Transcript South Asia

http://www.vbmap.org/asia-maps-7/south-asia-political-map-91/
Chapter 24: Physical Geography of South Asia:
The Land Where Continents Collided
• South Asia’s major landforms, including the massive
Himalayan Mountains, were created when the
subcontinent broke off from Africa and drifted into
Asia.
– Section 1: Landforms and Resources
– Section 2: Climate and Vegetation
– Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
• Section 1: Landforms and Resources
• South Asia is a subcontinent of peninsulas bordered by
mountains and oceans.
• A wide variety of natural resources helps sustain life in
the region.
2
Mountains and Plateaus
The Indian Subcontinent
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the
Maldives
• Subcontinent—large landmass
that’s smaller than a continent
– called Indian Subcontinent
because India dominates the
region
• Though half the size of U.S., area
has 1/5 of world’s people
• Natural barriers separate
subcontinent from rest of Asia
– mountains form northern border,
Indian Ocean surrounds rest
– Arabian Sea to west, Bay of Bengal
to east
World Population
Indian
SubContinent
Rest of
the World
3
Northern Mountains
• 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
•
Himalaya Mountains—1,500 mile-long
system of parallel ranges
– include world’s tallest mountain—Mt.
Everest
– form barrier between Indian subcontinent
and China
kingdoms of Nepal, Bhutan are also in
these mountainsNorthern
Mountains
• At west end, Hindu Kush mountains
separate Pakistan, Afghanistan
– historically blocked invasions from Central
Asian tribes
– Khyber Pass is one of the major land
routes through the mountains
•
Karakoram Mountains are in
northeastern part of Himalayas
– include world’s second highest peak, K2
4
Southern Plateaus
• Tectonic plate collision also created smaller
mountain ranges
– Vindhya Rang in central India
• Deccan Plateau covers much of southern India
• Western, Eastern Ghats: mountain ranges
flank Deccan Plateau
– block moist winds and rain, making Deccan mostly
arid
5
Rivers, Deltas, and Plains
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 Bramaputra meet, form
delta, flow into Bay of Bengal
6
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; Dakha in
Bangladesh
• Plain is drier to west between
Indus, Ganges
• The Thar, or Great Indian Desert,
lies to the south
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Offshore Islands
Sri Lanka: The Subcontinent’s “Tear Drop”
• Island in Indian Ocean, off India’s southeastern tip
• Large, tear-shaped country with lush tropical land
• Range of high, rugged, 8,000-foot mountains dominate
center
• Many small rivers flow from mountains down to lowlands
• Northern side has low hills, rolling farmland
• Island is circled by coastal plain, long palm-fringed beaches
8
http://www.travel-visit-places.com/en/maldives/
The Maldives Archipelago
• Maldives is archipelago—
island group—of 1,200 small
islands
– stretch north to south for 500
miles off Indian coast, near
equator
• Islands are atolls—low-lying
tops of submerged
volcanoes
– surrounded by coral reefs,
shallow lagoons
• Total land area of Maldives
is 115 square miles
– only 200 islands are inhabited
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Natural Resources
Water and Soil
• Water and soil resources provide food through
farming, fishing
• River systems help enrich land with alluvial soil,
water
– large- and small-scale irrigation projects divert water
to farmlands
• Types of fish include mackerel, sardines, carp,
catfish
• Waters provide transportation, power
– India, Pakistan work to harness hydroelectric power
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Forests
• Indian rain forests produce
hardwoods like sal and teak
– also bamboo and fragrant
sandalwood
• Bhutan’s and Nepal’s highland
forests have pine, fir,
softwoods
• Deforestation is a severe
problem
– causes soil erosion, flooding,
landslides, loss of wildlife
habitats
– overcutting has devastated
forests in India, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka
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Minerals
• India is fourth in world in coal production, has
petroleum, uranium
• Pakistan, Bangladesh have natural gas resources
• Iron ore from India’s Deccan Plateau used in steel
industry, exported
• Other minerals: manganese, gypsum, chromium,
bauxite, copper
• India has mica for electrical equipment and
growing computer industry
• India is known for diamonds; Sri Lanka for
sapphires, rubies
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Section 2: Climate and Vegetation
•Climate conditions in South Asia range from frigid cold in the
high mountains to intense heat in the deserts.
•Seasonal winds affect both the climate and vegetation of South
Asia.
