Chapter 7South Asia

South Asian Geography

• Triangular shape– Boundaries

• North – Hindu Kush mountains

• South – Indian Ocean

• West Arabian Sea

• East Bay of Bengal

– The seas have served as highways to the world for thousands of years.

– South Asia is also known as the “Indian Subcontinent.”• A subcontinent is a large land mass smaller than a continent.

• Eight nation occupy this region today– Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives

and Afghanistan

Northern Mountains• Himalayas

– 1500 miles of snow capped peaks separate northern and southern Asia.

– Tallest mountains in the world. • At least 50 exceed 5 miles in elevation• Mount Everest

– Mountain Passes• Areas of lower elevation that allow passage through the

mountains• Khyber pass through the Hindu Kush (death) mtns.

– Mountain valleys• Great river systems of the sub continent start in the

mountain valleys• Farmers grow wheat and rice and herders raised goats

(kashmir)

Northern Plains

• Indo-Gangetic plains– Stretches from Pakistan to Bangladesh– 3 river systems bring silt from the Himalayas to

fertilize the plain.• Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra

• Steady source of water

• Long growing season

• Excellent agriculture– Farmers raise wheat, rice and jute (plant use to make twine

or burlap)

– Densely populated. Hundreds of millions of people live in cities on the plain.

India’s Rivers• Indus River

– Principle river of Pakistan’

– Majority of Pakistanis live in river basin

– India’s earliest civilizations developed in the area

– India’s name is derived from Indus which means river.

India’s Rivers

• Ganges River– Begins in an ice cave high in the Himalayas– Joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh– Two rivers diverge into a giant delta in the Bay of

Bengal• Very fertile soil but prone to terrible flooding.

– Rivers are sacred to most S. Asians• Ganges is the most holy river

• Shrines and temples along its banks

• Thousands travel to purify themselves in the river on a yearly basis.

Thar Desert(Great Indian)

• Thar Desert:– Located at the western

end of the N. plains– Covers 100,000 square

miles (approx. size of Colorado)

– Sand dunes, sandy plains and low hills

– Rain fall is scarce but grasses do grow there

– Nomadic herders raise goats and sheep there.

Deccan Plateau• Triangle shaped• High, flat land

– Crossed by many rivers– Low rolling hills– Occupies nearly ½ of S.

Asia– Millions of Farms

• Raise millet, cotton, wheat and rice.

Rice Paddy

Deccan Plateau• Vindhya Mountains

– Separate the Indo-Gangetic plain from the Deccan Plateau.

– Low mountains (Alleghany)

• The Ghats– Low lying mountain ranges

to the east and west of the Plateau.

– Ghat means “pass” in reference to the many passes leading to India’s interior

India Chapter 7 section 2

• Climate and Resources– The Monsoons

• Seasonal winds that dominate the climate of S. Asia• Monsoon means “season” in Arabic.• Monsoons define the 2 seasons of south Asia

– Wet monsoons of summer – arrive in late May or early June» Temps reach 120 degrees – parched land heats the air causing

it to rise. Cool moist sea are flows across the land bring the rains

– Dry monsoons of winter –October – » the cool air from the Northern mountains sinks causing winds

to blow rain back out to sea.» Winds bring clear skies, cool temps and low humidity until

March when temps go on the rise again.

Importance of the Monsoons

• Key to the life of farmers– Plant seeds in the dry

sun-baked earth

– Seed must take root before the downpours begin

– If the monsoon is late, the seeds wither and die.

– If the monsoons bring too much rain, rivers overflow and wash away the crops

– People always welcome the wet monsoons

– Hours after the rains start, the plants spring to life and turn green

Flooding and Storms in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh: one of the most densely populated countries in the world.– 2,838 people per square mile of

land.• U.S. 83 psm

– Most of the population crowded into delta formed by Ganges and Brahmaputra.

• Delta soil is extremely fertile• Farmers plant and harvest 3 crops

per year.• Crops are not enough to support

such large numbers and the country remains one of the poorest in the world.

Tropical Cyclones

• Cyclones– Sweep in from Bay of

Bengal every 5-7 years– Huge waves flood low

lying areas in the Delta– 1991 cyclone killed

140,000 people– Winds reached 140

miles per hour– 20 foot + waves

Rainfall and Vegetation• Rainfall

– Monsoon affect S. Asia unevenly

• West Coast of India has heavy rainfall

– 160 inches per year– Tropical rainforests flourish

• Areas were monsoons have little effect are deserts

– Mountains• Winds from Bay of Bengal

reach Himalayas.• Rises and cools – released as

rain– Heavy rainfall in areas south

of the Himalayas» Bhutan, Bangladesh,

NE India 425+ inches per year.

– “Rain Shadow”• Some mountains get plenty

of rain on one side and almost none on the other.

