South Asia

A Crossroads of Culture

Vocabulary

• Indian Subcontinent- The land south of the Himalayas. 90 million years ago it was once part of Africa

• Substance farming- farming with little food left over to sell at market

• Green Revolution- an increase in food production cause by improved technology

• Outsourcing - sending tasks to be done by works outside of company

Landforms • Himalaya Mountains– Northern boundary of

South Asia – Formed by the collision of

the Indian subcontinent with the Asian Plate

– Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world is located in the Himalaya Mountain range

– The Mountains are still growing and this area is prone to Earthquakes

Landforms

• The Hindu Kush is located at the North West boundary of South Asia

• This range is smaller than the Himalayas

Two major Rivers flow the melting snow from the Himalayas Mountains

The Indus Flows to the west

The Ganges River flows to the east

Landforms

• When the Rivers flood they deposit rich soil that is used for farming. This forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

• The Thar Desert is located in the north west outside of the Hindu Kush

Landforms

• Most of India is located on the flat highland area called Deccan Plateau

• The Maldives are a chain of 1,190 island formed form coral

Region Climate

North West

Himalaya Mountains

North East

Main Land India

Climate

South Asia is effected by seasonal winds called monsoons • In the Winter the winds

come out of the North west bringing dry air

• In the Summer the winds come from the Indian ocean bringing rain from the months of June-September

Resources

• Many farms are small, they use substance farming. They grown enough for their family and sell only what they have left over

Resources

1960 and The Green Revolution• Farmers could grow more food and population

continued to increase • In some places Fertilizers were over used and

Farmers used large amounts of ground water – Poised the soil– Polluted the rivers – Dried up the wells

Resources

• This region also used hydro electric power• They can also mine for iron ore, bauxite,

copper, coal, and natural gas• Resources support manufacturing in India and

Pakistan

Population • This region has three of

the 10 most populated countries in the world– India, Pakistan, and

Bangladesh

• Over half the world’s poor live in this region

• It is hard to meet the needs of the people

• Most people live in rural areas, but more are moving into crowded cities for hope for a better life

Crossroads of Culture

• In ancient times many rich civilizations developed along the rivers.

• Invaders came in from other areas including from the Himalayas – They came through

mountain gorges such as the Khyber Pass

Crossroads of Culture

• Europeans, Arabs from the Middle East, and the Chinese merchants traveled through India on the silk road to trade goods.

• India also had many sea ports merchants used for transporting and trading goods. Monsoons winds help sailors trade easily with India

Crossroads of Culture

• Imagine what food would be like with out spices

• Europeans wanted spices like cinnamon and peppers

• Merchants also wanted to trade for Cotton and pearls

Culture • All the countries share

very similar history

• Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion started in South Asia – In Hinduism there are

many gods– The ancient story the

Ramayana is still popular today because of the dramatic story line

Culture

• Islam was brought to this region through trade and most people in Afghanistan and Pakistan are Muslim

• Buddhism also started in this region, but it is not popular

Through trade, more Buddhist are located in Southeast Asia

Culture

• People enjoy very spicy food

• They eat a lot of rice and vegetables. Sometimes they will eat meat.

• Hindus do not eat meat• Muslims do not eat pork

Culture

• Bollywood is the home of India’s film industry. One of the largest in the world

• The movies are full of music and dancing. Some tells stories from the Hindu religion

Population and Problems

• India has 1.2 Billion people and by year 2050 they are expected to over take China and become the most populated country in the world

• In Pakistan women have on average 4 children, and in Afghanistan women have 7 children on average

Population and Problems

• Due to the large populations they need to search for more resources – Farms cannot meet the need– Water that is used for farms reduces water that

can be used for drinking – 30% of the population of Blandish is

undernourished

Pollution

• Water– Chemicals and raw

sewage are mixed in the drinking

– The Ganges is used for washing , bathing, and drinking

Pollution

• Air – The Asian Brown Cloud is

caused by smoke from factories from people in India burning away the forest

– This is cause the glaciers to melt faster

– Reducing the moisture from the monsoon winds bring less rain

– Speeding up global warming

Social Issues

• India used to follow the Caste System – People were grouped into

social classes and could not interact with other social classes.

– In the 1930 Gandhi wanted India to move away from this system

– Today discrimination is banned by the government, but it still has not stopped

Social Issues

• Due to the high population there are not enough jobs

• The economies are growing but not fast enough

• 40% of the population is unemployed

Conflict Area Conflict

Afghanistan •The Taliban, a Islamic Fundamentalist group has threaten the government

•Women lost many rights

•In 2001 the US led a coalition and forced them out of power

India and Pakistan The area of India know as Kashmir is Muslim and have been fighting for their independence.

Pakistan has supported Kashmir

Both nations have nuclear weapons

India 2002 Violence erupted between Hindus and Muslims in a province in India and left 1,000 people dead

Government Countries Government

India Secular democracy - government not based on religion They elect members of a parliament The parliament then will chose a Prime Minister

Pakistan and Maldives Islamic republics – government based on religion Prime Minister must be a Muslim

Afghanistan After 2001 they now have a constitution and hold electionsThe government is still weak and US troops have helped to keep order

Economies Country Economies

Pakistan The economy is growing, but cannot keep up with the large population growth

Many citizens live in poverty

Bangladesh Is the poorest country is South Asia, but has a strong textile industryMicrocredit banks have been used to help pull people out of poverty

India Government has focused on trade and technology They have one the fastest growing economies Have built software parks and exporting their software world wideMany Counties are outsourcing job to India 1. They have many skilled workers 2. The workers are willing to work for a lower wage than US

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