Geography of South Asia

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Chapter 25

• Geography of South Asia

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• Two great Indian empires emerged on the lower
  Ganges River
• 321 B.C. Mauryan Empire united India with great
  leader Asoka that helped spread Buddhism
  throughout Asia
• Centuries later Gupta Empire came to power-age of
  peace and prosperity

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• New waves of invaders came to India
• Muslims conquered people of the Indus Valley
  created the Mughal Empire (1500s)
• 1500s European traders came to find cloth and
  spices
• Created the British East India Company
• British began to colonize

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• Ghandi began a opposition movement of non-violent
  resistance
• Britain gave in, 1947 nearly 100 years after they
  established complete control, India was free
• Muslims fled to Pakistan and Hindus fled to India

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• India is presently the worlds largest democracy
• Like the United States, it is a federation of
  states held together by a strong central
  government
• Like British, it has a Parliamentary democracy

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• Many different ethnic, cultural and religions
• Majority Hindu
• Minority Muslim
• Sikhs and Tamils are other minorities
• 1/2 of Indians people live in poverty

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• 2/3 of people rely on their farms
• Green Revolution- helped develop new farming
  techniques to improve production
• Region has industrialized and modernized since
  the 1940s

• Arranged marriages are still customary
• Hindi is the official language
• Hinduism believes in many gods, reincarnation and
  Karma

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• Caste System
• Brahamans (priests and scholars)
• Kshatriyans (ruler and warriors)
• Vashiyans (famers and merchants)
• Sudras (artisans and laborers)
• Born into a caste and has a moral duty
• Person can then move to into a different caste
  through reincarnation

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• Pakistan and Bangladesh have large populations,
  but most of the country lives in poverty
• Nepal and Bhutan have limited economic
  development, both in a mountainous landscape
  (Himalayas) creates protection and full of
  minerals and resources
• Sri Lanka and Maldives economy is based on
  agriculture