SOUTH

ASIA

WARM-UP 4/7- NAME 3 PHYSICAL

FEATURES THAT YOU THINK ARE
IMPORTANT TO THE REGION.

SOUTH ASIA
Subcontinent- a large landmass that is smaller than a
continent
South Asia is sometimes called a subcontinent or the Indian
subcontinent
South Asia includes the following countries:
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and
the Maldives
The region has more than one billion inhabitants- 1/5 of the
worlds population

SOUTH ASIA
Millions of years ago, the land of South Asia was part of East
Africa.
It split off and drifted northward and collided with Central
Asia
The collision created the Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayan Mountains contain the worlds highest
mountains
Mt. Everest- the worlds tallest peak
The Hindu Kush mountains are at the west end of the
Himalayas

SOUTH ASIA
Southern Plateaus
The Deccan Plateau
Covers a lot of India
Arid region

SOUTH ASIA
Rivers, Deltas, and Plains
Three great river systems
Indus
Ganges
Brahmaputra

Have their origins in the Himalayas

Fertile plains
These rivers provide crucial irrigation for agricultural lands
Alluvial Plains- lands that are rich farmlands
Indo-Gangetic Plain- one of the worlds most fertile farming
regions and one of the most heavily populated in India

SOUTH ASIA
Off shore islands Sri Lanka
Tear shaped island off the coast of India

The Maldives
Archipelago- group of islands

SOUTH ASIA
Natural Resources
South Asia is home to a wide variety of natural resources
Rich soil for agriculture
Waterways provide transportation
Forests provide timber
Minerals

SOUTH ASIA
Climate and vegetation
Climate regions: tropical wet, tropical wet and dry, desert,
semiarid, humid subtropical, highland
Vegetation: Tropical rain forest, tropical grassland, desert and
dry shrub, temperate grassland, deciduous and mixed forest,
highland

SOUTH ASIA
Monsoons and Cyclones
Monsoons- seasonal winds
October-February, dry winds blow across South Asia from the
northeast
June-September, the winds blow in from the southwest,
bringing moist ocean air
Heavy rains fall, especially in southwestern and Ganges Delta
portions of South Asia

The rainfall is crucial to life on the subcontinent, but the

monsoons can cause severe hardship for millions

SOUTH ASIA
Monsoons and Cyclones
Cyclones- a violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rain
Most destructive in Bangladesh
A severe cyclone can cause widespread damage and kill
thousands

WHERE IN THE
WORLD WEDNESDAY

WHERE IN THE
WORLD WEDNESDAY
1. What landmark is it?
1. Taj Mahal
2. Where is it located?
1. India
3. Which culture created it?
1. Commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan to house the remains of his cherished wife
4. Why was it created?
1. It was built to house the remains of his cherished wife
5. What defining characteristics standout to you?

NOTABLE PHYSICAL
FEATURES

Ganges River
Himalayas
Indus River Valley

Assignment- use your atlas and/or textbook to fill out the

graphic organizer

GANGES RIVER

Location
Located in northern India, the river flows form the
Himalayas eastward to the Bay of Bengal
Calcutta is a major population center
How does the physical environment affect settlement
patterns in this area?
High population density along the river and its delta region
due to water accessibility and fertile lands
Water provides irrigation for agriculture

HIMALAYAS

Location
Located along the countries of Pakistan, India, Nepal, and
Bhutan
Southern boundary of the Plateau of Tibet
Tallest mountains in the world
How does the physical environment affect settlement
patterns in this area?
Remote landlocked villages
Lack of mobility and trade routes decrease the amount of
settlement

INDUS RIVER VALLEY

Location
Located in Pakistan, the Indus River flows from the
Himalayas to the Arabian Sea through the valley
Karachi is a major port city
How does the physical environment affect settlement
patterns in this area?
Large population centers
Fertile soils and rich alluvial plains

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Brahmaputra River
Indus River
Ganges River
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal

WARM-UP 4/8
What physical features affect settlement
patterns in South Asia? How do they
affect settlement patterns in the region?

