Unit 8 South Asia

Physical Features

• This region is made up of 7 nations

• South Asia is a subcontinent called the Indian Subcontinent

• This subcontinent is split from the rest of Asia by the Himalayan Mts. to the North

Mountains

• The mountains of this region include the Himalayas, which is the highest mountain chain in the world

• The Himalayas include Mt. Everest which is the worlds highest mountain peak

• Other mountain chains that border the Indian Subcontinent include the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, the Vindhya, and the Ghats (E & W)

Plateaus

• The Deccan Plateau is the one major plateau area in this region

• This area in India lies between the E. and W. Ghats; this makes the area very dry because the mt. chains prevent moisture from crossing over to the plateau

Rivers and Plains

• There is one major plains area in this region; The Indo-Gangetic Plain

• It lies north of the Deccan Plateau• This plains area is formed by 3 rivers

(Indus, Ganges, and the Brahmaputra)• This plains area is an alluvial plain which

contains very rich soil for farming• This plains area contains 3/5 of the Indian

population and is home to the largest cities in the region

Islands

• There are 2 island nations located in this region

• These are Sri Lanka and the Maldives (an archipelago consisting of atoll islands)

• Atoll – an island which deteriorates and forms a coral reef around the former island

Resources

• The rich fertile soil of the Indo-Gangetic Plain

• Water for fishing and transportation

• Timber (which is causing deforestation)

• Coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium, mica, and gem stones

Population Information

• There are over 1 billion people in South Asia; 75% of these people live in India (1,129,866, 154)

• The population density is around 756 people per square mile

• The climate and vegetation within the region determines where people live

• The bulk of the population is located around the Indo-Gangetic Plain

• Most of the population has moved toward the cities for better jobs and wages (Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, New Delhi, and Dhaka are the largest cities)

Religion

• Islam is the primary religion in Pakistan and Bangladesh

• Two polytheistic religions were created in this region

• 1) Hinduism – based on the belief that everyone must live according to their moral duty (dharma) and are rewarded by the laws of karma

• Hindus believe that you are reincarnated until you overcome your earthly weaknesses

• 2) Buddhism – based on the belief that people suffer because of their attachment to material goods

• Buddhism is based on the 4 basic truths

• Buddhism shares reincarnation with Hinduism

Economic Characteristics

• The economies of South Asia vary depending on the region

• Most people are farmers• In India 2/3 of its people farm, and most of those people

are subsistence farmers• These farmers have low crop yields which limits the food

they have and the money they made• The farming in Pakistan revolves around cotton and rice• In Bangladesh rice and jute are primary crops• In Sri Lanka plantation farming is important to their

economy (tea & rubber)

• In the 1960’s India began the Green Revolution; this program was to develop better farming techniques, the use of better equipment, and the use of fertilizers to create high crop yields

• Industry in this region is developing

• The textile industry does well because of the growth of cotton in these nations

• The governments of some of these nations are giving loans to promote the growth of business

• The nations of Nepal and Bhutan have begun to harvest and sell timber

• This has led to some deforestation• Sri Lanka has a good gemstone industry• Fishing and water based industries are

vital to this region as well• In the Maldives fishing is the primary

industry• Tourism is also on the rise in this region

but this has led to some pollution in areas (Nepal and Mt. Everest)

Cultural Characteristics

• In 1757 the British took over trade in India, by 1857 they made India a British colony

• In the 1940’s Mohandas Gandhi began to lead a nonviolent resistance movement against the British to free India

• Once India gained independence the Muslim population established the nation of Pakistan (east and west)

• This division of India and Pakistan, known as the Partition, led to mass Muslim migrations from India to Pakistan

• In 1971 the nations of E and W Pakistan split to form Pakistan and Bangladesh

• In the western part of India and the eastern part of Pakistan is the disputed area of Kashmir

• Most of the people in Kashmir are Muslim, but the leadership in Kashmir wanted union in India

• Kashmir is a disputed area because both India and Pakistan claim the land is theirs

• In India most marriages are arranged, and marriage and family are important to Indian life

• There are 18 major languages in India with Hindi being the official language

• 80% of the people in India practice Hinduism

• The caste system has been an important part of Indian culture for a long time

• In the caste system you were believed to have been born into a particular class, or caste

• You were not able to advance out of that caste until you died and were reincarnated, if your life was a prosperous one you would advance to another caste

• This area of Asia has large areas of dense population • Overpopulation is a problem in S. Asia• The high population leads to poverty, the spread of

disease, and poor sanitation• The high population also strains the communication and

transportation services of these nations• The governments of these nations have tried to fix the

problems of overpopulation by improving their infrastructures (roads, sanitation, schools), educate their people, and encourage smaller families

• The nations of Nepal and Bhutan have been able to preserve their nations by limiting access to them

• These 2 nations are also isolated from the rest of S. Asia which kept them from being colonized

Things and Places of Interest

Taj Mahal, India

Hindu Temple

Ganges River

Ganges Delta

Mt. Everest