Chapter Introduction
Section 1: History and
Governments
Section 2: Cultures and
Lifestyles
Visual Summary
Regions South Asia is the
birthplace of several world
religions, such as Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Sikhism.
Islam has a large following in
the region, and there are also
followers of Jainism,
Christianity, and other faiths.
How do religious beliefs
and practices influence
people’s lives?
Section 1:
History and Governments
Geography is used to interpret
the past, understand the present,
and plan for the future.
Civilizations and empires rose and
fell in South Asia, but the religions
that developed centuries ago are
still influential. South Asia’s
countries were also shaped by a
long period of British rule from the
late 1700s until the mid-1900s.
Section 2:
Cultures and Lifestyles
The characteristics and
movements of people impact
physical and human systems.
The people of South Asia belong to
different ethnic groups, speak a
variety of languages, and practice
a number of religions. The rapid
growth of this varied population is
straining the region’s resources
and contributing to widespread
poverty.
Geography is used to interpret the
past, understand the present, and
plan for the future.
Content Vocabulary
• varna
• karma
• caste
• nirvana
• reincarnation
• civil disobedience
• dharma
• boycott
Academic Vocabulary
• status
• capable
• consequence
Hindus believe that the water of the
Brahmaputra River cleanses the body
and the soul. Located near
Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, the
Brahmaputra River is where, on a
specific day, thousands of Hindu
believers take baths to receive
blessings. People believe that on this
holy day, the river contains all the
blessings of all the holy places in the
world. To learn more about
South Asia, read
Section 1.
Do you believe that a river can
cleanse your body and soul?
A. Yes
B. No
A. A
B. B
0%
B
A
0%
Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolent protest Salt March
gained the attention of the world. He led a march to the
seacoast and then defied British law by making salt
from seawater. The British in the early 1900s had a
heavy tax on salt and also a law against Indians
making their own. The march became a step toward
India’s independence from Britain.
Early History
Thousands of years ago,
people in South Asia
developed a complex social
structure, two of the world’s
major religions, and powerful
empires.
Early History (cont.)
• South Asia’s first cities, Harappa and
Mohenjo Daro, appeared in the Indus
River valley by 2500 B.C. and had
structures made of brick, carefully laid-out
streets, plumbing, and sewers.
Early History (cont.)
• The Indus Valley civilization declined
between 1700 B.C. and 1500 B.C., possibly
because of earthquakes, floods, or the
Indus River changing its course.
Indus Valley
Civilization
Early History (cont.)
• About 1500 B.C., nomadic herders known
as Aryans settled in northern South Asia.
• They developed a spoken language called
Sanskrit through which they passed on
hymns and religious teachings.
• When Sanskrit became a written
language, these traditions were recorded
in sacred writings called the Vedas.
Early History
(cont.)
• The Aryans had four broad social groups
called varnas.
• Priests had the highest status, followed by
warriors, farmers, and servants.
• Eventually people were separated by
caste, or social group that someone is
born into and cannot change and that
determines a person’s positions in life.
Early History (cont.)
• Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest
religions.
• Hindus believe that every living being has
a soul that wants to be reunited with
Brahman.
• To achieve this reunion, a soul must
repeatedly undergo reincarnation—being
born into a new body after dying.
Early History (cont.)
• Hindus believe that if they perform their
duty, called dharma, they will earn good
karma, or the consequences of how a
person lives, and will move closer to
Brahman in the next life.
Early History (cont.)
• In the 500s B.C., Buddhism was founded by
a young prince named Siddhartha Gautama
who gave up wealth and family in search of
truth, eventually becoming known as the
Buddha, or “Enlightened One.”
Early History (cont.)
• The Buddha taught that people suffer
because they are too attached to material
things and that by following his Eightfold
Path, they can reach a state of endless
peace and joy called nirvana.
Early History (cont.)
• In the 300s B.C., a prince named
Chandragupta Maurya conquered a large
area in the Ganges River valley called the
Mauryan Empire.
• Chandragupta’s grandson, Aśoka, gained
power in 274 B.C. and expanded the
empire to include almost the entire
subcontinent.
Early History (cont.)
• In the early 1500s, Moguls, or Muslim
warriors, created an empire in South Asia.
• Emperor Akbar added new lands to the
empire, reduced taxes, and improved the
lives of ordinary people.
• Akbar brought peace and order to his
empire by treating all people fairly,
including the Hindu majority.
Early History (cont.)
• Later Mogul rulers weakened the empire.
By the early 1700s, the empire had
collapsed into many different kingdoms.
The following are all features of
Hinduism EXCEPT:
A. Dharma
B. Reincarnation
C. Karma
D. Nirvana
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Modern South Asia
After a period of British rule,
South Asians set up
independent countries during
the 1900s.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• In the 1600s, the East India Company built
a string of trading posts along the coasts
of India, with forts to protect them.
• Through trade and military might, the
British became the dominant power in
South Asia, having colonized most of the
subcontinent by the mid-1880s.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• Many local people felt that the British were
trying to change their culture.
