1 / 51

South Asia

South Asia. Physical & Human Geography. South Asia. Learning Objectives. I WILL understand the unique climatological challenges of this region, which include monsoons and cyclones and their accompanying flooding.

africa
Download Presentation

South Asia

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. South Asia Physical & Human Geography

  2. South Asia

  3. Learning Objectives • I WILL understand the unique climatological challenges of this region, which include monsoons and cyclones and their accompanying flooding. • I WILL learn about the challenges and strategies of feeding a large and growing population. • I WILL become familiar with the physical, demographic (population), cultural, political, & economic characteristics of South Asia. • I WILL understand the following concepts & models: • Monsoon • Green Revolution • Caste system • Hinduism • Mughal Empire • Orographic rainfall • Subcontinent • Indian diaspora

  4. Introduction • The Himalayan Mountains are in South Asia. • Called the Indian subcontinent • India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, & Maldives • South Asia is the world’s second most populous region – what’s the first? • The population is growing, raising concerns about food production keeping pace • South Asia was a British colony for several centuries. • Since achieving independence in 1947, India & Pakistan have been embroiled in conflict; both countries have nuclear weapons. • This region is one of the world’s poorest.

  5. Creation of the Subcontinent Continental Drift

  6. Environmental issues • South Asia’s Monsoon Climates • Monsoon – the distinct seasonal change of wind direction in South Asia • Summermonsoon brings rain& flooding to Bangladesh • Wintermonsoon is dry • Orographic Rainfall – precipitation from the uplifting & cooling of moist winds; it occurs in the Western Ghats & Himalayas • Rain shadow effect – the areas of low rainfall found on the leeward (or downwind side) of a mountain range • Drierconditions in Pakistan

  7. Monsoon Patterns

  8. Monsoons

  9. Monsoons Seasons NOT defined by temperature patterns, but by precipitation patterns Seasonal shift in the prevailing wind direction

  10. monsoons • Monsoon rains may bring disastrous floods to Bangladesh. • However, these rains are essential for rice production throughout the area.

  11. Low Elevations • Purple hades are highlands  safe from flooding. • Orange is for “uplands” – dissected plateaus  safe from flooding. • All the other colors are for types of plains  easily flooded areas.

  12. Massive Delta Region Brahmaputra Delta • Thousands of tributaries & distributaries that can flood (only the larger ones are shown on the map). Ganges Delta

  13. Rice is dependent on the monsoons.

  14. Potentially negative effects of monsoons • Widespread flooding • Property damage • Destruction to agricultural lands • Damage to transportation infrastructure • Homelessness • Disease • Malnutrition • Serious Injury • Death

  15. Climates of South Asia

  16. Climates of south Asia: the four subregions • Mountains of the North • Collision of Indian Subcontinent with Asian landmass • Himalayas, Karakoram Range, ArakanYoma Mountains • Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Lowlands • Lowlands created by three major river systems • Indus River, Ganges River, Brahmaputra River • Peninsular India • Deccan Plateau covers most of India; bordered by Eastern & Western Ghats (mountains) • The Southern Islands • Sri Lanka (1 island) & Maldives (1,200 small islands)

  17. PhysicalGeography of South Asia(Fig. 12.2) Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Lowlands Peninsular India Mountains of the North The Southern Islands Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  18. Population & settlement: the demographic dilemma • India has more than 1 billion people • Concern about producing enough food • India’s average fertility rate is at 3.2, but preference for males creates problems • Pakistan has 145 million people • Pakistan lacks an effective, coordinated family planning program – fertility rate is at 5.6, rate of natural increase is at 2.8% • Linked to Muslim culture • Early childhood mortality • Bangladesh has 133.5 million people • Has one of the highest settlement densities in the world • Fertility rate is 3.3 • Strong government support for family planning. Muslim culture, but more flexible.

