© T. M. Whitmore

Today

•South AsiaCulturePopulationDevelopment & industry

•SE AsiaPhysical environments

© T. M. Whitmore

Last time – Questions?•Agriculture

•Green Revolution

•Cattle

© T. M. Whitmore

Cultural Diversity

•Early civilizations

•Linguistic diversity

•Religious diversity

•Colonial imprint

In the second millennium BC Indo-European speakers arrived in South Asia and largely replaced the indigenous Dravidians except in peninsular southern India. Thus northern Indian languages are unrelated to those of southern India but are related to European languages such as English.

Timeline of South Asian Religions

Hinduism is over 4000 years old and includes >95% of Indians.

Jainism and Buddhism originated in India ~500 BC as reactions to Hinduism.

Islam includes 400 million in the region and started arriving after 700 AD with conquering armies.

Sikhism originated in the Punjab in the late 1400s as an offshoot of Hinduism.

Roman Catholic and Syrian Christians are also present.

© T. M. Whitmore

Languages•In India alone there are 16 official

languages covering ~ 75% of pop (and hundreds in total) and Pakistan is similarIndicPersianDravidianEnglish

© T. M. Whitmore

Indian Religions• Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism

origins here (plus Islam and Christianity from elsewhere)

• An important part of daily life

• Shared concepts:Past deeds actively influence future

experiences (karma), in accordance with the proper way of living in harmony with nature's underlying order (dharma)

A cycle of reincarnation or rebirth, and the potential for liberation from the cycle

Spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga

© T. M. Whitmore

Hinduism•Emerged in India about 3,000 years ago•No single text, but hundreds of scriptures

called Vedas•Complex beliefs with multiple gods in

lots of local guises (Bahama the creator; Vishnu the preserver; and Shiva the destroyer)

•Connected with a society of multiple (hierarchal) social roles each with multiple levels or castes (Braman priests; warrior; merchant; laborers; etc)

•Dominant over most of India and Nepal as well

© T. M. Whitmore

Hindu Caste System•Main Groups:

BrahminsKshatriyasVaishyasSudrasDalits

© T. M. Whitmore

Mohandas Gandhi•South African Influence•“Civil disobedience”•Points of Protest

Unfair taxationDiscriminationPovertyLiberation of WomenReligious/Ethnic PeaceEnd of Caste SystemIndependent India

•Ties to American Civil Rights Movement

© T. M. Whitmore

Buddhism

•Prince Siddhartha’s (the Buddha, c 500 BCE) search for enlightenment thru meditation & rejection of earthly desires

•Indian in origin but more important outside India all over SE Asia (but dominant in Sri Lanka and Bhutan)

© T. M. Whitmore

Islam•Arrives in S Asia in the 700s

•Spatial expansion to cover all Pakistan, Bangladesh, and most of N. India (except south) by 1700 S topped by Hindu resistance just as Brits establish colonial presence

•Population majority Muslim inPakistanBangladesh

© T. M. Whitmore

Sikhism•Punjab: 60% Sikh

•Elements of Islam & Hinduism

•Principal componentsPath to salvation is through

disciplined meditationEquality

Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism

The Indian film industry is the largest in the world in terms of films produced and tickets sold. The films have worldwide appeal but only generate a fraction of Hollywood’s revenues. The Hindu/Urdu language component of the industry is known as Bollywood.

Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism

Islam

Islam

Sikhism

© T. M. Whitmore

History, complexity & conflict•British colonial rule replaced the

Islamic Mughal Empire Left a mixed legacy:

investments in infrastructure the foundations of India’s democracy were established

industry was little developed•After independence (1947)

Religious strife leads to 2 states: Muslim Pakistan (east & west) Hindu (majority) India

Pakistan later divides into: Pakistan & Bangladesh

Millions were displaced and hundreds of thousands died in the partition of India and Pakistan.