• In 1857 Indian soldiers in the company’s
army rebelled against their British officers.
• The revolt spread across northern India,
but Britain sent more troops and put down
the rebellion, and the British took complete
control of the country.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• By the early 1900s, independence
movements were spreading across
South Asia.
• The popular Indian leader Mohandas
Gandhi protested British rule by nonviolent
civil disobedience—the refusal to obey
unjust laws using peaceful protests—and
by encouraging strikes and boycotts, or
refusal to buy, British goods.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• In 1947 the British government divided
India.
• The mostly Hindu area became India.
• The mostly Muslim area became Pakistan,
which was further divided into West and
East Pakistan.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• In 1971 East Pakistan declared its
independence and became the new
country of Bangladesh.
• Pakistan now includes only the lands
northwest of India.
History at a Glance
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• In 1948 Britain gave independence to the
island of Ceylon which later took back its
ancient name of Sri Lanka.
• Maldives won independence from Britain
in 1965.
• Nepal and Bhutan, two other countries in
the region, had always been free of
European rule.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• India and Pakistan continue to fight over
the ownership of Kashmir in the Himalaya
and Karakoram mountains.
• Each has nuclear weapons.
• Even though they have developed better
relations through peace talks, they have
not been able to settle their dispute over
Kashmir.
Modern South Asia (cont.)
• In Sri Lanka, a civil war began in 1983
between the government and ethnic Tamil
groups who want a separate nation.
• In Nepal, communist rebels have fought
the government since 1996, and the
country’s king has limited his powers
under pressure from democratic groups.
Which region is India and Pakistan
fighting over?
A. Kashmir
B. Nepal
C. Bhutan
D. Maldives
A. A
B. B
0% C.
0% C0%
A
D.B DC
0%
D
The characteristics and movements
of people impact physical and human
systems.
Content Vocabulary
• dzong
• sitar
• sari
Academic Vocabulary
• ongoing
• primary
• contemporary
In Jaipur, India, elephants are decorated with
bright colored paint, fancy cloth, and jewelry
for the Elephant Festival. The festival is held
on the day before the celebration of Holi.
This is the Indian festival of colors when
people welcome the coming of spring.
Spectators watch elephant races and polo
matches and even an elephant tug-of-war, in
which elephants compete against men. Read
the next section to learn more about the
people and cultures of South Asia.
Would you consider marrying a
person chosen for you?
A. Yes
B. No
0%
C
A
0%
A. A
B. B
C.0%C
B
C. Maybe
In rural India, women artists and craft makers have
begun marketing their creations to large corporations
that have gift-giving needs. The women earn muchneeded income and self-esteem, the purchasing
companies improve the rural economy, and those who
receive the gifts have a handmade treasure of quality
and beauty.
The People of South Asia
South Asia’s population has
grown rapidly in the past 100
years.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• South Asia, with nearly 1.5 billion people,
includes three of the world’s seven most
populous nations—India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh.
• Ongoing population growth presents major
challenges for South Asia.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• Reasons for South Asia’s dramatic
population growth are improved medical
and health care, which lowered death
rates, and continued high birthrates.
• In the 1990s alone, India’s population rose
by 175 million people.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• Population densities in the region are very
high.
• India averages 869 people per square mile
(336 per sq. km), and Bangladesh, South
Asia’s most densely populated nation, has
2,594 people per square mile (1,001 per
sq. km).
• In comparison, the United Sates averages
80 people per square mile (31 per sq. km).
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• River valleys are densely settled, but
desert areas have few inhabitants.
• More than two-thirds of South Asians live
in rural areas, but the region also has large
and growing cities such as Mumbai with
more than 19 million people.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• South Asia’s cities are packed with buyers
and sellers and vehicles ranging from carts
to cars.
• Skyscrapers and modern apartments are
signs of urban wealth and the growing
middle class, but poverty is widespread, as
evidenced by inadequate housing,
homelessness, and begging.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• Unemployment, pollution, disease, crime,
and lack of clean water are common
problems in urban slums.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• Farmland is limited in mountainous Nepal
and Bhutan and on the sandy islands of
the Maldives.
• Elsewhere, overcrowding has reduced the
size of the land plots that farmers can
work.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• Inefficient farming methods lead to low
crop yields, so millions of people barely
grow enough food to feed their own
families.
• Rural villages in South Asia may also lack
safe drinking water and electricity.
The People of South Asia
(cont.)
• A well-known ethnic group in South Asia,
the Sherpa, whose ancestors came from
Tibet, are a farming people; but because of
their remarkable endurance in high
altitudes, many Sherpa are hired to guide
climbing expeditions or to carry the gear
and supplies on such trips.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• South Asia’s people speak 19 major
languages and hundreds of local dialects.
In India alone, the government officially
recognizes 15 languages.
• About half of India’s people speak Hindi as
their primary, or major, language.
The People of South Asia (cont.)
• Urdu is Pakistan’s official language, and
Bengali is the official language of
Bangladesh.
• English is also widely spoken in the parts
of South Asia that were once under British
rule.
