Regions of Asia

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Regions of Asia

• Asia is the largest continent in area and
  population.
• China and India alone make up over 1/3 the
  worlds population
• Southwest Asia Middle East
• Central Asia Stan Lands
• South Asia Subcontinent
• East Asia What most Americans think of when
  they think Asia
• Southeast Asia maritime countries (Indochina
  and islands)

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South Asia
India Pakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh Sri
Lanka Maldives
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Geography of South Asia

• Most of South Asia forms a peninsula. It is
  surrounded by the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and
  Arabian Sea, and cut off from the rest of Asia by
  mountains. South Asia is a Subcontinent a large
  landmass that is part of a continent, but still
  distinct from it.

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Land of Great Variety
Mountains

• Worlds tallest mountains The Himalaya 24 of
  them soar to above 25,000 feet including Mount
  Everest at 29,035 feet above sea level is the
  tallest in the world.
• The mountains limited contact with the rest of
  Asia. However, mountain passes- such as the
  Khyber Pass from Central Asia into South Asia
  allowed invaders and traders to enter the
  subcontinent.
• In southern India, two chains of eroded mountains
  Ghats the Vindhya Range -form a triangle that
  border the Deccan Plateau. The southern part of
  the Deccan Plateau is the Karnataka Plateau where
  wild elephants roam. The mountains can block the
  monsoon winds and make the area very arid.

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Khyber Pass
Mt. Everest
Deccan Plateau
Ghats
Himalayas
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Rivers

• The Indus River runs through Pakistan. Waters
  from the river waters orchards of apples and
  peaches. The river empties into the Arabian Sea
  and is known as the Cradle of Ancient India

• The Brahmaputra River runs east through the
  Himalayas then west where it joins the Ganges and
  empties into the Bay of Bengal at the Ganges
  River Delta. The Brahmaputra is a major inland
  waterway.

• The Ganges River runs east from the Himalaya and
  keeps it size even during the dry season.
  Monsoons can cause huge floods. Hindus consider
  the waters of the Ganges as sacred. On the
  Indo-Gangetic Plain (Ganges Plain), rice, sesame,
  sugar, jute, and beans are grown here. The
  worlds largest alluvial plain floodplain on
  which rivers have deposited rich soil. Most
  densely populated area in the world where 1/10 of
  the worlds people live.

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Indus River
Ganges River
Brahmaputra River
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• The Vindhya Range divides India into Northern
  India and Southern India. Each region has
  distinct cultures with different cuisine,
  architecture, and religious practices.
• The island of Sri Lanka is a teardrop shaped
  island off the south eastern tip of India.
• The Maldives are an archipelago (chain of
  islands) that cover 38,000 miles, but makes up
  only 115 total square miles of land. Most of the
  islands are atolls.

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MONSOONS
There are 3 seasons hot, cool, and wet. The
rains blow from the north and northeast to
produce cool, dry season, and from the south and
southwest to produce the rainy season. Monsoons
that blow over the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta hit
the Himalayas which block the wind and rain from
progressing north. As a result, the rains move
west to the Ganges Plain. Floods are a serious
problem. When the rainy seasons are
inconsistent, drought can set in. Without the
monsoons, most of South Asia would be desert.
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Winter Monsoon
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Winter winds blow from the north and
northeast across the continent and bring dry cool
air
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Summer Monsoon
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Summer winds blow from the south and
southwest across the Indian Ocean and Bay of
Bengal and bring warm wet air
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Human Characteristics
Population

• 1.3 billion people 1/5 of the world live in
  South Asia
• Population density is seven times the world
  average.
• The population of South Asia is expected to
  double by 2025

Language

• Hundreds of languages 19 major languages.
• Most in Northern India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan
  speak Indo-European languages.
• Hindi is spoken by half of Indias population.
• Urdu is the main language in Pakistan
• Bengali is the main language in Bangladesh
• The ancient Sanskrit classical Aryan languages
  is still used for religion.

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Religion

• India Most Indians are Hindu.
• Pakistan Most Pakistanis are Muslim
• Bangladesh Most Bangladeshis are Muslim. This
  country was once called East Pakistan
• Sri Lanka Buddhist Sinhalese are the majority,
  but Hindu Tamils have been fighting for
  independence since the early 1980s.
• Bhutan and Nepal most of the people are
  Buddhist.

