SOUTH ASIA

EconomyPeople & Environment

Sherpa Family in Nepal

Traditional BengaliMan & woman in Sari.

Pakistani Women

Indian Women

Indian Men

Sri Lankan Children

India1. The two largest ethnic groups in India are descendants of what two groups?2. Aside from ethnicity, what else forms the identities of Indians?3. What are three principle cities in India?4. Where is the thriving Indian film industry located? What is its nickname?5. Why do so many Indian people live on the Gangetic Plain?6. What Indian cultural traits trace back to the Aryans that invaded India from the

Caspian Sea area around 4000 years ago?7. How did the Aryans get through the Sulaiman Range to invade India?8. What major world religions originated in India?9. What Muslim empire ruled India until the 1800s?10. What European nation added India to its empire after the Muslims lost power?11. When did India win its independence?12. Who was the prominent Indian independence leader?13. What are some health problems India faces?14. What is the dominant religion of India?15. What minority religions are practiced in India?16. How many languages are spoken in India?17. What is Sikhism?

Pakistan & Bangladesh

1. What are the 5 main ethnic groups of Pakistan?2. What ethnic group is dominant in Bangladesh?3. What religion are most people in Pakistan & Bangladesh?4. What 2 major ancient civilizations were found in Pakistan?

Where were they located?5. Why did Bangladesh want its independence from Pakistan?6. Why do you think Urdu is the official language of Pakistan, if the

majority of the population actually speaks Punjabi?7. Over what region do India and Pakistan fight?8. What type of weapon(s) do both Pakistan and India have?

1. Bangladesh Pakistan

Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, & Maldives1. Of the 4 countries, which is the most ethnically diverse? Least?2. What do Bhutan and Nepal have in common?3. The people of Maldives are a mix of what ethnic groups? 4. What ethnic groups make up the population of Sri Lanka? How could

their relations with each other be characterized?5. In which Himalayan country can one find important Tibetan

monasteries and monastic schools?6. Which South Asian nation was never colonized?7. What religion(s) are practiced in these countries?

Tamil section of Sri Lanka

Traditional NepaleseMen

Economic Activities1. What is farming like in most of South Asia?2. How is farming different in Sri Lanka, and why?3. What cash crops are grown in South Asia?4. Why is it important that farmers not concentrate solely on cash crops?5. What was the “green revolution”? What are some benefits &

drawback of this “revolution”?6. Where are mining and fishing important industries?7. What kind of industries does India participate in?8. What is “ship breaking” and where is it practiced?9. Where is service industry important?10. Why is the technology industry flocking to India?11. Where is tourism an important economic factor?

Transportation & Communication

1. Which nation has the least developed transportation network & why?

2. Which has the most developed transportation network?3. What are rickshas and where are they used?4. Which two South Asian nations are land-locked?5. What means of communication are available to most

South Asians? In what two countries is communication heavily restricted by the government?

Trade & Interdependence

1. Why has it been so difficult to foster trade agreements among the nations of South Asia?

2. What is SAFTA and what does it establish?3. What other areas is India attempting to expand

trade with?4. How is Nepal seeking to reduce its dependence on

India?

People & Their Environment

1. What is sustainable development and why is it so important to South Asia?

2. What three environmental problems is South Asia facing?

3. What solutions do YOU think could help solve or alleviate these problems? (Come up with at least one reasonable solution for each problem.)

Future Challenges

You must be in slideshow mode to click on the links for these conflicts.1. Why is Kashmir such a problem?2. What conflict divides Sri Lanka?3. What is happening in Nepal?4. What is happening in Pakistan?5. What political and social conflicts remain in

India?