Chapter 26
Today’s Issues
South Asia
Objective: Examine that
South Asia face serious
issues, & are actively seeking
solutions to their problems
Chapter 26 Section 1
Population Explosion
Vocabulary: Basic Necessities
& Illiteracy
Objective: Analyze why population
growth in India is difficult to
manage
Growing Pains
• India’s population is soaring
above 1 billion but it still
lacks life’s basic necessities
– food, clothing, & shelter
• India’s population is continuing
to skyrocket, although it doesn’t
have the land to hold properly
accommodate all its citizens
• Widespread poverty &
illiteracy (inability to read &
write) are serious issues in
India
• Poor sanitation & lack of health
education have led to outbreaks
of diseases
Managing Population Growth
• India’s health-care system is
encouraging people to have
smaller families
• To poor families, children can be
used as a source of income (begging
for money & working in the fields)
• Infant mortality rate is extremely
high in India
• Education is essential to break
the cycle of poverty & provide
South Asians with means to
raise their standard to living
• The future of South Asia depends on
the success of its efforts to control
population growth
Chapter 26 Section 2
Living with Extreme Weather
Vocabulary: Summer Monsoon
& Winter Monsoon
Objective: Learn how the monsoons
affect South Asians
The Monsoon Seasons
• Summer Monsoon is a wind
system that blows air from
the southwest across the
Indian Ocean toward South
Asia
• These winds stir up powerful
storms that release vast
amounts of rain & cause severe
flooding
• Winter Monsoon is a wind
system that blows from
northeast across the
Himalayas toward the sea
• Sometimes this can result in a
brought if the summer monsoon
didn’t bring enough moisture
Impact of the Monsoons
• Monsoons held nourish the
rainforests, irrigate crops, & provide
sediment to replenish the soil
• However, monsoons bring
cyclones that destroy
farmland, wipe out villages, &
cause massive flooding
• India has to import food depending
on the effects of the monsoon season
• Homes & farms are destroyed
due to catastrophic monsoons
• India does receive international aid
but it doesn’t do much due to
monsoons reoccurrence
Case Study
How Can India & Pakistan resolve
their dispute over Kashmir?
Objective: Describe the
controversy over Kashmir &
examine the threat of nuclear war
A Controversy Over Territory
• In 1947, the British government
formally ended its colonial rule &
divided the Indian subcontinent
into two independent countries
• However, Kashmir had a unique
population
• Kashmir was mainly Muslim
but its leader was Hindu
• Pakistan & India went to war
over Kashmir
• Currently India & Pakistan
each control part of the
disputed territory
• The Indus Valley flows through
Kashmir which makes it a
strategic prize
A Nuclear Nightmare
• In 1998, India & Pakistan
both tested nuclear
weapons
• The rest of the world feared a
nuclear war over Kashmir
• However, both nations
vowed to seek a political
solution to the conflict
• Resolving the status of
Kashmir would offer the
people of India, Pakistan,
& Kashmir the peace they
need to begin improving
the quality of their lives