Government

• India Worlds largest democracy. Socialist
  (central planning until recently)
• Pakistan democracy, but since 1971 military
  rule.
• Bangladesh democracy.
• Sri Lanka democracy, but Tamils claim
  discrimination and want independence.
• Bhutan and Nepal monarchies.

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India
India

• Country was created from the British Raj Hindu
  word for empire, for the Hindu majority and
  granted independence in 1947.
• Upon independence, tried to reduce outside
  influence and dependence. Recently has realized
  must compete globally and is moving to market
  economy.
• Largest part of the population are descendants of
  Aryans and Dravidians.
• Most Indians define themselves by religion and
  jati a social group that defines a familys
  occupation and social standing.
• Indians focus on light industry especially
  known for textiles (fabric) cotton, silk, and
  wool.
• COTTAGE INDUSTRY business that employs workers
  in homes, and small factories (less than 100
  people) are common.
• BOLLYWOOD nickname for the worlds largest film
  industry that produces about 800 full-length
  films a year. It is centered in Mumbai.

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PAKISTAN and BANGLADESH

• The countries were created out of the British
  Raj for the Muslim majority.
• East and West Pakistan were divided by India.
• In 1971, East Pakistan revolted against West
  Pakistan and established the country of
  Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka

• Granted independence from Britain in 1948.
• The Sinhalese Buddhists control the government
  and make up 80 of the population.
• Since 1980s the Hindu Tamil minority (20) have
  been fighting for independence.
• Between 1984-2009 over 100,000 Sri Lankans were
  killed or disappeared.
• Officially war ended in 2009 when Sinhalese
  government declared victory after wiping out most
  of the Tamil leadership.

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NEPAL and BHUTAN

• Remained independent of European control.
• Mountains have protected these countries from
  outside influence.
• Most people are descendants of a group from
  Mongolia.
• There are two ethnic groups in Bhutan Bhote and
  Tibetans.
• There are many ethnic groups in Nepal, but most
  famous is the Sherpas Tenzing Norgay was first
  to top of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary
  in 1953.

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Agriculture

• Most people of South Asia are rural. They live
  in villages and farm, life has changed little for
  hundreds of years. Farms are divided among
  children, so every generation the farms are
  smaller. Most farms are less than an acre.
• 60 are subsistence farmers.
• Farming is low-tech and labor intensive many
  people, human power.

More Agriculture

• Nepal Bhutan terrace farming uses up all
  available arable land.
• Pakistan fruit orchards in highland valleys.
• North India Bangladesh water above knees
  grow rice. Second (China 1)
• Sri Lanka huge tea, rubber, and coconut
  plantations set up by the British Dutch use
  high-tech methods. When colonists left, kept
  plantation system 75 of Sri Lanka is cash crops
  crops for sale or trade rather than food to
  feed people.
• Challenge is how to balance cash crops with needs
  of the people.
• Key cash crops are tea, cotton, spices and jute
  fiber for making string and cloth.
• Food crops major food crop of South Asia is
  rice. Wheat, millet, corn, and peanuts are also
  grown.

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• Education and government efforts have increased
  productivity.
• Since 1960s, crops have diversified and yield
  has increased, but irrigation and fertilizers are
  expensive.
• Carefully manages irrigation, fertilizers, and
  high yielding variety of crops.

GREEN REVOLUTION

• Animals Religions of the area promote respect
  for all living things. Some animals elephants,
  water buffalo, monkeys, crocodiles, Bengal
  tigers, blue sheep, and snow leopards have all
  been or are on the endangered species list. Many
  are in danger from deforestation and loss of
  habitat. Animal reserves have been set up, along
  with laws controlling hunting and logging, but
  poaching illegal hunting is still an issue.
• Lack of clean water is another serious issue.
  India (the most developed nation in the region)
  still has 80 of its people without access to
  sanitation.
• Deforestation has caused serious soil erosion
  problems, so reforestation efforts are widespread
  across South Asia.

