Transcript Slide 1

Introduction to South Asia
Cy-Woods High School
Where is South Asia?
Right there.
Countries of South Asia
6. Bhutan
1. Pakistan
7. Nepal
2. India
5. Bangladesh
3. Maldives
Islands
4. Sri Lanka
While South Asia is bordered by bodies of water in
the east, west, and south, what are the borders to
the north?
1. Afghanistan
2. China
3. Myanmar (Burma)
Physical Geography
• South Asia is a subcontinent
– A large landmass
forming a distinct part
of a continent.
Physical Geography
The region is a land of
extremes, from the
tallest mountains in
the world to some of
the driest deserts to
areas inundated by
the monsoon rains.
Physical Geography
• With headwaters in the
Himalayan Mountains,
three of the world’s great
rivers flow through this
region.
• Indus (Pakistan)
• Brahmaputra (Bangladesh)
• Ganges (India)
Physical Geography
• Himalayan Mountains
– Mt. Everest: tallest
mountain in the world
(29,000+ ft.)
• That’s almost 5.5 miles!
– Himalayas separate South
Asia from the rest of the
continent.
• The Himalayas are a
result of tectonic activity.
– India “crashed” into Asia,
creating the crumpled
mountains.
~203 people have died climbing Everest.
Physical Geography
• Monsoons
– Seasonal winds
– Crucial for life on the
subcontinent.
• Beneficial and
disastrously
unpredictable.
History
• Most of South Asia
was formerly known
as “British India”.
– Today it is made
up of ….
History
• In 1947, India
became independent
from Britain.
• What other country
received
independence in this
year?
History
• Mohandas Gandhi
– Led an independence
movement in India.
– Encouraged “nonviolent resistance”
which greatly
influenced what
American?
Gandhi
• “Man can never be a woman's equal in the
spirit of selfless service with which nature has
endowed her.”
• “Action expresses priorities.”
• “An eye for an eye only
ends up making the whole
world blind.”
History
• Why did British India
divide like it is today?
Religious conflict
between Hindus and
Muslims dictated that
“British India” be divided
into predominantly Hindu
(India), *Muslim
(Pakistan) and *Muslim
(Bangladesh).
Religion
• Four of the world’s
major religions are
practiced in this
region.
Hinduism
Islam
• There has been
conflict between
Hindus and Muslims
and between Hindus
and Sikhs.
Buddhism
Sikhism
Population
• South and East Asia
account for over 50%
of the world’s
population.
• 3 billion+ people.
Population
• India has 3x as many
people as the United
States and is 3x
smaller.
• Do you think they
have exceeded their
carrying capacity?
Population
- India alone
accounts for nearly
20% of the world’s
population.
- 1+ billion
people
- It is estimated that
within 50 years India will
pass China as the world’s
most populous country.
Population
India
What can you tell about
the future of these
countries by their
population pyramids?
Pakistan
Bangladesh
World Clock
Population
• Despite the large
number of people,
India has still not
exceeded it’s carrying
capacity.
– They are not
overpopulated.
– They can feed their
people.
Population
• Most of the villages
have been left behind
when compared to
modern cities like
Mumbai (Bombay),
Bangalore, and
Madras.
Population
• India has not
exceeded its carrying
capacity because of
the Green Revolution.
– A breakthrough in
agricultural technology
that allows India to
produce enough food
for its population.
The Green Revolution
• The Green Revolution
allowed farmers to use
genetic engineering to
produce more crops
quicker.
• The main researcher
behind the Green
Revolution was Norman
Borlaug of Texas A&M
(whoop!)
Government and Economies
• India is the world’s
largest democracy.
• They practice
“universal suffrage”.
Government and Economies
• They speak many different languages in South
Asia, but the “lingua franca” is English.
• Why?
Government and Economies
The economy of India today is growing rapidly.
*Note the gross domestic product and compare
with the USA.
Government and Economies
• Tata Nano car,
released last year in
India.
• It costs ~$2000.
Government and Economies
While much of the economy of
India is growing, there are still
hundreds of millions who are mired
in poverty.
Government and Economies
• Outsourcing!
• Many technical jobs, such
as call centers, have
moved to India.
– How is time an important
factor here?
• Many qualified, educated
Indians will work for much
less than Americans.
Government and Economies
• India produces more
films than any other
country.
• “Bollywood”
(Mumbai/Bombay) is
the capital of their film
industry.
Government and Economies
• Pakistan
• Has fallen behind India
economically because of
unstable government and
religious fundamentalism.
• There is a history of
conflict between India
and Pakistan.
Government and Economies
• Education is available
in Pakistan, though
many attend
“madrasas” (religious
schools).
Government and Economies
• While Bangladesh is
a country of contrasts,
it is still a heavily
agrarian society that
lives on the whim of
cyclones and
monsoons.
Government and Economies
• Bangladesh is one of
the most densely
populated countries in
the world.
Government and Economies
• Sri Lanka (the “tear drop
of South Asia”) is one of
the largest growers of tea
in the world.
• Like most of South Asia,
Sri Lanka is a blend of
the old and the new.
• A civil war has plagued
this region for many
years. (Tamil Tigers)
Bike military unit.
Sri Lanka
• In recent floods,
325,000 displaced.
• 50,000 still in refugee
camps
Maldives
• 80% of it’s islands are
only 1m above
sealevel.
Maldives
Government and Economies
• South Asia has many roots in British culture.
• Games such as cricket transcend conflicts that
have broken out in the past.
Rinku Singh and Dinesh Kumar Patel