SOUTH ASIA STUDY GUIDE 

Be familiar with all vocabulary terms. Know all countries, their locations, and

their capitals.  

SOUTH ASIA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

1.Know what a monsoon is and its importance. Seasonal Wind-Summer is wet2.How were the Himalayas formed? Plate tectonics3.What is polluting the Ganges? Dead Bodies, sewage, industrial waste4.What is an alluvial plain and why are they

important? Flood plain of a river-fertile soil5.What climate does Nepal and Bhutan have?

Highland

SOUTH ASIA PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

6. What three rivers begin in the Himalayas? Indus, Brahmaputra, and Ganges7. What countries do the Himalayas run

through? Nepal and Bhutan8. Where is the Deccan plateau located? South India9. What physical feature do most Indians live

on? Indogangetic plain

INDIA HISTORY AND CULTURE HANDOUT

10. Who were some of the invasions India suffered from? Aryans. Mughal, Gupta, British,

Greeks and Persians 11. What religion did the Mughal Empire

bring to India? Islam 12. What is the period called the Raj? 90 yr

period of British Rule

INDIA HISTORY AND CULTURE HANDOUT13. What was the Green Revolution? Increased crop yields through new technology

and hybrid seeds14. Who are the Aryans? Light skinned ppl from the plains of Iran that

invaded India and brought the Caste System15. Before total control of India, what

influence did Britain have? Total control of trade-British East India

Company

HINDUISM/BUDDHISM

16. Be able to describe the caste system and the four main levels.

 Brahmins- Priests and teachers; Kshatriyas-warriors; Vaisya-Merchants; Sudras-Unskilled Workers and farmers; Dalits-Untouchables

 17. Who founded Buddhism? Siddartha Gautuma 18. Where is the Caste system prevalent today?

Rural Areas

HINDUISM/BUDDHISM

19. What are the three main gods of Hinduism and what are they worshipped for?

 Brahma-Creator; Vishnu-Preserver; Shiva-destroyer

20. What do Buddhists believe is the cause of all suffering? Desire

 21. What do you have to follow to reach

Nirvana? 8 fold path or 4 noble truths

PARTITION OF INDIA AND SO ON

22. Where is Kashmir? What countries are fighting over it? Located in Northern India; China, India, and Pakistan

 23. What religion was Pakistan created

for? Bangladesh? Islam 24. What religion does the majority of

India follow? Hinduism

PARTITION OF INDIA AND SO ON

25. How did Gandhi help India? What religion did he follow? How did he die? Civil disobedience, Satyagraha. He was a Hindu; Assasinated

26. What was the partitioning of India?-When the Muslims had to move to E/W Pakistan after independence

27. Why is Pakistan considered so dangerous? Suicide Bombers, Martial Law, Hideout for terrorists, former assassination of Bhutto

PARTITION OF INDIA AND SO ON

28. What country was formed after Pakistan’s civil war?Bangladesh

 29. How did Gandhi feel about the

Partitioning of India? He wanted all ppl to live as brothers in India

POPULATION EXPLOSION

30. How is India trying to regulate growth?

 Birth Control, encouraging smaller families

31. Why do families prefer boys over girls?

 Work on the farms, carry on the family name

32. Where does India rank in population in the world? 2nd

REMAINING CULTURE SECTIONS OF SOUTH ASIA

33. Which country depends on tourism and foreign aid? Nepal

  34. In which country are the Tamils

and Sinhalese fighting? Sri Lanka  

SOUL OF INDIA

35. What do people use the Ganges for?

 Bathing, cemetery, toilet, religion, etc36. What type of government does

India have, making it the largest in the world? Democracy