  19. PopulationMap ofSouth Asia

  20. United States - Bangladesh POPULATION DENSITY COMPARISON UNITED STATES 77people/ sqmile BANGLADESH 133,000,000 50,300 2,644people/ sqmile Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  21. Population and Settlement: The Demographic Dilemma (cont.) • Migration and the Settlement Landscape • South Asia is one of the least urbanized regions of the world • Majority live in compact rural villages • Rural-to-urban migration caused by agricultural changes • Most settlement near fertile soils and dependable water sources • Agricultural Regions and Activities • Agriculture has historically been unproductive • Green Revolution Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  22. Population and Settlement: The Demographic Dilemma (cont.) • Agricultural Regions and Activities • Crop Zones • Rice: lower Ganges Valley, lowlands of India’s eastern and western coasts, delta lands of Bangladesh, Pakistan’s lower Indus Valley, and Sri Lanka • Wheat: northern Indus Valley, western half of India’s Ganges Valley • Punjab is India’s “breadbasket” • Millet and sorghum in less fertile areas Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  23. WHAT CLIMATE VARIABLES HELP TO EXPLAIN THIS DISTRIBUTION? • Cooler to the north and warmer to the south • Drier in the west and wetter in the east • Orographic precipitation in the south Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  24. Population and Settlement: The Demographic Dilemma (cont.) • The Green Revolution • Use of hybrid, high-yield seeds to bolster production • 1970 to 1990s: India more than doubled annual grain production • Only more prosperous farmers could afford to adopt seeds and use mechanization • Environmental problems from dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides • Poorer farmers forced from their lands • Salinization in irrigated areas Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  25. Population and Settlement: The Demographic Dilemma (cont.) • Urban South Asia • About 25% of the South Asian population resides in urban areas • Many live in bustees (sprawling squatter settlements) • Mumbai (Bombay) • Largest city in South Asia • Financial, commercial, and industrial center • Less-fortunate immigrants live in “hutments” – crude shelters built on formerly busy sidewalks • Delhi/New Delhi • More than 11 million people • India’s capital, has British colonial imprint • Air pollution a problem Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  26. Mumbai (Bombay) Boy begging from motorists Three ages in architecture: colonial, modern, and pre-colonial. Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  27. Calcutta Street scene Modern Business District Children on school bus Jain temple Outdoor market Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  28. Population and Settlement: The Demographic Dilemma (cont.) • Urban South Asia (cont.) • Calcutta • More than 12 million people • Problems: poverty, pollution, congestion, homelessness • Karachi • More than 7 million people • Pakistan’s largest city • Political and ethnic tensions between Sindis (native inhabitants) and Muhajirs (Muslim refugees from India) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  29. Calcutta Street scene Modern Business District Children on school bus Jain temple Outdoor market Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  30. Cultural Coherence and Diversity: A Common Heritage Undermined by Religious Rivalries • Since its inception in 1948, India has been a secular state • Growth of Hindu nationalism: movement promoting Hindu values as essential and exclusive fabric of Indian society • Tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India • Tensions between fundamentalists and secularists in Pakistan • Origins of South Asian Civilizations • Indus Valley civilization established 5,000 years ago • By 800 B.C., a new urban focus in Ganges Valley • Hindu Civilization • Hinduism: a complicated faith without a single, uniformly accepted system of belief • Sanskrit: sacred languages of Hinduism • Caste system: strict division of Hindu society into ranked hereditary groups Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  31. Cultural Coherence and Diversity: A Common Heritage Undermined by Religious Rivalries (cont.) • Origins of South Asian Civilizations (cont.) • Buddhism • Siddhartha Gautama (563 B.C.), the Buddha • From elite caste, but rejected wealth and power • Sought to attain mystical union with the universe (enlightenment) • Faith spread throughout South Asia, and East, Southeast, and Central Asia, but retreated from South Asia • Arrival of Islam • Around 700 A.D. Arab armies conquered lower Indus Valley • Mughal Empire, a powerful Muslim state, dominated • Conversion in northwest (Pakistan) and Northeast (Bangladesh) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  32. Cultural Coherence and Diversity: A Common Heritage Undermined by Religious Rivalries (cont.) • Origins of South Asian Civilizations (cont.) • The Caste System • Regional variations, religious differences in acceptance of caste system • Caste: complex social order • Varna: ancient fourfold social hierarchy of the Hindu world • Castes include Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras • Scheduled castes or “untouchables” or dalits Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  33. Cultural Coherence and Diversity: A Common Heritage Undermined by Religious Rivalries (cont.) • Contemporary Geographies of Religion • Hinduism • Major faith of India and Nepal • Forms of worship differ by region • Islam • 400 million Muslims in the region, among the largest Muslim communities in the world • Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives are mostly Muslim • In India, Muslims concentrated in the cities, in the north, the upper and central Ganges plain, and in Kerala • Sikhism • Sikhism: faith incorporating elements of Hinduism and Islam • Originated in Punjab in 1400s, still concentrated in Punjab • Sikh men noted for work as soldiers and bodyguards Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  34. HINDUISM • Not just a religion – an intricate web of religious, philosophical, social, economic, & artistic elements • No common creed • No single doctrine • No direct divine revelation • No rigid narrow moral code • No leadership hierarchy • Can be practiced on different levels of spirituality – mainly an individual enterprise • Has had the ability to absorb competing religious ideologies – except for Islam Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  35. Shiva – the Destroyer • Shiva-nataraja – incarnation as the king of dancers – very common symbol of Shiva Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  36. Hindu Temple Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  37. MAJOR TENETS OF HINDUISM • Four main ideas are important in understanding the Hindu religion and the caste system • Reincarnation • Karma • Dharma • Ahimsa Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  38. REINCARNATION • Every living thing has a soul. • When a living thing dies, its soul moves into another living creature (transmigration of souls). • Souls are reborn in a newly created human or animal life. • This continues until the “ultimate reality” is fully understood (one sees the Atman is also Brahman)– then it ceases Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  39. KARMA • Every action brings about certain results. • There is no escaping the consequences of one’s actions. • Good behavior is rewarded when the soul is reborn into a higher ranking living creature. • Karma is somewhat the result of one’s approach to one’s dharma. Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  40. DHARMA • A set of rules that must be followed by all living things if they wish to work their way up the ladder of reincarnation. This ties into the caste system. • Sometimes seen as analogous to duty • Each person’s dharma is different. Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  41. Ahimsa • Seeing all life as sacred – a part of a “oneness” • Results in the life principle of non-violence • Supports the idea of being in harmony with nature • A principle also found in Jainism and Buddhism Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  42. THREE BASIC PRACTICES • Puja or worship – corporate worship not required – largely individual practices • Cremation of the dead • Regulations of the caste system Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  43. Hindu/Muslim-practices/perceptions • Hindus tend to be vegetarians (ahimsa and reincarnation beliefs foster this) • Cows are sacred animals • Believe in reincarnation • Brahman, if it is God, is an impersonal one • Follow caste system – no social or religious mobility within one lifetime • Formerly practiced sutee • Muslims see Hindus as polytheistic infidels not to be tolerated • Muslims eat meat (cows) – not pork • Muslims are strict monotheists • Muslims believe in a personal God • Muslims reject the concept of castes – equality of believers • Reject reincarnation Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  44. ReligiousGeographyofSouth Asia(Fig. 12.16) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  45. Geopolitical Framework: A Deeply Divided Region • South Asia Before and After Independence in 1947 • During the 1500s most of region was under the Mughal Empire • European merchants established coastal trading posts • By 1700s the empire weakened and contending states emerged • The British Conquest • British East India Company – a private organization acted as an arm of the British government and monopolized trade • Exploited political chaos to stake empire • Sepoy Mutiny (1856) led to South Asia being ruled directly by the British • Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh rulers retained their states under British rule Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  46. INDIA & PAKISTAN (AT PARTITION) Kashmir -- disputed India WestPakistan EastPakistan (Bangladesh) Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  47. Ethnic Conflicts in South Asia • Kashmir • During British period, ruled by a maharaja (a Hindu king subject to British advisors) • During partitioning, Kashmir went to India • Tensions between India and Pakistan because Kashmir is Muslim • The Punjab • Original Punjab area divided between India and Pakistan in 1947 • Punjab has Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs • Tensions, violence led to assassination of Prime Minister Indira Ghandi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 • Still potential for conflict Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  48. Kashmir • Disputed with India Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  49. Geopolitical Framework: A Deeply Divided Region (cont.) • Sri Lanka • North dominated by Hindu Tamils (minority) and south by Buddhist Singhalese (majority) • Singhalese favor a national government whereas Tamils support political and cultural autonomy • A rebel force, the Tamil Tigers, attacked Sri Lankan army in 1983; tensions still brewing Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

  50. SRI LANKA Sinhalese vs Tamils • Tamils - demanded equal rights in: -- education -- employment -- landownership -- linguistic & politicalrepresentation • Insurgent State • LTTE - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

More Related