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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.

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South Asia

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  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

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