Transcript Unit 7 Human Geography of South Asia

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Unit 7: South Asia
INDIA
HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT
•
India and its primary religion, Hinduism, have a
rigid social structure based on the social position in
which a person is born, called a caste or jati.
•
Muslim invaders arrived in the 700s, culminating in
a Muslim dynasty led by the Moguls, during which
time many Indians converted to Islam.
•
Britain’s imperialist policy resulted in its taking
direct control of India until India won independence
in 1947 and became Hindu India and Muslim
Pakistan.
•
India is the world’s most populous democracy.
POPULATION PATTERNS
•
India is second only to China in population,
and is likely to surpass China in the next 20
years.
•
Most Indians belong to two ethnic groups,
though many self-identify according to
religious affiliations.
•
India’s cities are some of the world’s most
populated, but most of its people live in rural
areas.
•
Growing numbers have been migrating to
cities for better opportunities, straining
resources
SOCIETY AND CULTURE TODAY
•
Indians speak more than 1,000 languages with
Hindi the most widely spoken.
•
Nearly 80 percent are Hindu and identify
themselves by jati, only 13 percent are
Muslim.
•
In rural India, those in higher jatis live in the
village center, while those in lower jatis live in
the surrounding areas.
•
Nearly all Indians marry, have children, and
live in extended families, but many marriages
are arranged according to jati.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
•
Governmental deregulation of many industries
sparked economic growth, but also contributed
to economic inequality.
•
Half the population works in agriculture, and
farmers still rely on labor-intensive methods.
•
India has many well educated people working
in the fields of high technology and
engineering.
•
India’s energy consumption increases every
year, as more people buy cars and use more
electricity.
PAKISTAN & BAGLADESH
HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT
•
Pakistan and Bangladesh share a similar
history of Muslim influence, British colonialism,
and the pursuit of independence.
•
Independence in Pakistan has been marked by
instability, violence, and continuous struggle
with India over the Kashmir region.
•
Ethnically different from Pakistan, the Bengali
people of Bangladesh gained independence
with help from India, although rivalries have
made stable rule difficult.
POPULATION PATTERNS
•
Both countries have high populations, a third
of whom are under the age of 15.
•
Most Pakistanis live in rural areas along the
Indus River, though more people are migrating
to cities.
•
Bangladesh is the most densely populated
country in South Asia, but the total fertility
rate, or average number of children a women
has in her lifetime, is dropping.
•
Pakistan’s population continues to rapidly
expand at an annual growth rate of two
percent
SOCIETY AND CULTURE TODAY
•
Islam is the predominant religion in both
countries.
•
Literacy rates in both countries are very low,
with the male rates exceeding the female
rates.
•
Extended families often live in the same home,
and marriages are often arranged, with the
wife going to live with her husband’s family.
•
Literature and dance are important in
Bangladesh, just as music and literature take
precedence in Pakistan.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
•
Poverty in both nations is widespread.
•
Both rely on agriculture and textiles, although
the service sector is growing in Pakistan.
•
In Pakistan, the railway is the primary mode of
transport.
•
Most Bangladeshis are sharecroppers, and rice
is the major crop.
•
Bangladesh is also a leading producer in the
field of aquaculture.
BHUTAN, MALDIVES, NEPAL, &
SRI LANKA
HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT
•
In 1600s Bhutan, a Tibetan lama, or Buddhist
monk, consolidated religious and political power;
however, today it is a constitutional monarchy.
•
Historically ruled by many smaller kingdoms,
modern Nepal has wavered between representative
government and rule by the king.
•
Under European control for centuries, Maldives
became a republic in 1965.
•
Sri Lanka adopted a parliamentary government
after independence from Britain in 1948.
POPULATION PATTERNS
•
Nepal is the most populous country of the
region, with 30.9 million people.
•
Bhutan’s 700,000 people live in pockets across
the rugged terrain.
•
Sri Lanka has a population of 21.2 million
people, with most living near the capital,
Colombo.
•
The city of Male is the most populous
settlement in Maldives, with a third of the
country’s 300,000 people.
SOCIETY AND CULTURE TODAY
•
Nepal’s population is mostly Hindu, with the
remaining ten percent Buddhist.
•
The Bhote in Bhutan are descendants of
Tibetan peoples, and most are Buddhist.
•
Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese population is
Buddhist, and the Tamil minority is Hindu.
•
Maldives is a mix of Sinhalese, East African,
and Arabic peoples.
•
Women often have second-class status in
these societies.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
•
These countries are not very economically
developed because they have relatively few
resources and are remote.
•
Nearly 75 percent of Nepalese are engaged in
agriculture and herding, with farmers
practicing terracing to make the most use of
the land.
•
Tourism is an important part of the economy in
the region, with hiking, rafting, and touring
religious sites being popular in Bhutan and
Nepal, while in Sri Lanka and Maldives, people
enjoy the beaches.