World Regional Geography

Spring 2005

Chapter 7: Southern Asia

South Asia

Look at and know Table 7.2 on page 270-271

Past and Present

Indian Subcontinent: 1.4 billion population (rise to 2 billion by 2025)

Issues: Resources use and conservation, nuclear (India, Pakistan and China) and border conflicts

Expansion (mostly India): Movie/music industry, space program, computers/high-tech/software development, outsourcing to US. Pakistan is new partner with US in an terroism campaign.

Growing Indian Confidence on the World Stage (like China)

Issues of role of woman and infanticide yet, woman in high political positions. 1995, Prime Ministers of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were woman (Indiri Gandhi assassinated in India in 1984)

Southern Asia is characterized by increasing population on a decreasing arable land base, boundary and ethnic conflicts in Kashmir and Sri Lanka, and the inclusion of India into the global community's most exclusive club as possessor of nuclear weapons. The region is home to two of the world's great religions, Hindu and Buddhism. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are geopolitically unusual in that their national boundaries were created by the British in 1947 on the basis of religious criteria. South Asian geographic areas predominately populated by Hindus were allocated to India at partition. Those areas populated mostly by Moslems were allocated to either Pakistan or modern Bangladesh (called East Pakistan at partition). Moslem Kashmir occupied early on by India, remains an arena of conflict and contention. By the beginning of the first decade of the twenty-first century, Southern Asia will be the World's most populated region.

Diverse Cultures

Precolonial Cultures-

Dravidian culture: (Indus Valley, 3,000 BC) Dark-skinned- driven south by invasions

Hinduism- replaced much of Dravidian culture. Known as the “religion of the people.” Ethnic Religion- not an organized religion with a single “sacred text” but a series of “Great Traditions” Most ancient religion in Asia. Vedas (Hindu sacred texts) from 1,800 BC. “Little traditions” are local gods, practices and beliefs.

Brahman- Supreme Consciousness with aspects as 3 deities- Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver) and Siva (Destroyer)

Hinduism believes in reincarnation and the role of Karma (sum of your past behavior)

Caste Order- an ethnic or class division of social groupings (priests, warriors, merchants and artisans.) Non-Aryans are of the lowest order (outside of this grouping) and are known as Shudras (outcasts.)

Buddhism- founded in the Ganges River valley (500 BC) Buddha questioned the caste system which developed into the Dharma policy (code of social responsibility, human dignity and socioreligous harmony.) Brahmin Hinduism fought against this a resulted in the expulsion of Buddhists from India.

Jainism (500 BC)- religion based upon non-violence and doing no harm to living creatures. Small population in India, but numbers are 3.25 million

Sikhism- based upon the teachings of Guru Nanak (1469-1539) Attempted reconciliation of Hinduism and Islam. Sikh’s holy temple is in Amritsar, Punjab. Hindu violence (Government troops) in this temple resulted in the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Islam- Invaded India in 1100. During the 1500s the Mughal Dynasty incorporated Muslim beliefs into Indian culture. Time of great architectural development- Taj Mahal. Coastal islands (Maldives) are all Muslim.

Sri Lanka- majority are Buddhist Singhalese people with a Tamil (Dravidian) people in the north. Hindu Tamil in Buddhist Sri Lanka continue to carry on ages-old conflicts.

Indian Sub-continent is home to two of the world's great religions, Hindu and Buddhism. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are geopolitically unusual in that their national boundaries were created by the British in 1947 on the basis of religious criteria. South Asian geographic areas predominately populated by Hindus were allocated to India at partition. Those areas populated mostly by Moslems were allocated to either Pakistan or modern Bangladesh (called East Pakistan at partition). Moslem Kashmir occupied early on by India, remains an arena of conflict and contention.

Colonial Impacts- British East India Company was a trading company that opened India to the British Empire. In 1857, after the mutiny of Indian Sepoy troops, Britain established the British Indian Empire, the British Raj. Britain ruled India for almost 300 years. Plantation agriculture was established in many areas, especially Sri Lanka (tea, rubber, spices.)

IMPORTANT: British policy had a major impact upon geography. Resource development (what crops could be planted or resources extracted,) establishment of ports and cities and how cities/towns were developed and built all focused upon supporting the British Empire. India is the best example of the effects of colonialization upon a country. Emphasis on export agriculture often led to famine as Indians did not produce enough food crops for local consumption.

You need to understand how Britain influenced the development of India (in terms of culture, language, national development and economics.)

Paths to Independence

Afghanistan- created by British in 1800s as a buffer against Russian expansion. Monarchy until 1970s when Soviets invaded (US supported opposition- training Bin Laden and many Taliban members. Taliban takes over in 1996 and was defeated by US military in 2002.

Letter from Bin Laden:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/worldview/story/0,11581,845725,00.html

The Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban:

http://www.photogrammetry.ethz.ch/research/bamiyan/

The Taliban in Afghanistan- the rules they imposed:

http://www.rawa.org/rules.htm

A British (BBC Report) Woman’s Report in Taliban Afghanistan:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1410061.stm

The Pakistan frontier: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/09/kaplan.htm !!!!!!!!!!!