INDIA

Ganges River and Deccan Plateau promote settlement

Great Indian Desert does not promote settlement
Monsoons create a wet and dry season
Fertile soils (forests and plains)
Coal, iron ore, natural gas, arable land
Most people are in agriculture
Major population areas- Delhi- Ganges Plain, Calcuttanear the mouth of the Ganges, Chennai and Mumbaicoastal cities
Issues- soil erosion, air pollution, water pollution, growing
population overstraining natural resources

NEPAL

Himalayas do not promote settlement

Highlands and humid subtropical
Affected by monsoons
Resources- Quartz and water
Most people are involved in agriculture
Population areas- Kathmandu-capital
Issues- deforestation, polluted water, agricultural runoff,
landlocked

THE MALDIVES

Coral islands- not heavily populated area

Tropical affected by monsoons
Resources- fish
Most people involved in agriculture, tourism is also a large
economic activity
Population area- Male- capital city
Issues- tsunami devastation, climate change

SRI LANKA

Island nation
Tropical, affected by monsoons
Resources- limestone, granite, uranium
Most people involved in agriculture
Population center- Colombo the capital
Issues- Deforestation, climate change, pollution

PAKISTAN

Indus River Valley promotes settlement

Mountains in north limit settlement
Mostly hot, dry climate and arctic in the north limits
settlement away form the Indus River Valley
Resources- land and natural gas
Most people are involved in agriculture
Population centers- Karachi (coastal, Arabian Sea), Lahore
(northeast near Indian border)
Issues- water pollution and limited freshwater

BANGLADESH

Brahmaputra River delta promotes settlement

Tropical climate, mild winters, hot summers, affected by
monsoons

Resources- natural gas, arable land

Most people work in agriculture
Population centers- Dhaka (capital)- along the river near
the bay
Issues- flood prone lands have heavy populations, water
pollution, soil degradation, severe overpopulation

WARM-UP 4/13- WHAT MAJOR RELIGIONS

ARE PRACTICED IN SOUTH ASIA?

CULTURAL HEARTH
Early cultures developed along Indus River
Major religions emerged
Hinduism
Buddhism
Islam

HINDUISM

Not just a religion- also

determines social and economic
elements
Hindu Religion
Major faith of India and Nepal
Forms of worship differ by
region
Over 33,333 gods due to
the different denominations
Complicated faith without a
uniformly accepted belief
system

BASIC HINDU BELIEFS

Reincarnation
Living things have souls, upon death
souls transfer into new living creature
Karma
Every action brings certain results
No escaping consequences of ones
actions
Dharma
Set of rules that need to be followed to be
reincarnated up a caste

BUDDHISM
Philosophy that began in India
Based on the teaching of Siddhartha
Gautama (Buddha)
Objects to the harsh features of
Hinduism based on caste
Focus on knowledge- esp. self
knowledge
Eliminate worldly desires- peaceful
Goal to reach enlightenmentreincarnated until fully reached

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTH

Life is difficult
All hardships and suffering comes
from inappropriate desire
To avoid suffering, avoid
inappropriate craving
To stop inappropriate craving,
follow the Eightfold Noble Path.

THE EIGHTFOLD NOBLE PA

Proper
Proper
Proper
Proper
Proper
Proper
Proper
Proper

views
aspirations
speech
conduct
livelihood
effort
mindfulness
meditation

ISLAM
Arrival of Islam
Around 700 A.D. Arab
armies conquered
lower Indus Valley
Mughal Empire, a
powerful Muslim state,
dominated
Conversion in
northwest (Pakistan)
and Northeast
(Bangladesh) and
island nations
(Maldives/Sri Lanka)

OTHER RELIGIONS
Jainism
Religion that emerged around 500 B.C. as protest
to orthodox Hinduism
Stressed extreme non-violence
Sikhism
Faith incorporating elements of Hinduism and
Islam
Monotheistic and believes in reincarnation
Originated in Punjab in 1400s
Sikh men noted for work as soldiers and
bodyguards

OTHER RELIGIONS
Zoroastrian
Ancient religion focusing on struggle between good
and evil
Found in Mumbai area
Christians
British missionaries converted animists to
Protestantism

LEARNING TASK
Fill in the boxes with the following religion:
Big boxes: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism
Small boxes: Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity
For each religion:
Write one sentence summarizing the major ideas.
Draw one picture associated with the religion
Write where you find it

Hinduism

Islam

Buddhism

Zoroastrianism
Sikhism

Jainism
Christianity

Comparison of Hinduism and Islam

Hindus tend to be vegetarians
(ahimsa and reincarnation
beliefs foster this)
Cows are sacred animals
Believe in reincarnation
Brahman, if it is God, is an
impersonal one
Follow caste system no
social or religious mobility
within one lifetime
Formerly practiced sati
(widow would throw herself on
husbands funeral pyre)
Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree,

Muslims see Hindus as

polytheistic infidels not to be
tolerated
Muslims eat meat (cows)
not pork
Muslims are strict
monotheists
Muslims believe in a personal
God
Muslims reject the concept of
castes equality of believers
Reject reincarnation

WARM-UP 4/14
A caste system is the way the people in the
Indus River Valley civilization were divided up
into social classes.
Using the groups (jocks, artsy students, etc., I
know its stereotypical) that exist in Ellison High
School, create the way you believe the caste
system here would go. Must include 6 different
levels.