OTHER ISSUES
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History of South Asia
Indus River Valley arose around 2500
BC. Writing, built cities (maybe the first) with
plumbing and sanitation, strong central
government, and had overseas trade The Aryans
about 1600 BC Vedas sacred writings about
religion and social structure. 4 groups of
people priests warriors (nobles), artisans,
farmers, and enslaved people developed into a
class system (caste system). Caste system
outlawed in 1947. Mauryan Empire 320-180
BC Invaded through Khyber Pass controlled all
but very southern tip of India. Buddhist and
non-violent. Gupta Empire around 320 AD Very
advanced. Science, technology and art flourished
under this Hindu civilization. This group
probably developed the numbers we use
today. Muslim forces conquered northern India
Mogul Empire. Many South Asians converted to
Islam.
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1500s Europeans arrived by sea. Trade was
established. Portugal first. 1700s Britain
becomes the major European power in South Asia.
Introduced English language, built railroads,
developed a civil service, and revised the school
system, abolished the Caste System.
Independence
Mohandas K. Gandhi inspired Indians to protest
British rule non-violently through boycott of
British goods and peaceful demonstrations. He
promoted local industry. He worked to end the
social system. He was known as Mahatma or Great
Soul British India gained independence in 1947,
but divided along religious lines. Areas with
majority Hindu India. Areas with majority
Muslim Pakistan. Split many families.
Hundreds of thousands of Hindus in Pakistan moved
to India and Muslims in India to Pakistan.
Violence erupted along the border.
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Kashmir Jammu The area of Kashmir is 65
administered by India and 35 by Pakistan. The
state is predominately Muslim Sikh. Both India
and Pakistan have nuclear weapons and tensions
are high between the two nations. The area is
also close to Afghanistans badlands where
al-Qaeda operatives train. US thought Osama bin
Laden was hiding there. Islamic fundamentalists
active in Afghanistan would like to spread their
influence into this area. India has cracked down
on the insurgency that may be backed by Pakistan
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TODAY
Both Pakistan and India have had nuclear weapons
since 1998. For 40 years after independence,
India was led by the Nehru family. Mohandas,
Indira and Rajiv Gandhi were all assassinated due
to ethnic unrest in India. Outsourcing moving
parts of a companys operation to another
location. When US says outsourcing we usually
refer to moving operations overseas. India and
Pakistan have benefited from English as a second
language. Many IT support jobs and telephone
call centers are located in South Asia. Textiles
and machine parts have also relocated. India is
a NIC Newly Industrialized Country main
economic activity is manufacturing. Main factor
cheaper labor. It is cheaper to ship raw
cotton from the USA to south and southeast Asia
to make jeans and ship them back than it is to
make them here. http//www.youtube.com/watch?vX2H
PSzz2IfA
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Pakistan Pakistan formed in 1947 when British
India split into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan.
Pakistan has been under military rule for most
of its history. December 2007, the opposition
leader, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was
assassinated. The 2008 elections brought an end
to military rule, but the military is struggling
to regain power. The new government has tried
to fight against Islamist militants who want
Sharia (Islamic law). The current president is
Bhuttos husband, Asif Ali Zardari. The move
toward democracy has been difficult, but Pakistan
has allowed US drone planes to fly into
Afghanistan and is helping fight against
al-Qaeda. On May 2, 2011 Osama Bin Laden was
killed by US Special Forces in Abbotabad,
Pakistan. The US has given of 20 billion in aid
in return for Pakistans role in the War on
Terror (since 2001). Relations are strained
between the countries. US feels Pakistan
probably knew of Bin Ladens hideout. NATO
bombed two Pakistan border posts killing 24
Pakistani soldiers. NATO claims they were
targeting Taliban forces.
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India Naxalite (Maoist Uprising) Large sections
of central and eastern India have been controlled
by Maoist communists. The government has called
them the single biggest internal security
challenge faced by our country. Many of the
poor support the Maoists for promises of land
rights and more job opportunities. The Maoists
are well trained and leaders are ex-military.
Over 6,000 people have died in the last 10 years.
The government has started a program to flush
out the Maoists, but the Maoists have retaliated
and violence is escalating.
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Balochistan
The Balochistan conflict is an ongoing conflict
between Baloch nationalists and the Governments
of Pakistan Iran over issues ranging from human
rights abuses, more autonomy, more royalties and
secession. Shortly after Pakistan's creation in
1947, the Pakistan Army invaded Balochistan which
did not want to become part of Pakistan. Under
British rule they had been autonomous. Both
Pakistan and Iran have crushed any attempts by
separatists. Balochistan is one of Pakistans
poorest regions although it has vast natural
resources. Many support the Taliban in
Afghanistan.
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Architecture

• Taj Mahal Agra, India. Built by a Muslim
  Emperor as a tomb for his beloved wife. Islamic
  style with Hindu influences
• Golden Temple Amritsar is the holy Sikh temple
• New Delhi western style government buildings
  and roads. Adjacent to historic Delhi where
  there are mosques, forts, and bazaars.