aryans invade soon after
• Area is then ruled by British Empire until 1947
• 1947 partition creates Hindu India, Muslim Pakistan
• Hindu-Muslim violence killed one million people
– 10 million crossed borders: Hindus to India, Muslims to Pakistan
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• Ethnic differences led to civil war between West and East Pakistan
– East Pakistan won independence in 1971, became Bangladesh
• Bangladesh vs. Pakistan
– Both countries have had military rule, political corruption
– Both countries had female prime ministers in 1990s
Slide 34
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Subsistence Farming
• Rapidly growing populations, low income per capita in both countries
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• Small plots farmed with old methods struggle to feed families
• Climate hurts yields: Pakistan –arid & Bangladesh –stormy
• Pakistan’s irrigated Indus Valley grows wheat, cotton, rice
• Bangladesh’s deltas produce rice, jute (used for rope, carpets)
–
Freshwater fishing is also vital to economy
• Small Industry
• Neither country is highly industrialized
–
Small factories lack capital, resources, markets to expand
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• Both export cotton clothes; Pakistan exports wool, leather goods
• Microcredit policy –allows small loans to poor entrepreneurs
–
Entrepreneurs –people who start and build businesses
–
Small businesses join together to get microloans
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Program raises standards of living, especially for women
Slide 35
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Pakistan’s Islamic Culture
• Islam has been part of culture since rule of Muslim Mughal Empire
• Mosques are large, impressive structures
• Pakistan’s stricter Islamic law includes purdah –women’s seclusion
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– Women have no contact with men not related, wear veils in public
• Bangladesh’s religious practices are less strict
Ethnic Diversity
• Pakistan is more diverse: five main groups, each with own language
– Punjabis, Sindhis, Pathans, Muhajirs, & Balochs
– Punjabis are half the population,
Muhajirs left India in 1947
– National language is Muhajirs’ Urdu
• Majority of people in Bangladesh are Bengali
– Bengali language based on Sanskrit, ancient Indo-Aryan language
Slide 36
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Love of Poetry
• Strong oral tradition: Pakistan memorize long poems
– Poets and poetry readings (mushairas) are popular
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• Bangladesh poet Rabindranath Tagore won 1914 Nobel Prize
– His song, “My Golden Bengal” is national anthem
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• Music and Dance
– Qawwali is the Muslim Sufi’s devotional singing
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– Bangladesh’s folk dances act out myths, legends
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Slide 37
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Nepal & Bhutan: A Geography of Isolation
• Both countries are located in Himalayas; each has:
– Central upland of ridges, valleys leading to high mountains
– Small lowland area along Indian border
• Mountain landscape isolates Nepal, Bhutan: hard to
reach, conquer
• China controlled Bhutan briefly in
18th
century
• Both remained mostly independent, rarely visited by
foreigners
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Slide 38
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Nepal & Bhutan with Evolving Monarchies
• In past, both countries split into religious
kingdoms, ruling states
• Unified kingdoms emerge, led by hereditary
monarchs
• Today both are constitutional monarchies
– Kingdoms where ruler’s power is limited by their
constitution
– Bhutan’s king is supreme ruler, Nepal’s shares power
with parliament
• Both must balance the interests of neighboring
China and India
Slide 39
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Both Countries Limited Resources
• Both countries are poor; agricultural economies,
but little farmland
– Mountainous terrain, poor soil, erosion
– Terraced farms grow rice, corn potatoes, wheat
– Livestock include cattle, sheep, yaks
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• Timber industry is important, but has led to
deforestation
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• Manufacturing: wood products, food processing,
cement production
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• Most trade is with India
Slide 40
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A Mix of People
• Nepal's Indo-Nepalese, Hindu majority came from
India centuries ago
– Speak Nepali, variation of Sanskrit
• Nepal also has groups of Tibetan ancestry, including
Sherpa's
– High-Himalayan people; traditional mountain guides of
Everest area
• Bhutan’s main ethnic group is the Bothe, who trace
origins to Tibet
• Bhutans’s minority Nepalese don’t assimilate; keep
language, customs
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Slide 41
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Religious Customs & Culture
• Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, born in 500s B.C.
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• Nepalese were Buddhist; today most are Hindu
• Tibetan-style Buddhism is official religion of Bhutan
–
Uses mandalas-symbolic geometric designs for meditation
• The Arts and Recreation
–
Artisans make bells, jewelry, sculptures, textiles
–
Festivals feature songs on flutes, drums, brass horns
–
Bhutan is famed for its archery contests
• Growth of Tourism
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• Tourism is fastest-growing industry in Nepal
–
People visit capital at Kathmandu, climb Himalayas
–
Hotels, restaurants, services grow
–
Also hurts Nepal’s environment; trash, pollution left on mountains
• Bhutan regulates, limits tourism, keeps some areas off-limits
–
Tourism provides revenue, economic potential
Slide 42
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Settlement of Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka and Maldives are island countries
with strong connections to the South Asian
Subcontinent
• In 500s B.C. Indians cross strait to Sri Lanka,
become Sinhalese
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• In A.D. 300s, Tamils- Indian Dravidian Hindus
–settled in the north end
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• Portuguese, Dutch come in 1500s; British rule
in 1796, call it Ceylon
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– Island gains independence in 1948, becomes Sri
Lanka in 1972
• Tensions lead Tamils to seek Tamil Elam, an
independent state
– Civil war between Sinhalese and rebel Tamil Tigers
begins in 1980s
Slide 43
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A Muslim State in the Maldives
• Buddhists, Hindus from India, Sri Lanka
settle islands in 500s B.C.