EARLY
HISTORY

EARLY HISTORY
Started out as civilization with many nomadic
tribes spread throughout
Aryans invaded.
Aryans were a race mixed from Indo-European
races
Rajas fought one another trying to gain more
power and area.

POLITICAL SYSTEMS

Mauryan Dynasty
First Indian Dynasty
Came together to protect themselves
from Alexander the Great
Asoka
Kind ruler
Led to India becoming major crossroads

ECONOMICS
Focused on farming
Silk Road
Helped with trade to Mesopotamia and China

 Science:

CONTRIBUTIONS

Knew Earth was a sphere and rotated

on axis
Knew it revolved around the sun

Algebra:

Aryabhata discovered it
Concept of zero

Sanskrit: writing
system began by
Aryan scribes.
Vedas: Hindu hymns
and religious
ceremonies

SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Family is very important
Grandparents, parents and children all lived
together
Oldest male had say in the household
Womens dominance by man
Only males could inherit property, unless
special situations
Divorce not allowed
Suttee

CASTE SYSTEM
Social

hierarchy
began in Ancient
India
Based on Hindu
faith
Classes were
determined based
off of birth

You were born into

your caste and
couldnt move up
Belief in
reincarnation- able
to move up if live
life well

CASTE SYSTEM

Different castes had

different jobs and roles in
Brahman
society
Priests and
Teachers

Kshatriya
Rulers and warriors
Vaishya
Working class- trade, business, officials
Sudra
Peasants, artisans, and manual workers
Untouchables
Dirty jobs- Outcasts- Dalits

CASTE SYSTEM
Caste

system ruled Indian society for thousands of

years
During colonization by Europeans the caste system
was used to help governments control people
In 1947 the Indian government got rid of the
mandatory separation of classes
Today, the idea of caste system is banned, but is still
evident in the way that society interacts

TODAYS ACTIVITY
Fill out the caste system. For each box:
Write the name of the class
Explain the jobs associated with this class
Pick one of the following assignments for
each level.
Be sure to label which class you are doing
in which box!
1 Draw a picture of what someone in this
social class dresses like
2- write two sentences describing how you
feel about other classes
3- create a timeline detailing what your
typical day would look like as someone of
this particular class
4- explain how religion is important to
someone in this class
5- draw a picture of you at work in this
class

HISTORYCOLONIZATION
The British colonized the region in the late 1800s to exploit
the abundant natural resources
Indians tried to fight against British rule, but were
unsuccessful and they were placed under a system called
the British Raj- as a result many Indians were discriminated
against and lived in poverty
Mohandas K. Gandhi led revolution against British control in
the 1930s and 40s.
India achieved independence in 1947
Gandhi used nonviolent resistance- a protest movement that
does not use violence to achieve its goals.

HISTORYCOLONIZATION/PARTITION
The end of British rule in 1947 brought partition- or division
of British India
After the British left India, Pakistan split from India and a few
years later Pakistan itself divided to create Bangladesh
Partition led to a lot of violence between Muslims and Hindus
About 1 million people died in the conflict

MODERN DAY
Modern day challenges include poverty, overcrowding,
ethnic/religious conflicts, and economic development.
India is the second most populated nation in the world with
over 1.2 billion
India spends a lot of its annual health-care budget
encouraging Indians to have smaller families
Education- essential to break the cycle of poverty and
provide South Asians with the means to raise their standard
of living

INDIA
India became a democratic republic in 1950
Population of more than 1 billion- the worlds largest
democracy
Like the U.S.- India has a federation of states held together
by a strong central government
Like Britain- they have a parliamentary democracy
The leader of the majority party in parliament becomes prime
minister and head of the government

INDIA
Many different ethnic, cultural, and religious factors
influence politics
Hindus and MuslimsIndia is mainly
Hindu, but do have
a large number of
Muslims therefore
they must take their
interests into account

INDIA
Economics
Another challenge of India is to promote economic growth
and raise standards of living
India has one of the worlds largest income, but per capita
income is low
About half of Indias people live in poverty
About two-thirds rely on farming- majority of farms are very
small
The Green Revolution- scientists introduced new farming
techniques and higher-yielding grain varieties to improve
production

INDIA
Cotton textiles are also very important in India
India is also a major producer of iron and steel, chemicals,
machinery, and food products

INDIA
Modern life
Marriage and family are at the center of Indian life
Families are large
Some still have arranged marriages
Marriage is male-dominated
Divorce is rare
Most Indians eat a vegetarian diet based on rice, legumes,
and flatbreads
Some Indians eat meat, fish, and chicken, often in spicy
dishes called curry

