GEOG201-M06-South Asia-S09faculty.winthrop.edu/mcfaddenb/files/lectures/GEOG201-M06-South … ·...
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GEOG201: Introduction to World Regions | Geography Program| Winthrop UniversityGEOG201: Introduction to World Regions | Geography Program| Winthrop University
Module 6: South Asia
GEOG 201:Introduction to World Regions
Insert Class Date Here
This Module will examine the following topics:• Introduction to the region
• Physical geography of the region
• Human geography of the region
Lecture Overview
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• Geographic Diversity – Subregions
• Contemporary Geographic Issues in the region
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Introduction
• Smallest region in area
• Second most populous – over 1 billion
• Imprint of many civilizations and empires
• Emergence of major religions
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• Emergence of major religions
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Introduction
• Most of the region consists of the Indian sub‐continent
• Countries– India
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– Pakistan
– Bangladesh
– Nepal
– Bhutan
– Afghanistan
– Sri Lanka
– Maldives
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Physical Geography• Mountains
– Himalayan Mountains – world’s highest range– Mount Everest – world’s highest mountain peak
– 50 other peaks over 7,500 m (25,000 ft.)
– Forms a cultural and physical barrier
– Result of collision of India and Eurasian plate
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– Ongoing uplift and erosion
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Physical Geography
• Deep Valleys– Carved by glaciers and
rivers
– Khyber Pass
– Historic invasion
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routes
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Physical Geography
• Hills, Plateaus, Plains– Western Ghats
– Eastern Ghats
– Deccan Plateau– Most of the Southern
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part of India
– Ganges Plain– Large, fertile plain
– Covers most of Northern & Eastern India
– Largest population concentration
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Physical Geography
• Major River Basins– Indus ‐ Pakistan
– Ganges – India, Bangladesh
– Brahmaputra ‐ India, Bangladesh
• High flows
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High flows– Himalayan snow melt / Monsoon rains
• Alluvial fans
• Huge delta at Bay of Bengal– Low‐lying plains‐densely populated
– Intensive farming
– Flood prone
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Monsoon Climates
• Due to seasonal changes: – Air pressure systems
– Heating and cooling of land
and water
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• Dry monsoon– High pressure over land
– Warm and dry
• Wet monsoon– Low pressure over land
– Heavy summer rains
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Monsoon Climates – Wet Monsoon
• Wet Monsoon– Heavy rains on Western Ghats – Orographic effect– Rain shadow in eastern part of
peninsula
• Tropical cyclones in Bay of
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• Tropical cyclones in Bay of Bengal
• Northwest remains dry– Pakistan and Afghanistan– Thar Desert
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Forests and Soils
• Few remaining forests:– Cleared for agriculture and fuel– Teak forests – southern India– Forests on Himalayan slopes
• Most fertile soils:
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• Most fertile soils:– Flooded areas– Lava plateaus– Forested areas
• Problems of soil quality due to long use and overuse
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Natural Resources
• Precious stones
• Mineral ores– Iron
– Uranium
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• Coal
• Oil and natural gas
• Water– Large river systems support populations
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Natural Hazards
• Earthquakes– Plate boundaries
• Flooding
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• Drought
• Rising sea levels from global warming– Maldives Islands
– Coastal areas
Maldives: Most of the island nation is <2m above sea level & is in danger of ‘vanishing’ if sea level rise occurs.
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Environmental Problems:Air and Water Pollution
• Bhopal Incident 1984– Union Carbide plant
– Toxic gas cloud
– Exposed ½ million people
– Killed thousands (est. 16K)
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( )
• Water Pollution– 40% of India’s population lives in
Ganges River basin
– Farms and factories
– Trash dumping
– Funeral pyres
– Ganga Action Plan• Lacked funding‐unsuccessful
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Human Geography
• Cultural Diversity– Ethnic religions
• Hinduism
• Sikhism
• Jainism
Originated in South Asia
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– Global religions• Buddhism
• Islam
• Christianity
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Hinduism• 80% of India’s population
• Minority religion in Sri Lanka and Bhutan
• The Caste System– Social groupings – 4 categories
– Membership is hereditary
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– Untouchables
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Buddhism and Jainism
• Developed as a reaction to Hinduism– Cast System
– Hundreds of Gods
• Spread east and north into Southeast Asia and East Asia
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Asia and East Asia
• Sri Lanka 70% Buddhist
• Also found in Bhutan, Nepal, and Afghanistan
• Jainism – code of nonviolence– Code taken up by Mahatma Gandhi
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Islam
• Introduced by Arab traders 700s AD
• Strongholds in NW and East India– Pakistan and Bangladesh
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– Maldives
– Afghanistan
• Only 11% of India’s population – Important minority (120
million people)
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Sikhism
• Combines aspects of Hinduism (reincarnation) with monotheism
• Universal toleration
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• Concentrated in Punjab region– NW Along Pakistan Border
• Golden Temple at Amritsar– holiest site
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Languages
• India– Over 1600 languages– Hindi is national language– English – lingua franca
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• Other languages– Bengali– Urdu– Pashtun– Sinhalese– Tamil
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Impact of Colonialism
• Trade controlled by Arabs since 800s AD
• Great wealth attracted Europeans– Portuguese here first
– Followed by Dutch and British
• British East India Company
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• British East India Company
• Introduced western education, technology, legal systems
• Changed India’s economic focus to primary product exports– Cotton, silk, tea, opium
• Controlled urban growth/external trade
• Introduced English language in schools
• By 1700s, India and China were world’s wealthiest areas
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Rural Conditions
• Population is still largely rural
• Poverty– Low incomesInherited debts
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– Inherited debts– The Dowry
• Impact of Green Revolution– Led to emergence of wealthier farmers
• Caste discrimination– Most obvious in rural areas