– Arab traders visit often, population converts to
Islam by 1100s
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• Governed by six dynasties of Muslim sultans
–rulers
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• Declares itself a republic in 1968, headed by
elected president
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• 1,200 islands; a land area of 115 square miles;
population 300,000
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– One of the world’s smallest independent
countries
Slide 44
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Ethnic Mosaic of the Islands
• Sri Lanka is 75% Sinhalese Buddhists, 18%
Tamil Hindus, 7% Muslim
• Sinhalese live in south, west, central island;
Muslims live in east
– Tamils are northern Jaffna Peninsula
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• Capital is Colombo; most Sri Lankans live in
small town, villages
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• In Maldives, Sinhalese and Dravidians
mixed with Arab, Asian traders
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– Official language is Divenhi; Arabic, Hindi,
English are also spoken
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Slide 45
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Cultural Life in Sri Lanka
• Buddhist, Hindu temples, Muslim mosques dot
landscape
– Art, literature strongly influenced by religions
• At Buddhist festivals, Kandayan dance tells of kings,
heroes
• At Perahera festivals, dancers in glittering silver
perform
Cultural Life in the Maldives
• Culture is strongly influenced by Muslim customs
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• Islam is state religion-no other allowed
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• Bodu beru (“big drum”) music and dance has African
Influences
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Slide 46
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Economic Strengths
• Sri Lanka has South Asia’s highest per capita
income
• Agricultural economy: rice farms; tea; rubber,
coconut exports
• Manufacturing is increasing
• Famous for gemstones like sapphires, rubies,
topaz
• Maldives has limited farming, foods is imported
• Fishing for tuna, marlin, shark still provide ¼ of
jobs
• Main economy is now tourism centered on
beaches, reefs
Slide 47
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Tough Challenges
• Tourism in Sri Lanka grew until civil
war began in early 1980s
– War has also damaged infrastructure,
disrupted economic activities
• Maldives must deal with global
warming
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– If polar icecaps melt at all, islands could
flood completely
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– Scientists warn this could happen by
the end of this century
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Slide 48
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Population Grows
• India’s population was 300 million in 1947; has since tripled
• So large that even 2% growth rate produces population
explosion
• Unless rate slows, Indian will have 1.5 billion by 2045
– Would be the world’s most populated country (passing china)
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, among top 10 most populous
countries
– Region has 23% of world’s population, lives on 3% of world’s land
• In 2000, India's population reach 1 billion
• Rapid growth means many citizens lack life’s basic
necessities
– Food, clothing, shelter
• South Asia must manage population growth so economies
can develop
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Slide 49
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Inadequate Resources
• Region has widespread poverty, illiteracy –inability to read or write
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– Poor sanitation, health education lead to disease outbreaks
• Every year, to keep pace, India would have to:
– Build 127,000 new schools and 2.5 million new homes
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– Create 4 million new jobs
– Produce 6 million more tons of food
Many claim India needs smaller Families
• 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 the poor, children are source of money (begging, working fields)
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– Children can later take care of elderly parents
– Have more kids to beat high infant mortality
Slide 50
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Education is a Key
• Growth factors can be changed with education,
but funds are limited
– India spends about $300 per pupil a year on
education
– U.S. spends $14,739 per pupil a year
• Education could break cycle of poverty, raise
living standards
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– Improve females’ status with job opportunities
– Better health care education could lower infant
mortality rates
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Slide 51
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Summer and Winter Systems
• Annual cycle of extreme weather makes life
difficult
• Monsoon is wind system, not a rainstorm;
two monsoon seasons
• Summer monsoon-blows moist from
southwest, across Indian Ocean
– Blows June through September, causes
rainstorms, flooding
• Winter monsoon-blows cool from
northeast, across Himalayas, to sea
– Blows October through February, can cause
drought
Slide 52
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Physical Impact
• Summer monsoons nourish rainforests,
irrigate crops
– Floodwaters bring rich sediment to soil, but
can also damage crops
• Cyclones are common with summer
monsoons
– Called hurricanes in North America
– Cause flooding, widespread destruction
– 1970 Bangladesh cyclone killed 300,000
• Winter monsoon droughts turn lush lands
into arid wastelands
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Slide 53
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Economic Impact
• Floods, droughts make agriculture difficult
– Countries buy what they can’t grow; famine looms
• Weather catastrophes also destroy homes,
families
– People often too poor to rebuild, government lack
funds to help
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• People build: houses on stilts, concrete
cyclone shelters, dams
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• Region gets international aid and billions of
dollars in loans
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– Aid can’t keep up with disasters, debt result
Slide 54
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Political Tension
• Weather conditions also cause political
disputes
• India builds Farakka dam across Ganges
before it enter Bangladesh
– India wants to bring water to city of Kolkata
– Dam leaves little water for Bangladesh
– Many of Bangladesh’s farmers lose land,
illegally flee to India
– Dispute is settled in 1997 with a treaty
specifying water rights
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