Climate—Wet and Dry, Hot and Cold
Climate Zones
• Cold highland zone in Himalayas, other northern mountains
• Humid subtropical in foothills (Nepal, Bhutan), Indo-Gangetic Plain
• Semiarid zone of west Plain, Deccan Plateau is warm with light rain
• 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 India, Bangladesh
– Cherrapunji, India, holds rainfall record—366 inches in one month
13
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 storm with fierce
winds, heavy rain
– in Bangladesh low coastal region
swamped by high waves
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Vegetation: Desert to Rain Forest
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
• Less vegetation in semiarid areas;
desert shrubs, grasses
– Deccan Plateau, Thar Desert
• Sri Lanka’s tropical wet and dry
climate produces grasses, trees
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Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Rivers play a central role in the lives of South Asians, but water pollution and
flooding pose great challenges to South Asian countries.
Living Along the Ganges
Mother Ganges
• Ganges is the 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 350 million
people
• Provides drinking and farming water, transportation
• Known as Gangamai—“Mother Ganges”
– becomes the Padma where it meets the Brahmaputra
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A Sacred River
• Hinduism is the religion of most Indians
• To Hindus, the Ganges River is the sacred
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
– float baskets of flowers, burning candles on water
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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
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http://in.reuters.com/article/2007/09/16/idINIndia-29492620070916
Controlling the Feni River
A River Overflows
• Feni River flows from Chittagong Hills to Bay of Bengal
• Wide, slow-moving river flows through low-lying
coastal plain
– flat, marshy area floods during wet season due to
monsoon rains
• Cyclones bring storm 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
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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 closure, 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
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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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Chapter 25: Human Geography of South Asia: A
Region of Contrasts
• Both South Asia’s rich and ancient history, and
its religious and ethnic diversity, have strongly
shaped and defined its people’s lives.
– Section 1: India
– Section 2: Pakistan and Bangladesh
– Section 3: Nepal and Bhutan
– Section 4: Sri Lanka and the Maldives
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Section 1: India
• India is the largest country in South Asia and
has the most developed economy.
• Indian culture is deeply influenced by religion.
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Invasions, Empires, and Independence
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, Greeks 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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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—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
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Governing the World’s Largest Democracy
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 system, like U.K.
• India is mostly Hindu, but with large Muslim, Sikh, Tamil
minorities
– Sikhs kill Gandhi’s daughter, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 1984
– Tamils assassinate her son, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 1991
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Economic Challenges
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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Growing Industry
• Cotton textiles have long been a major product
– iron, steel, chemical, food industries develop after 1940s
• Main industrial regions include:
– Kolkata (Calcutta), Ahmadabad, Chennai (Madras), Delhi
• Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s most prosperous city
– a commercial center which produces metals, chemicals,
electronics
• Bangalore is the high-tech center, home to software
companies
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Life in Modern India
Education
• Indian economy is changing; more
people work in factories, offices
• Education is key to change, most
middle-class kids go to school
• Literacy has risen steadily since the
1950s
• In slums and rural areas, school
attendance, literacy still low
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Indian Culture
Many Languages
• Constitution recognizes 18 major languages
– India has over 1,000 languages and dialects
– Hindi is the official language, but English is widely
used by government, business workers
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Hinduism
• 80% of Indians are Hindu; complex
Aryan religion includes many gods
– 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
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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
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Section 2: Pakistan and Bangladesh
• Pakistan and Bangladesh are Muslim countries
formed as a result of the partition of British
India.
• Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have large
populations and face great economic
challenges.
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New Countries, Ancient Lands
Early History
• Indus Valley civilization—largest of early
civilizations
– arises around 2500 B.C. in what is now Pakistan
• Civilization falls around 1500 B.C.; Aryans
invade soon after
• Mauryan, Gupta, Mughal empires all rule
entire region
• Area is then ruled by British Empire until 1947
34
Partition and War
• 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
35
Struggling Economies
Subsistence Farming
• Rapidly growing populations, low per capita income in
both countries
• Small plots farmed with old methods struggle to feed
families
• Climate hurts yields: arid Pakistan, 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
36
Small Industry
• Neither country is highly
industrialized
– small factories lack capital,
resources, markets to expand
• 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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One Religion, Many Peoples
Islamic Culture
• Customs include daily prayer
– Ramadan—month of fasting from sunrise to
sunset
• 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
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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 Sanskit, ancient IndoAryan language
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Section 3: Nepal and Bhutan
• Nepal and Bhutan are landlocked Himalayan
kingdoms.
• Rugged terrain and an isolated location have
had a great impact on life in Nepal and
Bhutan.