• Ex. Western Ghats– Coastal region – large

amounts of rain– Deccan plateau receives

only enough to grow low trees and scattered grasses

– Temperature• Vary greatly across the sub-

continent• Mountains and higher

elevations = cold• Most of India is tropical and

has warm temps year round

Natural Resources• Fertile soil– Agriculture

• Soil is wearing out from overuse

• Irrigation– During the dry

monsoon, farmers must irrigate crops from the rivers and dig underground wells

– Wells are 200 feet deep

– Building dams is a major issue in India

• Mineral resources– Iron Ore– Manganese– Bauxite– Cooper– Coal (northern plains)– Mica– Limestone and

gypsum– Lacks Petroleum

Peoples of South Asia• 1.1 billion people +

– One out of every 5 people in the world live there.

– India’s population was 1 billion + as of 2004

– Only China has a larger population

– ¾ of S.Asians depend on farming to make a living

– Most live in villages although cities are growing at an alarming rate.

• Cultural Diversity– People have migrated to the

sub-continent for 1000’s of years

• Europe, Middle East and other parts of Asia

– Cultures vary greatly from place to place

– India has many religious groups

• Hindus

• Muslims

• Christians

• Sikhs

• Buddhists

• others

Languages• Language

– Nepal (size of Illinois)• 13 languages

– India• 700 languages and dialects• Dialect: a regional version

of a language with its own words, expressions and pronunciations

• Most widely spoken language is Hindi.

• India recognizes 15 official languages and 35 major languages

• English is a holdover language from British colonialism and spoken by many Indians.

Sanskrit (Hindu language)

Ch 7 Section 3Early Civilizations of India

• Indus River– India’s first civilizations grew

up along the fertile banks of the Indus river.

– Largest of the worlds early civilization

– 1000 miles in length– Lasted from about 2500 b.c. to

1500 b.c.– Archeological excavation has

uncovered ancient cites.• Examples: Harappa and Mohenjo-

Daro

All Indus valley sites including Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, were built according to a grid pattern plan. Each city had broad parallel streets which crossed each other to divide the city into compact rectangular blocks

Ancient Farming• Cities

– Well structured and organized– Need to feed large Urban

populations– Rulers collected taxes in the

form of food.– Wheat, barley, peas and

sesame.– Cattle, sheep, goats and water

buffaloes.– Probably the first civilization

to grow cotton and domesticate the chicken.

Unsolved Puzzles• Archeologists have made

hundreds of discoveries of clay seals that came from the Indus Valley– Carved pictographs writings– Merchants probably used the

seals to identify goods– Scholars have been unable to

decipher the writings– Statues of women have also been

found indicating that the people of the Indus valley probably worshipped a mother-goddess

– Other animal statues suggest that animals had religious significance (influencing later religions)

Decline of the Indus Civilization• Indus decline

– Why? No one knows for sure– Around 2000 b.c. cities were not

repaired and homes were divided into tenet like apartments

– Some times the cities were abandoned

– Some believed decline was due to invasion.

– Recent studies show that decline was due to natural causes

– Possibly the climate became to dry to support crops or over-farming may have damaged the soilPeople migrated to other parts of the Indian sub-continent

Arrival of the Aryans• Aryans

– Nomadic and warlike people– May have contributed to the

collapse of the original Indus Valley culture

– Swept through the high passes of the Hindu-Kush

– Came from region of the Caucus mtns.

– Came through ME • Learned to make iron tools and

weapons

– Over hundreds of years, Aryans took over Indus valley

• Used Iron weapons and chariots

Aryan Culture• Oral Traditions

– Much of what we know about the Aryans comes from the oral religious traditions known as the Vedas

• Hymns, prayers, rituals used in religious ceremonies

• Composed between 1500 and 1000 b.c.

• Vedas are still part Indian religious tradition

• Recite prayers and rituals during weddings and funerals

• 1 I Laud Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice,The hotar, lavishest of wealth.2 Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient seers.He shall bring. hitherward the Gods.3 Through Agni man obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day by day,Most rich in heroes, glorious.4 Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou encompassest aboutVerily goeth to the Gods.5 May Agni, sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great,The God, come hither with the Gods.6 Whatever blessing, Agni, thou wilt grant unto thy worshipper,

That, Angiras, is indeed thy truth.

Rig Veda Hymn 1

Aryan Worship• Vedas describe many gods.

– Indra: Warrior God• Human characteristics

– Loved to eat and dance

– Varuna: Strict god• Governed the workings of the

universe• Punished sinners

– Aryan Worship• Centered around sacrifices to

the gods• Priests performed sacrifices on

open air alters• Aryans believed that good

sacrifices would be rewarded by the gods

– People would receive wealth, healthy children, long life and success in war

Practice of Sati

Aryan Villages• Aryans settled into villages

– Aryan village life influences Indian culture today

– Farmers and Herders– Placed great value on cattle

• Wealth was measured in terms of numbers of cattle

• Vedas compared cows to the earth

– Milk was the rain – Calf was the sun

• Hereditary chiefs (Rajahs) ruled the villages

• Council of warriors assisted the Rajah.

• Chief priest held great power– He carried out the sacrifices

needed to please the gods.

Social Classes• Aryan social divisions

– 4 classes of people (Varna)• Brahmans – priests

• Kshatriyas – Warriors

• Vaisyas– Landowners, merchants

herders

• Sudras – servants-peasants

– Over time the social classes of the Aryans developed into a more rigid system of “caste”

• Caste is a social group base on birth or family heritage