SOUTH ASIA
Chapters 23 Physical Geography
AKS # 30-52
The Indian Subcontinent - what countries?
Land - Mountains & Plateaus dominate this region
- Himalayas dominate --- Mt. Everest 29,028'
- Hindu Kush / Karakoram Mtn. --- barriers
- Ghats - eroded mtns. / Deccan Plateau
- Plains between the Mtns. & Plateau ... high population!
Rivers - Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra
- The world's largest alluvial plain is created here
Population: World - 6.5 billion
Asia - 3.6 billion (<30% land)
China - 1.25 billion
India - 975 million
Population Distribution is very uneven - why?
Population Density is very high - why?
Urban Pop 34% Rural Pop 66%
Occupation: More than 2/3 are subsistence farmers
Climate - Monsoon p.482
Cyclones p.484
SOUTH ASIA
Chapters 24 Cultural Geography
AKS # 30-52
Human Characteristics of South Asia
India
People divided into six major religions - Hindu #1
Hundreds of languages
Hundreds of jati (social groups that define one's occupation & social standing)
Pakistan & Bangladesh
Most are Muslims
Sri Lanka
conflict between two main groups:
Sinhalese / Buddhists majority who control gov't
Tamils / Hindus pressuring the gov't for an independent state
Bhutan & Nepal
originally from Mongolia
Population Density & Distribution
More than 1 billion people live here
India is the largest
>750 / sq. mile
population will double in less than 40 years --
very densely populated in certain areas / Indo-Gangetic Plain
Bangladesh is the most densely populated - 2,300 people / sq.mile
(not enough food to feed all its people)
Calcutta is India's largest city - people have migrated to the cities for jobs & $$$ - page 494
Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Dhaka, Islamabad biggest cities
Early History & Government
Civilization began around the Indus river around 2500 B.C.
Aryans come into this region and left their ideas in Vedas:
1. four books about Aryan religious beliefs
2. divided Aryan society into 3 classes
a. nobles
b. priests
c. ordinary people
3. eventually developed the caste system
RELIGIONS
HINDUISM - page 497
Polytheistic / many gods & goddesses
Believe that every person must live according to their own dharma - moral duty
Good deeds rewarded, bad deeds punished
Reincarnation
Sees all of the world religions as different paths towards the same goal
BUDDHISM - page 497
established by Siddhartha Gautama - born 563bc in Nepal -
Buddha / "The Enlightened One" (the awakened one)
accepted some Hindu beliefs / rejected some Hindu beliefs
by following Buddha's guidelines, people could enter a state great insight, calm, & happiness called nirvana
ISLAM
Main religion in Pakistan & Bangladesh
In India, Muslims are the largest minority (100 million)
SIKHISM & JAINISM
page 502
Modern South Asia
Independence for India - Mohandas Gandhi
Gandhi Timeline
1920:
-Mohandas Gandhi leads the fight for independence
-Mahatma= "Great Soul"
-Reformed old Indian National Congress
1922:
-INC splits into Hindu and Muslim factions while Gandhi is
put in jail
Gandhi and the British:
-Against new constitution that would discriminate against "untouchables"
-British realize that Gandhi must not die
1930: "Salt Satyagraha":
-"firmness in truth," civil disobedience
-60,000 jailed
Hindu vs. Muslim:
-1/4 of Indians are Muslims
-Mohammed Ali Jinnah
-Formation of Pakistan
Indian Independence:
-Helped Britain during WWII
-Democratic republic
-Jawaharlal Nehru- first prime minister
*Gandhi is assassinated in Jan. 1948
Pakistan / Bangladesh: page 499
-Muslim
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
Buddhist vs Hindus
(maj.) (terrorist)
Languages - page 501
- 14 major languages in India
- official language of India is Hindi
- hundreds of other languages and dialects
- English was the official language until 1965
(Still spoken by educated Indians)
- Urdu is the official language of Pakistan
Government Today - page 499
- democracies & monarchies
Lifestyles Today - page 405
- urban vs rural lifestyles
- disease / life expectancy / education
SOUTH ASIA
Chapters 25 - South Asia Today
AKS # 30-52
Use Your Outline