Technological advances have raised
living standards through the
following EXCEPT:
A. Better schools
B. Paved roads
C. Social security
D. Electricity
0%
A
A.
B.
C.
0%
D.
B
A
B
C
0%
D
C
0%
D
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life
Religious and cultural
traditions in South Asia are
thousands of years old.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Hinduism, the most widely practiced
religion in South Asia, influences the daily
life of about 800 million Indians.
• Islam is the second-largest faith in the
region.
• India’s Muslims and Hindus have sometimes
clashed, but India has a secular, or
nonreligious, government and Muslims’
rights are protected under the law.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Buddhism’s importance is fading in India,
but it remains strong in Sri Lanka, Nepal,
and Bhutan.
• In Bhutan, dzongs, or Buddhist centers of
prayer and study, have shaped the country’s
art and culture.
The Spread of Buddhism
in Asia
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Sikhism was founded in the early 1500s.
• Most of South Asia’s Sikhs live in
northwestern India, and many want an
independent Sikh state there.
• Jainism has about 4 million followers in
India and 100,000 elsewhere in South Asia.
• Small Christian communities also exist in
some urban areas of India.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• For thousands of years, artists and
craftspeople in South Asia have created
paintings, stone and metal sculptures,
jewelry, pottery, fine carpets, and colorful
silk and cotton textiles.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Painters have been inspired by sacred
writings. Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh
architects built beautiful temples across
the region.
• Muslims, too, built beautiful mosques, forts,
and palaces in South Asia.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• One of India’s greatest poems is the
Mahabharata.
• Written down about 100 B.C., the
Mahabharata is the longest poem in any
written language, and it describes a
great war.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Most of India’s traditional dance styles
involve themes from Hinduism or heroic
tales.
• Classical Indian music usually features the
sitar, a stringed instrument.
• Contemporary South Asian music reflects
the growing influence of Western styles,
such as rock and roll.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Moviemaking is a booming business in
the region.
• The city of Mumbai, nicknamed
“Bollywood,” is the center of the Indian
film industry.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Marriage in South Asia is viewed as the
joining of two families, so parents often
arrange marriages for their children.
• After a woman marries, she becomes
part of her husband’s family.
• In India and Pakistan, several
generations often live together in the
same house.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Western-style clothing is popular in South
Asian cities, but many women people still
dress in traditional garments such as the
sari, or long, rectangular cloth draped
gracefully around the body.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Religious beliefs influence diet in South
Asia.
• Hindus do not eat beef, Muslims do not
eat pork, and the Jain do not eat any
meat.
• Dishes have spicy sauces and are served
with rice or flat breads.
• Tea and flavored yogurt drinks are favorite
beverages.
Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life (cont.)
• Two of the most popular sports, field
hockey and cricket, were introduced by the
British during the colonial era.
What is the second-largest faith in the
South Asian region?
A. Hinduism
B. Buddhism
C. Islam
D. Christianity
A. A
B. B
0%C.0%C 0%
A
D.B D C
0%
D
History
• Powerful Buddhist and Hindu empires ruled early
South Asia.
• Britain controlled much of South Asia from the 1700s
to the mid-1900s.
• British India was divided into the
independent countries of India
and Pakistan in 1947. Bangladesh,
once East Pakistan, won its
independence in 1971.
• Other countries of South Asia
are Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka,
and Maldives.
Population
• Population growth presents major challenges to
South Asia.
• Most South Asians live
in rural areas, but many
cities have large
populations.
• Cities in South Asia
reflect both wealth and
poverty.
Ethnic and Language Groups
• South Asia is a region of many ethnic and cultural
groups and languages.
• India has 15 official languages, but Hindi is the
most widely used.
Religion and the Arts
• Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism are major South
Asian religions.
• Temples and mosques are examples of religious
influences on South Asia’s architecture.
Daily life
• Family life is important in South Asia.
• Housing in the region varies from slum dwellings
to modern high-rise apartments.
• Religious rules have an effect on diet in
South Asia.
• South Asians enjoy sports
such as field hockey
and cricket.
Answers will vary but
should show
contrasting point
of view.
varna
one of the four broad classes of
human society under Hinduism
caste
social class a person is born into and
cannot change
reincarnation
belief that after a person dies, his or
her soul is reborn into another body
dharma
duty in Hinduism
karma
belief in Hinduism that one’s actions
in past lives determine the spiritual
level into which one is reborn
nirvana
state of perfect peace and an end to
the cycle of rebirth; the goal of
following the Eightfold Path in
Buddhism
civil disobedience
use of nonviolent protests to
challenge a government or its laws
boycott
to refuse to buy items from a
particular country
status
position or rank in relation to others
capable
able to do one’s job well
consequence
result
dzong
Buddhist center of prayer and study
sitar
long-necked instrument with seven
strings on the outside and ten inside
the neck that provides Indian music
with a distinctive sound
sari
traditional clothing for women in India;
a long rectangular piece of cloth that
can be draped around the body in
several different ways
ongoing
in progress
primary
main or most important
contemporary
of the present time, modern
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