The Indian subcontinent

1. The Indian subcontinent

2. South Asia

3. 8 Independent Nations • India • Pakistan • Bangladesh • Nepal • Bhutan • Island nations of Sri Lanka and Maldives • Afghanistan in the northwest is also often considered part of South Asia.

4. Large landmass in Southern hemisphere- broke up (Gondwanaland) • 1 landmass pushed north-collided-mainland Asia • Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountains moved. • Formed barriers separating South Asia from the rest of Asia.

5. Religious Traditions • Hinduism is the chief religion of India. • No founder • No formal church • Ancient Aryan beliefs and practices

6. What is the symbol of Hinduism? • Aumis the main symbol of Hinduism. It is the sound heard in deepest meditation and is said to be the name most suited for God.

7. Sacred Texts • Vedas • Internal truths that were reveled to wise men • Upanishads ( oo pan ihshadz) • Helped to explain the ideas contained in the Vedas • The Ramayana (rah mahyuh) and the Mahabharata (muh hah bah rah tuh) • Two of the most famous hindu epics.

8. Brahman • Hindus worshiped thousands of Gods. • Each god is part of a single supreme force called brahman. • the eternal, unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe

9. 3 Main Gods • Brahma- creator • Vishnu- preserver • Siva- destroyer • Each has own family. • Sects- group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. • Atman (AHT MUHN)- an essential self, part of a universal soul.

10. Karma • “to do” • Every deed, mental or physical, in this life affects a persons fate in future life.

11. Buddhism • Guatama’s enlightenment • Realized there was suffering and misery • Set out to find the cause of misery • 6 years-found the answer • Known as Buddha or “enlightened one”

12. The Buddha’s Teachings • Four Noble Truths • 1) Suffering is universal • 2) Cause of suffering is desire • 3) only way to end suffering is to crush desire • 4) the only way to end desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. • Denied the existence of Gods • Rejected the caste system

13. Noble Eightfold Path • The Noble Eightfold Path: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

14. Other Religious Traditions • Mahavira, the historical founder of Jainism • elder contemporary of the Buddha • known as Jina (literally, conquerer) after he overcame the wretched cycle of rebirth by achieving enlightenment. • Jain devotees often commissioned manuscripts of sacred literature for temple libraries in order to gain spiritual merit. • Many of these manuscripts contain vibrant illustrations that depict Mahavira meditating or teaching.

15. Satellite View of South Asia

16. TheSize ofSouthAsia

17. Countries Afghanistan China Iran Bhutan Nepal Pakistan Myanmar India Bangladesh Sri Lanka

18. cities Kabul Islamabad Lahore Kathmandu New Delhi Benares Thimbu Karachi Dacca Calcutta Bombay Madras Colombo

19. Ten Geographic Qualities • 1. Sub-region of Asia - Indian Subcontinent • 2. Mostly Dry Flat Plateau Area • 3. Soon to be the largest population concentration in the world -1.3 Billion • 4. Center of Hindu Religious Concentration • 5. Hundreds of languages & ethnic groups

20. 6. Colonial Exploitation of this resource rich area • 7. Highest Mountains in the world • 8. Historically an Asian crossroads for trade

21. 9. Region is dominated by monsoon rains • 10. Culturally vibrant Hindus, Moslems, Jaines, Seiks

22. Topography of South Asia

23. SouthAsia:PhysicalMap

24. Bodies of Water Indus R. Brahmaputra R. Ganges R. Bay ofBengal Arabian Sea Indian Ocean

25. Surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean. • Highways (link)

27. Indus River- empties into the Arabian Sea. • Principal river in Pakistan • Majority of Pakistan's live in the Indus River Basin • South Asia’s earliest civilization developed in the Indus Valley. • Ganges • Most holy river • Thousands of pilgrims come to purify themselves in the river.

28. Mountains & Peaks Hindu Kush KhyberPassI I Karakoran Mts. Mt. Everest▲ Himalayas Vindhya Hills Eastern Ghats Western Ghats

29. Himalayas- stretch 1500 miles east to west, snowcaped. • Many of the worlds tallest mountains • Mt. Everest, on the border of Nepal and Tibet • Hindu Kush (death) • Khyber Pass- is a mountain pass that links Pakistan and Afghanistan.

30. Hindu Kush

31. The Khyber Pass

32. The Himalayas • “him” [snow] • “aalaya” [home] • Mt. Everest is 29,035 feet. It is the highest mt. peak in the world.

33. The Himalayas

34. “Fire Rim of the Pacific”

35. Earthquake Zones in India

36. Deserts / Plateaus TibetanPlateau TharDesert DeccanPlateau

37. Completed Map Hindu Kush KhyberPassI I Karakoran Mts. TibetanPlateau Kashmir Mt. Everest▲ Punjab Indus R. Brahmaputra R. Himalayas Indo-GangeticPlain TharDesert Ganges R. Vindhya Hills Bay ofBengal DeccanPlateau Eastern Ghats Western Ghats Arabian Sea Indian Ocean

38. Climate of South Asia

39. Climate Regions of South Asia

40. Natural Hazards • Many natural hazards--monsoons, typhoons, volcanoes, and earthquakes • Monsoon--a seasonal shift in the prevailing winds that influences large climate regions • Typhoon--a destructive tropical storm occurring in the western Pacific Ocean or the China Sea, similar to a hurricane

41. Monsoon • “To know India and her people, one has to know the monsoon.” • To the people of India the monsoons are a source of life. • Key to farmers • Influenced art and literature of South Asia • Very distinctive seasonal precipitation regime • (RESULTS OF CATASTROPHIC RAINFALL) • Widespread flooding • Property damage • Destruction to agricultural lands • Damage to transportation infrastructure • Homelessness • Disease • Malnutrition • Serious injury • Death

42. Monsoon

43. Winter Monsoons: Nov.-April

44. Summer Monsoons: May-Oct.

45. Temperature

46. Demographic Data for South Asia

47. People of South Asia • Did you know that more people live in India than in Central America, North America and South America – altogether! • The population of Hindus approximately 3 times bigger than population of the USA. • More than 60% of the world's population live in Asia. • In China live 1.3 billion of people and in India 1.1 billion. • In South Asia live more Muslims than in the whole Middle East, yet Muslims in South Asia is less than 15% of total population.

48. Patterns of Life • Indian society developed into a complex system based on class and caste systems. • Caste- based on the idea that there are separate kinds of humans. • Higher caste- purer than lower • Rules were meant to help people remain spiritually pure. • Governed cooking, eating, marriage, employment • Ex)Braham could only eat food prepared by another Braham.

49. Modernization and the Caste System • People from different castes mix. • Former untouchables might be allowed to draw water from the village well and worship at the village temple. • Children attend public schools (separate rooms)

50. Five different levels • Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Harijans. • Within each of these categories are the actual "castes" or jatiswithin which people are born, marry, and die.