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Urban Contrasts
• Growing gap between wealthy and poor– 1% Indian urban population is extremely wealthy
• two of top ten richest are from India
– Average Indian earns $1.60
• Expanding middle classU b
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• Urban poor– Shantytown slums– Informal economies– Child labor
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Subregions
• India
• Bangladesh & Pakistan
• Mountain & Island Rim– North
• Afghanistan
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• Afghanistan
• Nepal
• Bhutan
– South• Sri Lanka
• The Maldives
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India• Dominates the region
• World’s second largest population – 1.1 billion
• Independent since 1947
• A federation– 29 states
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– 6 territories
• World’s largest democracy
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India ‐ Economy
• Food production has quadrupled since 1950s– Green Revolution– Uneven benefits
• Growing manufacturing sectorS ll l i d t i
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– Small‐scale industries– Steel industries– Hi tech
• Service industries – 60% of GDP• Need to improve transportation
infrastructure
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Bangladesh and Pakistan
• Creation in 1947 based on Muslim majorities
• Divided into East and West Pakistan
• 1971 Civil War– Bangladesh became independent secular republic
– Pakistan – an Islamic republic
U S ti d d ft P ki t t d tit i t liti i 2001
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• U.S. sanctions dropped after Pakistan supported antiterrorist coalition in 2001– Sanctions imposed after 1998 nuclear tests
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Bangladesh and Pakistan‐Economy
• Among world’s poorest countries• Agriculture is the economic base
– Over 50% employed in farming– Pakistan ‐ cotton is main crop– Bangladesh ‐ jute, rice, tea, sugarcane
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• Limited manufacturing– Pakistan ‐ textiles– Bangladesh ‐ Garment exports
• Service industries – produce 50% GDP– Healthcare, Education
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Bangladesh and Pakistan‐Human Development• HPI about 50%• Dependent on outside aid• Bangladesh
– Overpopulation– Less than 50% has access to
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ess t a 50% as access tosanitation or electricity
• Pakistan – Inequitable distribution of wealth
– Low levels of female literacy– High infant mortality rates
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Northern Mountains and Island Rim
• Northern Mts.– Afghanistan
– Nepal
– Bhutan
• Island Rim
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– Sri Lanka
– Maldives
• Isolation
• Internal strife – tribal rivalries
• Poverty
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Afghanistan• Created as buffer state between British and Russians
– Late 1800’s
• Soviet occupation 1979‐1992– Mujahedeen
• Local warlords supplied with US Weapons
F ht h th ft S i t ithd l
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• Fought each other after Soviet withdrawal
• Taliban– Took control in 1990’s
– Sunni
– Opposed by other internal groups
• New government established 2004
• Opium poppy cultivation
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Nepal and Bhutan• Nepal
– Hindu kingdom
– Close ties with British
– Maoist insurgency
• Bhutan
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– Tiny Buddhist kingdom
– Buffer state between India and China
– Limits tourists and outside influences
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Sri Lanka
• Formerly called Ceylon– Portuguese and British Colony
• Plantation economy– Tea, rubber, coconuts
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, ,
• Civil War– Majority Sinhalese vs. minority Tamils
– 60,000 deaths
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The Maldives• Over 1,000 islands
• Fishing and tourism main economic activities– Tourism – 80%
• Coastal pollution problems
• Tourism industry affected by 2004 tsunami
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y y
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesPopulation
• 1.4 billion in S. Asia
• 2 billion by 2025
• India– 1.12 billion (2006)
India
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1.12 billion (2006)
– Higher growth rate than China
– Large numbers of people of childbearing age
• High growth rates in Pakistan and Afghanistan
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesPopulation
• High Concentrations:– River lowlands
– Coastal Sri Lanka
• Low concentrations:
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– Mountains, Deserts, Swampy areas
• Indian diaspora
• Brain drain
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesPopulation• Attitudes towards birth control• Gender imbalance – more males than females
– Female infanticide– Sex‐selective abortionsDowry pressures
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– Dowry pressures– Bride burning
• HIV/AIDS– 1% of India affected – 5 million people– Highest rates in south and large cities
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesUrbanization• 5 of world’s 20 largest cities in this
region– 37 cities with over 1 million people
– By 2015, 3 of largest 10 in the world
• Rural‐to‐urban migration
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g– Better job opportunities
– Better access to health and education services
• Industrial areas within most big cities– Steelworks, textiles, chemicals
• Increasing suburbs and shantytowns
• Pollution problems
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesRise of High Tech Cities
• India one of fastest growing economies today
• Growth of hi tech industries due to:
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– Large population of young people
– Scientific and technical skills
– English‐speaking population
– Good legal systems
• Bengaluru (Bangalore)– 3M, AT&T, HP, IBM, Motorola
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesEthnic Conflicts• A shatter belt
• Intra‐State and Inter‐State– Significant religious and language
differences
• Hindu‐Muslim conflicts
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– Kashmir
– 2008 Mumbai Massacre
• Maoist insurgency‐Nepal– Control many rural areas
• Islamic extremism‐ Bangladesh
• Civil War in Sri Lanka
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesEthnic Conflicts – The Kashmir Dispute• At independence, Kashmir chose to
join India– Hindu ruler
– Muslim state
• 1947 Pakistan invasion
• 1948 Cease‐fire
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1948 Cease fire
• Continuing wars
• Line of Control
• Two nuclear powers
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Contemporary Geographic IssuesEnvironmental Problems• Rapid population growth and Industrialization have taken toll on the environment
• Water Use– Critical for agricultural/industrial development– Importance of monsoon rains
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p– Problems of water management
• Salinization• International disputes over water use• Dams and wells
– Narmada Valley Project• One of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world• Series of 3000+ dams along Narmada River• Significant domestic and international opposition
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