© T. M. Whitmore

Cultural complexity & conflict• Muslim Pakistan and nearby Hindu India —co

mmon Punjabi language• Muslim Bangladesh and nearby Hindu India

— common Bengali language• Mostly Hindu Jammu in Pakistan and mostly

Muslim Kashmir in India• Muslim Pakistan and Bangladesh separated i

n space by India (and in language)• Mostly Hindu India religion binds — very

many languages separate• Muslim Pakistan religion binds — very many

languages separate• Muslim Bangladesh both religion and

language tie• Sri Lanka: Tamil Hindus & Singhalese

Buddhists

© T. M. Whitmore

Population Issues•Size: ~ India + Pakistan + Bangladesh

= 1/5 of humanity nearly 1.4b

•Fertility (TFR) (3.1 = 3rd world ave)India ~ 3.1; Pakistan ~ 4.8;

Bangladesh ~ 3.6; Sri Lanka ~ 2.0Regionally variable

•Mortality (Eo) (global LDC ave ~ 63)India ~63; Pakistan ~63;

Bangladesh ~59; Sri Lanka ~72

© T. M. Whitmore

Population Issues II•Growth — 1.3%/yr in Sri Lanka to

>2.7%/yr in Pakistan & 2.2 in Bangladesh

•Age structureAll very youthful (35-40% < age 15)

•Gender bias Low status of women & dowry murders

© T. M. Whitmore

Spatial Distribution of Population•Most in coastal and river valley areas

(Ganges ;Brahmaputra; & Indus)•Little urbanized – but growing

< 35% urban overallbut Calcutta & Mumbai [> 10-15 m]Future growth

•Urban problems of crowding, substandard housing, lack of jobs etc. (e.g., over 500,000 homeless and living on the street in Calcutta)

© W.H. Freeman & Co.

© W.H. Freeman & Co.

© T. M. Whitmore

Development issues I•Poverty throughout the region

(LDC ave ~ $3,600 PPP GDP/capita)India ~ $2,800Pakistan ~ $1,800Bangladesh ~ $1,600Sri Lanka ~ $3,300

© T. M. Whitmore

Development issues II•Relatively low levels of life

expectancy, poor infant mortality, literacyGenerally S and W India better Child labor issuesMajor problem is relatively low status of women in much of S Asia due in part to the Hindu and Muslim traditionsBut religion is not all since Kerala state has good conditions

This woman earns ~$1/day collecting trash

© T. M. Whitmore

Industry & Economic Development•Industrial development & British

colonial legacy•New “back office” and hi-tech

developments•Maquiladora-type, export led

developments•Micro-credit:

Muhammad Yunus & Grameen Bank Awarded The Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 www.grameen-info.org/

Also see www.kiva.org

© T. M. Whitmore

Locales of industrial development

•Pakistan: Lahlore•Bangladesh: Dhaka•India

Old colonial citiesMumbai/Bombay; Delhi – light industry & finance

Calcutta & W Bengal – heavy industry

New “Silicon plateau” Bangalore-Madras

© T. M. Whitmore

Southeast Asia

•Plate tectonics in SE Asia

•Earthquakes & Volcanoes

Banda Aceh before

Banda Aceh after

Tambora

© T. M. Whitmore

Southeast Asian environments II

•Other land formsIndochinese (mainland) mountains

Highlands of Borneo and New Guinea

Coastal mangrove swamps of E Sumatra and parts of N Guinea and Borneo

Major rivers of Indochina

Red R.

Mekong R.

Cho Phraya

Irrawaddy

Salween

© T. M. Whitmore

Southeast Asian Climates

•Climate regimes Tropical wet/dry and equatorial climates (Af, Aw, Am) — warm year around in all places (except very highlands)

© T. M. Whitmore

Vegetation and soils

•Inland in Indochina

•Lowland equatorial rainforest

•Soils — high temperatures and rainfall

© T. M. Whitmore

Puzzle of tropical/equatorial

rainforests•Much of the most moist area under “classical” tropical rainforest

•Huge trees; much biodiversity; high biomass/area

•Yet — all this on poor soils mostly — how?

•Commercial threats to tropical rainforests increasing