south asia human geo

indus valley developments

writing system, strong central government, masters of overseas trade, organized, planned cities, uniform weights and measures

two of the world’s oldest cities

mohenjo-daro and harappa

mohenjo-daro and harappa inventions

bricks made by kilns (still used today), plumbing systems, sanitation systems, signs of dentistry: drilled, crowned teeth

mohenjo-daro and harappa decline

flooding, drought, change in monsoons leaves area cool and dry, tectonic activity diverts river elsewhere, disease

aryans

light-skinned herders and hunters from the northwest (possibly 1700 b.c.e)

vedas

collection of sacred writings-show ideas of religion, social structure, hymns, etc, hindu sacred text (to some); oldest in sanskirt

aryan social class pyramid

structure was flexible at first (intermarriage, etc), but became more complex and rigid → caste system (slaves, criminals → artisans, farmers → warriors, nobles → priests)

mauryan empire

320-180 bce (chandragupta maurya)

• ruled all but southernmost india

buddhism (asoka’s pillars)

gupta empire

320-550 ce (chandra gupta 1）

golden age of india (sciences, math, astronomy, religion)

• concept of zero and infinity, origin of arabic numbers, heliocentric theory

hinduism

mogul (mughal) empire

muslim missionaries and traders were moving across africa and asia

moguls, over time, took control over most of indian subcontinent (1526)

• most land gained under akbar

• defeated only by british in 1857

taj mahal (agra, india)

important historical structure of india; a mausoleum

first europeans

portuguese, 1500

east india company

began as a trade comapny for east indies → mainly india and china, soon began ‘ruling’ some india (1758-1858), british crown then took control of india, (there was a dutch eic that affected africa, and se asia islands)

british called india _____

raj (empire)

impacts of colonization of india

brought english language, new educational system, built railroads, civil/public services

india gains independence from britain

1947

india being divided further

india formed for hindus, pakistan (east and west) for muslims

division of india’s impact

forced to move to country of religion → violent conflicts erupted; kashmir

sri lanka independence

1948, from britain; ceylon → sri lanka (1972)

britain favored tamils… prelude to civil war

maldives independence

1965 from britain

• but had been settled by buddhists, muslims, portuguese, and the dutch

pakistan/bangladesh 1971

indo-pakistani war b/w east and west, india fought against west pakistan → bangladesh created

• extremely violent (began with genocide against bengali hindus)

2 regional conflicts

kashmir disputed b/w india and pakistan

• nuclear proliferation adds to tension

tamils want independent state w/in sri lanka (civil war)

vedic age

1500 bc-500 ad—south asians introduced to rig veda, a group of hymns praising ancient gods of nature

siddhartha gautama

born in 563 bc, he was a prince who later went on to develop a religious faith known as buddhism

mauryan empire

in 4th century bc, conquered much of south asia by combining many smaller kingdoms—asoka was greatest leader

late 12th century

many hindu temples converted to mosques as muslims took over much of south asia

19th century

city of new delhi built by the british

mohandas gandhi

1947, helped india gain independence from england

sanskrit

ancient language brought to south asia by aryans

untouchables

members of the caste system who perform jobs no one else will do

when and why civil war began in sri lanka

civil war between buddhist sinhalese and hindu tamil; tensions between tamil and sinhalese due to recent change in leadership began the war

damages of the sri lankan war

some 70,000 people estimated to have died; government wasted many resources on the war, leading to inability to help during other crises

civilian impact of sri lankan war

many were forced to leave their homes and evacuate the warzone as the war continued to devastate the country

how and when did sri lanka war end

the war ended in 2009 when the government considered the tamil rebel forces defeated

reason sri lanka is considered dangerous for media

attacks on reporters remain unpunished, and sri lanka’s strict hold on their media and what is allowed, free speech is dangerous to express

who is kashmir ruled by

hari singh

why was prince of kashmir in a difficult situation—what did he decide

he wanted kashmir to be an independent country, while pakistan and india wanted the land; he signed a deal to be part of india if they helped keep out pakistanis

oct 22, 1947

pakistanis invade kashmir b/c it included many muslims, the majority in pakistan

jan 1, 1949

first ceasefire put into effect between india and pakistan

july 27, 1949

india and pakistan sign karachi agreement, dividing the territory

why might china want kashmir

because of its resource abundance

what did india and pakistan do to raise stakes in 1990

mosques issued declarations that male kashmir pandits had to convert to islam or be killed; many fled that day, leading to rising tensions between 2 countries (india and pakistan)

bhutan

not a strict democracy; many not excited about new democratic elections, unenthusiastic to give up palace rule

brahmin

priests, teachers

kshatriyas

rajas/nobles/warriors

vaishyas

landowners/merchants

sudras

artisans/laborers/peasants

dalts

untouchables

hinduism

no founder; holy text—vedas, mahabharata and ramayana, bhagavad gita, upanishads (main ones); ~900 million today, most popular in india; polytheistic/monotheistic: brahman is universal essence → spirit w/no form

brahma—creator

vishnu—preserver

shiva—destroyer and reproducer

• land ganges river

case system

goal-moksha (reunion of soul w/brahman)

buddhism

founded by siddhartha gautama ~500 bc; the buddha-’the enlightened one’; holy text-tripitaka, 360 million today, most popular in se asia, japan, sri lanka, bhutan, nepal; india has largest tibetan refugee population; no gods, except for some branches; rejects caste system; main branches: theraveda, mahayana; goal-nirvana (free from all desires); 4 noble truths, eightfold path

4 noble truths, 8 fold path

4 noble truths—

1. suffering is inevitable

2. we suffer b/c we have cravings

3. end of suffering comes w/pursuing right path

4. noble 8fold path:

   • seek truth

   • resist evil

   • words don’t harm others

   • no stealing/cheating

   • job does not harm others

   • development of positive thought

   • awareness of impact of acts and thoughts

   • state of peace through meditation

jainism

began in india w/tirthankars (teachers), can date to aryans-before 600 bc(??), one of world’s oldest;4.5-7.5 million today; many “gods” and humans-complex hierarchy (42 each cycle)

• “gods” are self-realized humans (ex: tirthankar)

• last one is mahavira, 23rd one was 250 yrs ago

reincarnation to obtain perfect divinity; take 5 vows:

• strict non violence (ahimsa)

• truthfulness

• no stealing

• chasity

• ascetic lifestyle

sikhism

began in india w/nanak ~1500 ad (one of world’s youngest); gurus (teachers) wrote “sri guru granth sahib” (book of god); 25 million today; one god-shared by all religions → name is “truth”;

• do not worship idols, images, or icones

reincarnation until merge w/god; rejects all caste system

• all people are equal (share names: singh/kaur)

do not cut hair, wears turban (specific kind) to keep hair wrapped

• men have beard and mustache (trim only)

carry comb, dagger, plain white clothes, iron bracelet (kara)

half of bangladeshis are below the age of _____

20

70% of bangladeshis live on ______

less than a dollar

problems from borrowing from traditional moneylenders in bangladesh

imposing bad conditions, restricting their costs and etc.

grameen definion

rural

microcredit

very small loans given to poor

who receives 96% of grameen loans

women

what helps grameen have a 99% payback rate on loans

center meetings are held

16 decisions that are recited at each center meeting

cleanliness, family planning, etc.

green revolution

pros: lead to more food production

cons: pollution from fertilizer into water

cottage industries

a business or manufacturing activity carried on in a person's home.

self-sufficiency

able to produce or make everything that it needs

outsourcing (why?)

companies outsource to south asia b/c of lower labor and production costs, plus ability to access new markets