This is a 3-part Atlantic Monthly Article. It discusses issues concerning the Afghan/Pakistani border. – Not able to get to it if you do not subscribe to the Atlantic Monthly (Sorry!!)

India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

§ Indian National Congress vs the Muslim League (Becomes India and East/West Pakistan)

§ Indian Army fought with British in WWI

§ Ghandi was main leader for independence (was a political activist/lawyer in British South Africa)

§ At independence split between Pakistan (East- becomes Bangladesh and West) and India

Natural Environment

§ High mountains and broad plains

§ Summer rains and winter drought (monsoon)

§ Southern Asia monsoon: Summer is wet and winter is dry.

§ Monsoon rain is so important to the region that many aspects of Hindu worship revolve around the issue of water.

§ Hot dry and hot wet

§ Assam hills: over 400 inches of rain per year.

§ High mountains and heavy precipitation produce most rapid physical landscape modifications in world

§ Main choke point: Kyber pass.

§ Passes are still a major point of contention between India and Pakistan

§ Ganges river very important and religious landmark

§ Some of world's largest coal reserves- also iron ore and uranium

§ Khyber Pass in Hindu Kush

§ Over 75% of Southern Asia's population live on small farms or in rural villages.

§ Massive investments in water impoundments and irrigation systems have allowed India to become a net food exporter.

§ The Indo-Gangetic plain of Pakistan and India is the world's single most populated riverine system: Ganges River System

§ Most critical resource is water

Major land forms (Physical): Himalayas, Indian (Deccan) Plateau and River basins. The river valleys of the Indus, Ganges, Bramahputra and Bengal are home to Southern Asia's largest cities and most productive agricultural land.

Himalayas dominate weather systems- winter high pressure keeps rain off the interior. Formed when the Indian subcontinent slammed into Asia.

Mount Everest is world’s highest peak (29,028) with over 50 above 25,000 feet.

Major River Basins- Indus, Ganges (great religious significance) and Brahmaputra.

Natural Resources

§ Iron ore deposits of northeast India are large enough to support one of the world's biggest metallurgical centers at Jamshedpur, India.

§ Bhopal, India, (1984) 3,000 people died 50,000 injured in pesticide generated gas leak.

§ Golden Corridor- Gujarat state has massive industrial pollution

A Global Role

High population density in the region expect where climates limit (Pakistan deserts and mountains)

The Republic of India (1947)

• 25 states and 7 territories- Stat boundaries are consistent with language areas.
• Illiteracy (over 1/2 in India)
• 2/3 children are undernourished
• less then 2% have incomes over $2,500
• Nehru is first Prime Minister (transfer land to peasants and focus on education)
• Focus was on high education not general
• Government planning results- overcapacity, uneconomic, corruption and fall in industrial productivity.
• Daughter (Indira Gandhi) is next leader (held power until 1977 and then until 1984, was assassinated)
• Son, Rajiv was also Prime Minister
• 1998 detonates 5 nuclear bombs
• Examine India in terms of physical, population and economic regions

Images of India (try it!)

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/aiis/

Gandhi (very good sites):

http://web.mahatma.org.in/flash.html

http://www.mkgandhi.org/

People

§ 80% Hindu

§ 11% Muslim- 4^th largest Muslim population in world

§ Languages- Hindi (30%) 1,600 languages and dialects in India. English is the common language of government and education.

§ Highest density along Ganges River plains

§ Family planning popular among women.

§ Widespread sexual abuse of women a serious national problem in India. Women enjoy few rights.

§ Population growth is absorbing much of India's economic surplus.

§ 2^nd biggest population (after China)

§ Punjab has one of highest fertility rates

§ Female infanticide is high- 16 million girl babies per year

§ Bombay's shanty towns are growing rapidly (urban issues)

§ Mainly rural, 1/4 urban

§ Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta will be in the 10 largest cities in the world by 2015

§ Mumbai- 18 million in 2000.

§ Agricultural productivity does not match population growth

§ India is a newly industrializing country with large population.

§ Over 100 million Indian households are considered middle class, making the region one of the world's largest big emerging markets.

§ Hinduvati- right-wing militant Hindu chauvinism- anti-Muslim and Christian

§ Indians Abroad: 15 million living in Nepal, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Persian Gulf, East Africa, UK and US.

