India and Its Neighbors

Where in the world?

• India

• Sri Lanka

• Bangladesh

• Nepal

• Pakistan

• Bhutan

Indian subcontinent

• Geographers believe it was an island below Asia

• Plate tectonics squished them together

• Edges folded into Himalayan Mountains

Himalayas• World’s tallest mountains

• Separate India from China

• Caused isolation

• Kept outsiders away (gathered on

the edges and melted together)

• United the native people

Deccan Plateau

• Flat plateau in southern India

Monsoon

• Seasonal wind

• Nov-Mar winds blow from NE bringing dry wind from Himalayas

• Jun-Aug winds blow from SW bringing moisture from Indian Ocean

Spices

• Cassia

• Pepper

• Fennel

• Allspice

• Garlic

• Aniseed

• Ginger

• Tamarind

• Nutmeg

• Tumeric

• Caraway

• Dill

• Mace

• Cumin

• Vanilla

• Cardamom

• Coriander

• Cinnamon

• Clove

Tea Processing

• Darjeeling and Assam (only in India)

• 70% of tea is consumed in India

• Boiled in milk… milk tea

• How do they get it?

Caste System

Pariah- “Harijans”

Hinduism

• No single founder/scripture/teachings

• No beef- cows are sacred… so are

elephants, rats, snakes

Brahman= top “Absolute” god

Reincarnation= birth, death, rebirth

Country Specifics

India

• 16 official languages

• Huge trading ports

• Great Britain colonized

• TP= gross… use left hands

to splash water

• Chess originated here

• Biggest movie industry…

Bollywood

Hair part= holy or impure woman

Suttee

• Widows= bad luck…

her fault husband died

• Suttee- woman dies on

husband’s funeral pyre

Towers of Silence

• Don’t want to pollute elements

• Put dead bodies in tower

• Let vultures pick clean

• Brush bones into central well

Kumbh Mela

• Grand Pitcher Festival

• Religious festival every 12 yrs.

• Holy men take a dip

Taj Mahal and Lotus Temple

• Big mausoleum for 3rd wife of

Shah Jahan

Elephants• “horses” of India

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

• “teardrop of India”

• Lots of waterfalls=

hydropower

• Women serve men/children

first, then eat

• Wiggle heads side to side to

say yes

Bangladesh

• Smiling= immaturity

• 2,000 daily newspapers, 15% literacy

• Six seasons: summer, rainy, autumn, cool, winter, spring

• Kabaddi (or Ha-Du-Du)- national game… no rules

Bangladesh

• Smiling= immaturity

• 2,000 daily newspapers, 15% literacy

• Six seasons: summer, rainy, autumn, cool, winter, spring

• Kabaddi (or Ha-Du-Du)- national game… no rules

• Jute- a plant that makes a coarse fiber used in carpets/rope

Nepal

• Mt. Everest- tallest mountain in the world

• Slowest internet in the world

• Namaste- salute the god living inside the soul

• Momo- dumplings

• Gurkhas= intense warriors

Sherpas • Live in Himalayan mountains

Pakistan

• Mineral production

• Biggest salt mine

• 50% of footballs made here

Indus River Water Struggle

• Between India and Pakistan

Indus River Water Struggle

• Between India and Pakistan

Karakoram Highway

• Highest paved international road in the world

Bhutan• No traffic lights in capitol city,

use traffic police

• Takin= goat/cow

• Measure country’s growth in

Gross National Happiness

(not Gross Domestic Product)

• Healthcare/education= free

for visitors and residents

• Archery/darts= national sport

Bhutan

• New Years Day= everyone’s birthday

• 2004- tobacco outlawed

• “Land of Thunder Dragon” (lots of

thunderstorms)

• Ban on TV’s lifted 11 years ago

• Must refuse food if offered (up to 3x)

“meshu meshu” cover mouth with hands