World Regional Geography
April 21, 2010
Reading:
Marston Chapter 10
pages 472-503, 506-508
Goode’s World Atlas
pages 189-199, 201-213
(East, Southeast,
and South Asia)
Takstang Monastery, Bhutan
South Asia
1. Political Boundaries
A. Physiographic Regions
2. History
A.
B.
C.
D.
Empires
British Imperialism
Independence & Partition
Afghanistan, Nepal, &
Bhutan
E. Geopolitical Hotspots
3. Population Characteristics
4. Environmental History
and Issues
5. Culture and Ethnicity
6. Economic Development
NASA Satellite Imagery
Political Boundaries
Physiographic Regions
• Peninsular Highlands
• Deccan Plateau
• The Mountain Rim
• Fertile valleys & isolated
villages
• The Plains
• Most densely populated
• Major rivers systems
• Agriculturally productive
• The Coastal Fringe
• Includes island nations
• Number of large cities
History
• Mauryan Empire (320 – 125 BC)
• Emperor Asoka introduced Buddhist principles of
vegetarianism and nonviolence.
• Gupta Empire (320 – 480 AD)
• Classical period of Hindu development
• Advancements in science, art, and trade.
Mughal India (1504-1707)
• Turks moving east to
evade Mongols
• Islamic rule
• Further advances in art,
science, and architecture.
• Collapse of Mughal Empire
left South Asia open for
European colonialism.
British Imperialism
• 1690s – Europeans
establish trading posts.
• British East India Co.
• Portuguese forced out
• 1773 - administrative
control of India
• The Raj – British Rule
• Emerged in reaction to
revolts of 1857.
• Social reform
• Infrastructure
• Universities
• Plantations
** Nepal and Bhutan remained independent
History: Independence & Partition
• British India divided along ethnic and
religious lines.
• India (Hindu)
• East and West Pakistan (Islamic)
• Islamic Kashmir joined India.
• Largest refugee movement ever recorded.
• Ceylon achieves independence in 1948.
• The Maldives achieve independence in 1968.
• East & West Pakistan split in 1971
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
Afghanistan, Nepal, & Bhutan
• Afghanistan
• Founded in 1747 by Pashtun tribal leaders
(Durrani Empire)
• 19th Century: British influence
• 1919: Full independence from Britain following
3rd Anglo-Afghan War
• Cold War Politics
•
•
•
1978: Communist government reforms, Rural Islamic
militants
1979: Soviets invade to support communist
government, US supports Afghan mujahideen.
1989: Soviets withdraw
• 1996: Taliban takes control
Afghanistan, Nepal, & Bhutan
• Nepal
• United in 1768 (formerly 3 separate kingdoms)
• 1768-1951 Monarchy
• 1996-2006 Civil War (Maoists rebels)
• Bhutan
• United in 1907 under a single Monarch
• In previous centuries minor Bhutanese fiefdoms
repelled Tibetan and Mongol invaders.
• Democracy emerged in the last 10 years
• Last nation on earth to introduce television
(1999).
Festival of Tihar (Nepal)
The Festival of Tihar (The festival of Lights) honors the Goddess Laxmi,
the goddess of wealth. The second day of the festival is called “Kukar
Tihar” (dogs day), during which dogs are honored for the role they play
in society.
http://www.nepalhomepage.com/society/festivals/tihar.html
Ethnicity & Nationalism
• Areas of Political
Tension
• The Punjab
• Sikh separatists
• Kashmir
• Pakistan
• Mohajir Quami
Movement
• Bhutan
• Nepali immigrants
• Sri Lanka
• Tamil tigers
• India
• Ethnic separatist
movements
Jammu and Kashmir
• 1947 Independence from Britain
• 77% Muslim
• Maharaja attempted to achieve independence
• India helped repel Pakistani invasion
• Chinese claim
• Border agreements
•
•
•
•
Afghanistan
Great Britain
Tibet
USSR
• Mao did not agree
• Current concerns
• Nuclear capabilities
Population Density
• Plains regions
• Coastal cities
• Bangladesh
• Ganges delta
Population Characteristics
Region
Population
(Millions)
Birth
Rate
Death
Rate
Natural
Increase
(%)
Net
Migration
Rate
Projected
Pop. Change
(2050)
South Asia
1,534
24
7
1.7
0
+53%
Region
IMR
TFR
% Pop
<15
% Pop
>65
Life
Expectancy
Male
Female
South Asia
57
2.9
33
5
64
63
65
Region
HIV/AIDS
%
% Urban
GNI PPP
(US$)
South Asia
0.25
29%
2,770
• 2nd largest regional population – fastest growing
• 50 cities of 1 million+ population (yet mostly rural)
• Afghanistan is an outlier
• Life Expectancy = 44, Infant Mortality = 155/10000
Population Policies
• Fear of food and water shortages, mass starvation,
and food riots due to:
• Rural poverty
• Rapidly growing cities
• High fertility rates
• India implemented several unsuccessful population
policies beginning in 1952.
• Relied on punishments
• People distrustful of family planning programs
• Newer policies place emphasis on educating women
• Improvement in status and wealth
• Linked to lower birth rates
South Asian Diaspora
• 5 to 6 million South Asians live in Europe, Africa, and
North America
• British abolition of slavery led to need for cheap labor.
• Brain drain
• Britain, North America
• Students remaining in U.S. and Europe
Environmental History & Issues
• Monsoons
• Torrential seasonal rainfall (79–158 inches)
• Flooding, especially in Bangladesh
• Population Pressure
• Deforestation
• Fuel
• Room for agriculture
• Overuse of water
• Pollution
• Water pollution
• Poor sanitation
• Air pollution
• Major cities
Culture & Ethnicity
• Language
• 1,600 different languages
• Four Major Families
• Indo-European
• India: Hindi
• Pakistan: Punjabi
• Bangladesh: Bengali
• Munda
• Tribal tongue spoken in
remote peninsular hill
regions
• Dravidian
• Southern India, Sri Lanka
• Tibeto-Burmese
• Scattered across the
Himalayan region
Culture & Ethnicity
• Religion
• Hinduism
• India
• Nepal
• Islam
•
•
•
•
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Maldives
• Buddhism
• Bhutan
• Sri Lanka
• Jain
• Sikh
Culture
• The Caste System (India)
• Kinship Grouping
•
•
•
•
•
•
Language, region, and occupation
Born into caste
Marriage within same caste
Norms of interaction between classes
Brahmins (religious leaders) at the top
Untouchables at the bottom
• Contemporary Culture
• Large middle class
• Bollywood
• Worldwide impact
• Mysticism and yoga
• Food - curry
Economic Development
• India: World’s largest democracy
• 10th largest industrial sector
• 1992 instituted reforms to open up economy
• Rapid middle class growth
• 200 million: well-educated, sophisticated consumers
• 1992: Structural Economic Reforms
• Increase in manufacturing
• Increase in foreign investment
• Uneven economic development
• Development in urban areas
• Rural areas continue to decline
• Shift in agriculture to lucrative export crops
• Local foods more scarce and more expensive
Poverty and Inequality
• Over 400 million live in poverty
• Women and children are more vulnerable
• Large populations in shantytowns
• Both rural and urban populations at risk
• Emerging middle class stands in stark
contrast