§ Brain drain vs Outsourcing (Check out these sites:) (Homework Essay Question 3)

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_49/b3861001_mz001.htm

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34323 (Even US politics are outsourced)

http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/systems/0%2C39001153%2C39139020%2C00.htm

http://www.bearingpoint.com/portal/site/bearingpoint

http://www.telegenisys.com/

Economic Development

• East-West contrasts- Punjab, Haryana (agricultural), Gujarat and Maharashtra (industrial) have fast economic development
• One of the largest economies outside the core- 12^th GDP
• Green Revolution: high-yielding varieties if wheat and rice
• Third largest rice exporter/fourth largest exporter of wheat
• Tea in the Assam hills
• 3^rd largest cotton producer
• 75% of oil needs
• Manufacture cars and trucks
• Textiles are 1/4 of India's exports
• Infrastructure bottlenecks: telecommunications, power and transportation
• Hindus do not eat meat- avoid beef- largest number of cattle in the world (200 million)
• Top 10 fishing countries
• Golden Corridor- India’s manufacturing and business center- area is Gujarat to southern Mumbai. (must know)

India's largest cities:

§ Delhi (including New Delhi) (10 million)- political center

§ Mumbai (Bombay) (16 million) - financial center (70% of stock transactions) ; motion picture industry (500-600 films each year). Projected to rise to 26 million, world's 2^nd largest city. Manufacturing (over 1./2 India’s top 100 companies. Golden Corridor

§ Calcutta (12 million) - commercial center

§ Madras - major port of the Coromandel coast

§ Jamshedpur northwest of Calcutta (the commercial entrepot of India), is one of the world's largest steel fabrication centers.

§ Bangalore- high-tech (3M, AT&T, HP, IBM)

Bangladesh and Pakistan

Islam is the dominant cultural force

Among poorest countries

Mostly agricultural countries

Bangladesh

§ Formerly East Pakistan, Civil War in 1971 against Pakistan (check the map).

§ India defeated Pakistan and created independent Bangladesh (Moslem Bengalis).

§ Bengal River: chief settlement area of Bangladesh (Dakka capital city located here)

§ Bay of Bengal cyclones cause great loss of life due to flooding

§ Tidal waves as a result of Bay of Bengal seismic activity.

§ Bangladesh continues as one of the world's poorest, most destitute countries.

§ Population pressure on the land is Bangladesh's most serious longterm problem.

§ Bangladesh is still dependent on foreign aid, but produces around one-half of the world's jute supply.

§ 75% labor force in agriculture

§ Grameen Bank- microcredit system where small loans are available to help with community based business. 94% of borrowers are women.

Virtual Bangladesh:

http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/

Issues in the Region:

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/

Pakistan

§ Official language is Urdu

§ Continues to fight for the return of Kashmir and the Ran of Kutch from India.

§ Capital is Islamabad, Karachi is biggest city.

§ Cotton is chief commercial crop

§ Large problems developing an educated work force due to Islamic influence

§ Has nuclear weapons as a deterrent against possible Indian aggression.

§ Maintains close ties with China, India's traditional competitor and/or enemy

§ Occupies two passes into Afghanistan and Iran: Khyber and Bolen's passes.

§ Current US Ally in Afghanistan war

Growing bound between Pakistan and Iran

http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/CL13Df04.html

And Growing bound between India and Iran

http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?artid=35604511

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/01/20/stories/2003012003921100.htm

http://www.payvand.com/news/03/oct/1107.html

Mountain and Island Rim

Afghanistan

§ Coveted by the Imperial powers of Russia and Britain for 125 years. The Soviet Union unsuccessfully invaded in 1979.

§ Continues to be shattered by tribal and religious based civil war.

§ Today Afghanistan is isolated with little national authority, law and order, or economic opportunity.

§ War with US over Taliban and Al Queda

§ Major agricultural product: poppies (heroin and opium)

Nepal (Hindu)

§ Isolated, with few natural resources. Depends mostly on tourism for foreign exchange earnings.

§ Although positioned in the high Himalayas, the majority live in lower elevations (3,000 feet or under).

§ Little economic opportunity; migration of Nepalese to Bhutan and Sikkirm is beginning to cause problems.

§ 2001- most of royal family is murdered by heir to throne in a family argument

§ Himalayan kingdoms (Nepal and Bhutan) grapple with problems of isolation and Chinese demands for boundary adjustments with occupied Tibet.

Sri Lanka (Buddhist)

§ A major tea producer.

§ Sinhalese (Buddhist majority) originally migrated from northeast India, 300 B.C.

§ Sri Lankan Tamil came from southern India, A.D. 300 (Tamil Tigers)

§ Colonized by Britain in 1795.

§ Buddhist majority (70%) with 15% Hindus and rest Christians and Muslims

§ Sinhalese-Tamil conflict began shortly after independence in 1948 and continues to this day.

Bhutan (Buddhist)

§ Restricts foreign tourists to protect culture (5,000 per year.) Only 3 regions are open to visitors

§ Monarchy and a Buddhist country (many religious holidays and community activities)- Lamaistic Buddhist government

§ Government is a democratic theocracy, a representative democracy, under a king with elected monks serving as part of the government.

Bhutan is one of the most fascinating places in the world:

http://www.kingdomofbhutan.com/

http://www.bootan.com/

http://www.pbs.org/edens/bhutan/