INDIA
Modern life
Popular sports- soccer, field hockey, and cricket
As the economy changes, more people are finding work in
factories and offices
Education is important for change in India
Literacy rate has risen steadily since the 1950s
In slum areas- literacy rates are low and school attendance is
irregular
Government has placed a high priority on improving public
education

INDIA
Culture
Many languages- more than 1,000 languages and dialects
are spoken in India
Hindi is the official language and English is widely spoken too
Hinduism- the most influential factor in India
Make up 80% of population
They believe in many gods and reincarnation- rebirth of souls
and death
Karma
Caste system- system of social classes- the Brahmans
(priests and scholars), the Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors),
the Vaisyas (farmers and merchants, and the Sudras (artisans
and laborers)

PAKISTAN AND
BANGLADESH
Economy
Large, rapidly growing populations
Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world
Subsistence farming- many families rely on what they grow
themselves
Indus Valley- farmers here grow enough cotton and rice to
allow for export
Fishing is also important for their economy

PAKISTAN AND
BANGLADESH
Neither are highly industrialized, but both countries are
trying to increase their industrial base
Exports- cotton garments, wool carpets, and leather goods

PAKISTAN AND
BANGLADESH
Most of the people here are Muslims
The countries differ somewhat in their Islamic practices
Pakistan is stricter in imposing Islamic law on citizens
Women are not allowed to have contact with men who are not
relatives, when women appear in public they must have wear
veils
In Bangladesh it is not as common

PAKISTAN AND
BANGLADESH
Pakistan is more diverse
They have five major ethnic groups and each has their own
language and regional areas in the country
In Bangladesh most people are Bengalis

PAKISTAN AND
BANGLADESH
Life revolves around the family
Arrange marriages are common and families tend to be large
Most people live in small villages, in simple homes made of
materials like sub-baked mud, bamboo, or wood
The large cities are busy places, with crowded traffic and
people

PAKISTAN AND
BANGLADESH
Poetry is important and traditions of oral literature is strong
Music and dance is also important
Tradition of folk dances with elaborately costumed dancers
act out Bengali myths, legends, and stories

NEPAL AND BHUTAN

Both are located in the Himalayas
The mountains have helped to keep these countries isolated
Both countries have constitutional monarchies- kingdoms in
which ruler's powers are limited by a constitution
Governments challenges- balance interest of two powerful
neighbors, China and India

NEPAL AND BHUTAN

Economy Decades of isolation and difficult topography have limited
economic growth
They have limited natural resources
They rely heavily on agriculture- most farm plots are small
because of the rough terrain
Timber industry is important
Most trade is with India
Increasing tourism- Himalayas are poplar for tourists

NEPAL AND BHUTAN

Rich cultural traditions Various ethnic groups life here
Religious customs- religion is important
Hinduism and Buddhism are the most common religions
Folk art and festivals are popular
Artisans make metal bells, swords, and jewelry
They also weave colorful textiles from silk, cotton, and wool
People celebrate and perform dances based on religious
stories

SRI LANKA AND THE

MALDIVES
Religion and ethnicity are key factors
Buddhists- 75% of population
Hindus- 18% of population
Muslims- 7%
Also a small community of Christians

SRI LANKA AND THE

MALDIVES
Economy
Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia
Economies are mainly based on agriculture
Sri Lanka is one of the worlds leading tea-producing
countries
Sri Lanka is also famous for gemstones- including sapphires,
rubies, and topaz

SRI LANKA AND THE

MALDIVES
Economy of the Maldives is a little bit different
Farming is limited by lack of land
Most food is imported
Fishing is one of the main economic activities
Tourism is the main economic activity

SRI LANKA AND THE

MALDIVES
Challenges
1980s- civil war in Sri Lanka and the tourist industry
collapsed
War damaged the countrys infrastructure

ASSIGNMENT 4/14
Create a timeline to show the history of South Asia.
You should have information for
1. Early Civilizations
2. Empires
3. Colonization/partition
4. Modern day
You need to describe each era AND include an illustration to
represent each era.

WARM-UP 4/15

 The Ganges River

A trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through the
nations of India and Bangladesh
The Ganges is considered to be the most sacred river in
the Hindu religion
Hindus visit the river daily to offer flowers and food to
Ganga Ma or Mother Ganges
They also drink the water and bathe in the river to cleanse
and purify their sins
Hindus also bring their dead to the river for cremation
along its banks and afterward their ashes are spread in the
river. In some cases their corpses are thrown into the river.