DVHS World Geo South Asia

Based on textbook chapters 24 and 25 and the study guide; refer to other notes doc for info on Kashmir and the Noble Eightfold Path, it was too long to put on a flashcard

Himalayas

A mountain range created by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates; where Mount Everest is located

Subcontinent

A large landmass smaller than a continent

Alluvial plain

Flat lands formed from rivers depositing sediment over time

Archipelago

A group of islands

Atoll

Low-lying tops of submerged volcanoes that form islands, surrounded by coral and shallow lagoons

Monsoon

Seasonal rains in South and Southeast Asia; can be wet (June-September) or dry (October-February). Rains are crucial to life but can be unpredictable.

Cyclone

A violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rain; especially dangerous to low-lying Bangladesh. Capable of killing thousands of people.

Hinduism

A polytheistic religion followed by the majority of people in India and Nepal

Ganges River

An important water resource and a holy river; Hindus worship it as a goddess and believe in its purity and cleansing power. Struggles with pollution due to rituals leaving corpses and plastics in the river, as well as industrial waste and sewage from improperly treated water

Storm surge

High waters that swamp low-lying areas, caused by cyclones sweeping across the Bay of Bengal

Estuary

A partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea; Bangladesh’s low-cost Feni River dam created the biggest one in South Asia

Mughal Empire

A Muslim dynasty that ruled most of northern India from the early 1500s to the mid-1700s; known for its capable leaders and administrative organization

Raj

The period of direct British control over India, established in 1857 when the British government put down a revolt; lasted almost 90 years, ending on August 14, 1947

Nonviolent resistance

A protest movement that doesn’t use violence to achieve its goals; utilized by Mahatma Gandhi to fight against British rule

Land reform

A more balanced distribution of farmland among farmers than currently exists; a potential solution to many families’ dependence on agriculture and struggle to produce enough food. In the late 1990s, 5% of India’s farm families owned almost 25% of India’s farmland.

Green Revolution

A program that introduced new farming techniques and higher-yielding grain varieties like wheat after a series of famines in the 1960s

Vedas

Oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, dating back to 1200 BCE; left by Aryans, who migrated from the Caucasus to the Indo-Gangetic plain. Included the caste system*. Most Hindus respect the authority of the Vedas and Brahmans.

“Ritual sacrifices associated with numerous gods who represented the forces of nature” was in the notes but idk what relevance it has

Caste system

The Aryan system of social classes, originally consisting of four basic castes (top to bottom): Brahmans (priests and scholars), Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors), Vaisyas (farmers and merchants), and Sudras (artisans and laborers). Not closely followed in India today.

Dharma

A moral duty assigned to each person based on their caste in Hindu belief; fulfilling dharma allows a person to be reincarnated into a higher caste

Karma

Essentially consequences for your actions, especially for straying from one’s dharma

Samsara

Reincarnation or the cycle of life and death; the caste one is reincarnated in is based on their karma

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of life and death; the person who achieves moksha attains self-realization, self-actualization, and self-knowledge

Indus Valley Civilization

The largest of the world’s first civilizations; began around 2500 BCE along the Indus River

Partition

The division of British India into East Pakistan, West Pakistan, and India in 1947; resulted in the deaths of one million people and ten million people fleeing across national borders

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Leader of the All-Indian Muslim League and also wanted an independent India; initially backed Hindu-Muslim unity, but that changed by the 1940s and he wanted an independent Muslim state

Jawaharlal Nehru

Indian National Congress leader and India’s first prime minister; initiated 1942 Quit India movement alongside Gandhi, fighting for India’s freedom from British rule

Louis Mountbatten

Britain’s last viceroy to India, appointed in March 1947; responsible for negotiating between Nehru and Jinnah to solve the issue of partition. Decided to keep borders secret until independence, leading to people being forced to move without prior notice

Microcredit

Making small loans to small businesses with lower criteria relative to regular loans

Entrepreneur

i.e. People who received microcredit loans

Ramadan

The month where followers of Islam fast every day from sunrise to sundown; see notes for specification

Constitutional monarchy

A way of government where a monarch shares power with a constitution and other branches of government

Sherpa

A person of Tibetan ancestry in Nepal, who serves as a guide in the Mt. Everest region

Buddhism

A “nontheistic” (doesn’t have a god) religion focused on achieving a state of enlightenment, or inner peace and wisdom

Siddhartha Gautama

a.k.a. the Buddha; story is way too long for a flashcard check the notes

Four Noble Truths

1. All life is suffering

2. Suffering is due to desire

3. Letting go of desires is key

4. Follow the Noble Eightfold Path*

*basically. this may be an oversimplification.

Mandala

Geometric shapes used in Buddhism to aid with meditation

Sinhalese

People from the northern plains of India who crossed the strait to Sri Lanka in the 500s BCE; adopted Buddhism and built irrigation systems that allowed farming on dry land

Tamils

Dravidian Hindus from south India that arrived on Sri Lanka in the 300s AD; settled the northern part of the island

Sultan

Muslim rulers (that’s it?)