40
Mountain Kingdoms
Geographic 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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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
constitution
– Bhutan’s king is supreme ruler, Nepal’s shares
power with parliament
42
Developing Economies
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
• Timber industry is important, but has led to
deforestation
43
Developing Economies
Increasing Tourism
• Tourism is fastest-growing industry in Nepal
– people visit capital at Kathmandu, climb Himalayas
– hotels, restaurants, services grow but tourism also
hurts Nepal’s environment; trash left on mountains
• • Bhutan regulates, limits tourism, keeps some
areas off-limits
44
Rich Cultural Traditions
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 Sherpas
– high-Himalayan people; traditional
mountain guides of Everest area
• Bhutan’s main ethnic group is the
Bhote, who trace origins to Tibet
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Religious Customs
• Siddhartha Gutama, the
Buddha, born in 500s B.C.
• Nepalese were Buddhist;
today most are Hindu
• Tibetan-style Buddhism is
official religion of Bhutan
– uses mandalas—symbolic
geometric designs for
meditation
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Section 4: Sri Lanka and the Maldives
• Sri Lanka and the Maldives are island
countries with strong connections to the
South Asian subcontinent.
• Sri Lanka and the Maldives face difficult
challenges that affect their political and
economic development.
47
History of the Islands
Settlement of Sri Lanka
• In 500s B.C. Indians cross strait to Sri Lanka,
become Sinhalese
• In A.D. 300s, Tamils—Indian Dravidian
Hindus—settle in north end
• Portuguese, Dutch come in 1500s; British rule
in 1796, call it Ceylon
– island gains independence in 1948, becomes Sri
Lanka in 1972
48
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
• Governed by six dynasties of Muslim sultans—rulers
• Declares itself a republic in 1968, headed by elected
president
• 1,200 islands; a land area of 115 square miles;
population 300,000
– one of the world’s smallest independent country
49
Life in the Islands
Cultural Life in Sri Lanka
• Buddhist, Hindu temples, Muslim mosques
dot landscape
– art, literature strongly influenced by religions
Cultural Life in the Maldives
• Culture is strongly influenced by Muslim
customs
– Islam is state religion—no others allowed
50
Economic Activity in the Islands
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, food is imported
– fishing for tuna, marlin, shark still provides 1/4 of jobs
– main economy is now tourism centered on beaches,
reefs
51
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
– if polar icecaps melt at all, islands could flood
completely
52
Chapter 26: 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.
– Section 1: Population Explosion
– Section 2: Living with Extreme Weather
– Case Study: Territorial Dispute
53
Section 1: Population Explosion
• Explosive 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.
54
Growing Pains
Rapid growth
• In 2000, India’s population reached 1 billion
• Rapid growth means many citizens lack life’s basic necessities
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, India will have 1.5 billion by 2045
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh among top 10 most populous
countries
– region has 22% of world’s population, lives on 3% of
world’s land
55
Inadequate Resources
• Region has widespread
poverty, illiteracy—
inability to read or write
– 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
– create 4 million new jobs
and produce 6 million
more tons of food
56
Managing Population Growth
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 poor, children are source of money (begging,
working fields), and can later take care of elderly
parents
57
Education is a Key
• Growth factors can be
changed with education,
but funds are limited
– India spends under $6 per
pupil a year on education
while the U.S. spends $6,320
per pupil a year
• Education could break cycle
of poverty, raise living
standards
– improves females’ status
with job opportunities
– better health care education
could lower infant mortality
rates
58
Section 2: Living with Extreme Weather
• South Asia experiences a yearly cycle of
floods, often followed by drought.
• The extreme weather in South Asia leads to
serious physical, economic, and political
consequences.
59
The Monsoon Seasons
Summer and Winter Wind 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
60
Impact of the Monsoons
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
• Winter monsoon droughts turn lush lands into
arid wastelands
61
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, governments
lack funds to help
• People build: houses on stilts, concrete
cyclone shelters, dams
62
Case Study
Territorial Dispute: How
Can India and Pakistan
Resolve Their Dispute Over
Kashmir?
• Kashmir territory is a
territory of 12 million
people surrounded by
Pakistan, China, India
• India and Pakistan have
fought three wars over
Kashmir since 1947
• Danger increases now
that both countries have
nuclear weapons
63
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/kashmir.htm
A Controversy Over Territory
Partitioning
• British left India in 1947 and 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
64
Politics and Religion
• Kashmir’s problem: population is Muslim, but its leader
was Hindu
• Maharajah of Kashmir wants an independent nation
– but is 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 Kashmir in
1965, 1971
– dispute remains unresolved; each country still controls
part
– China has had a small portion since 1962
65
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
66
Bibliography
• Mcdougal Littell, World Geography. Houghton
Mifflin Company. 2012
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