Section 1-5

1. India’s Land and Economy • India and several other countries–Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives–make up the South Asian subcontinent.  Section 1-5 • A subcontinent is a large landmass that is part of another continent but distinct from it. (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

2. India’s Land and Economy (cont.) • The Karakoram Range and the Himalaya form India’s northern border and separate South Asia from the rest of Asia.  Section 1-6 • The Himalaya are the tallest mountains in the world, averaging more than 5 miles in height. (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

3. India’s Land and Economy (cont.) • Most of India is warm or hot all year.  • The Himalaya block cold northern air from sweeping south into the country.  • Monsoons, or seasonal winds that blow steadily from the same direction for months, also influence the climate. Section 1-7 (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

4. India’s Land and Economy (cont.) • Today, India raises most of the food it needs, but it was different in the past.  Section 1-8 • Since India’s independence, its government has made an effort to improve farming output by using modern techniques and science.  • The result is called the green revolution. (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

5. India’s Land and Economy (cont.) • India has many industries.  • Recently, American computer companies have opened offices in India, making it an important source of computer software.  • Mining is also a major industry. Section 1-9 (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

6. India’s Land and Economy (cont.) • Many Indian products are manufactured in cottage industries.  Section 1-10 • A cottage industry is a home- or village-based industry in which family members, including children, supply their own equipment to make goods.  • Products include cotton cloth, silk cloth, rugs, leather products, and metalware. (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

7. How did the green revolution allow farmers to plant more than one crop per year? Section 1-11 If the farmers relied only on the monsoon rains to water their crops, they could plant only once per year. The government built dams to collect the water. The dams stored the water and spread it out through irrigation ditches during the dry season. Farmers can now plant twice a year. (pages 144–145) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer.

8. The World’s Largest Democracy • Like the United States, India is a democracy.  Section 1-13 • The most important difference between the two systems is that most of the power to run the government of India is held not by the president, but by the prime minister, who is appointed by the ruling party. (pages 145–146) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

9. The World’s Largest Democracy (cont.) • India’s second prime minister, Indira Gandhi, tried to help India’s poor by providing low-cost housing and giving land to those who owned none.  Section 1-14 • She also extended voting rights.  • India’s economic growth has brought challenges to the environment. (pages 145–146) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

10. What is the result of India’s clearing forests for farmland and the environmental pollution from burning coal, industrial wastes, and pesticides? Section 1-15 All these developments have played a part in destroying animal habitats. India’s elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, monkeys, and panthers have been greatly reduced in number. (pages 145–146) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer.

11. India’s History and People • In the 1500s B.C., warriors known as Aryans set up kingdoms in northern India.  Section 1-16 • Aryan beliefs gradually blended with the practices of the local people to form the religion of Hinduism. (pages 146–148) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

12. India’s History and People (cont.) • A caste was a social class based on a person’s ancestry.  Section 1-17 • The caste system still influences Indian life, although laws now forbid unfair treatment of one group by another. (pages 146–148) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

13. India’s History and People (cont.) • The British were the last of India’s conquerors, ruling from the 1700s to the mid-1900s.  Section 1-18 • An Indian leader named Mohandas Gandhi led a nonviolent resistance movement. (pages 146–148) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

14. India’s History and People (cont.) • When India won its independence from Great Britain in 1947, Muslims were afraid their voices would not be heard by the Hindu majority.  Section 1-19 • East and West Pakistan were created, one on each side of India, as a Muslim homeland.  • East Pakistan is now Bangladesh. (pages 146–148) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

15. India’s History and People (cont.) • About 80 percent of India’s people are Hindus, but Islam has over 140 million followers in India.  Section 1-20 • India has 18 official languages, including Hindi and English.  • About 70 percent of the people live in farming villages. (pages 146–148) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

16. What is celebrated during the holiday of Diwali? Section 1-21 Diwali is the Festival of Lights. It is a Hindu celebration marking the coming of winter and the victory of good over evil. (pages 146–148) Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer.