Unit 8

What is the official language of India? What is the common language of India?

Hindi is the official language but the common language is English

Who led India's independence movement? What were his most successful methods?

Mohandas Gandhi and his most successful methods were nonviolent resistance

What countries of South Asia are leading producers of tea?

Sri Lanka

What was Sri Lanka called when it was under British control? When did it become independent?

Sri Lanka was called Ceylon. Sri Lanka became independent in 1948

What is microcredit?

A small loan available to poor entrepreneurs to help small businesses grow and raise living standards.

What is the official language of Bangladesh?

Bengali

Why did a civil war break out between the Sinhalese and the Tamils in Sri Lanka?

Civil war broke out because the Tamils claimed discrimination by the Sinhalese and called for their own state in northern Sri Lanka

When, and in what direction do monsoons blow? What do monsoons bring to South Asia?

During the months of October through February the winds blow across South Asia from the northeast. During the months of June through September the winds blow in from the southwest. Monsoons bring heavy flooding and also dry winds during the winter but moist ocean air and heavy rains during the summer

How did the countries of South Asia change in 1971?

East Pakistan won its independence from West Pakistan and changed to Bangladesh with the help from India

Who is Siddhartha Gautama?

Founder of Buddhism

What country is the world's largest supplier of Mica? Why is this important?

India is the worlds largest supplier of Mica. This is important because Mica is a key component in electrical equipment.

How was India partitioned when it gained independence?

India was partitioned into East and West Pakistan and India

What religion do the people of the Maldives practice?

Islam

What other religions exist in India?

Jainism, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Islam

What three empires dominated India before the British arrived? What religion was promoted by each empire?

Mauryan- Buddhism Gupta- Hinduism Mughal-Islam

Why do monsoons change direction?

Monsoons change direction because in the hot season warm temperatures heat the air, which rises and triggers a change in wind direction. When the temperature cools these winds change direction back to what they were before the hot air.

What is the tallest mountain in the world? In what mountain range is it found?

Mount Everest in the Himalayas

What type of democracy does India practice?

Parliamentary Democracy

From where did the Aryan people come?

Plains of Iran

What is ship breaking?

Ship breaking is mainly in Bangladesh and is where workers break down old ships and sell the scrap for recycling.

Who were the first people to settle in the Indus River Valley?

The Aryans

What was the Green Revolution? How did this affect the people of South Asia?

The Green revolution was when scientists introduced new farming techniques and higher yielding grain. This affected the people of South Asia by allowing them to produce more crops with little land and the increase for wheat were dramatic. Some farmers still lacked the land and money to take advantage of the technology.

How were the Himalayas formed?

The Himalayas were formed by about 50 million years ago the land that is South Asia broke off from Africa and drifted north colliding with Central Asia. This collision of two large tectonic plates forced the land upward forming the Himalayas

What is the Hindu caste system? How does one move up or down in the caste system?

The Hindu caste system is a shy term that determines your status on how high or low you are on the system. If you are higher on the system then you have more money and are more respected, if you are lower then you have less money and less respected. The only way one moved up or down the system is by reincarnation

Why is the Deccan Plateau such a dry region?

This is such a dry region because the East and West Ghats seperate the Plateau from the Coast and the Ghates block moist winds from reaching the interior, as a result the Deccan plateau is largely arid

How have tourists affected Nepal? What has Bhutan done to limit tourists' influences?

Tourists have affected Nepal by help bring money into Nepal because tourism is increasing her but also this damages the environment. Some areas have been kept off limit because of the impact of tourism.

What is the official language of Pakistan?

Urdu

What was the 90 years of British control of South Asia called?

raj

How have India's people been affected their immense population?

They have been affected by many people lack the necessities like food and shelter and there is widespread poverty and illiteracy. There is also poor sanitation and lack of health education has led to widespread disease. They do not have the money to maintain a good infrastructure.

Why have Indians been slow to clean up the Ganges River?

They have been slow to clean up the River because they believe the Ganges is too holy to be harmed by pollution, and if there is a problem they believe the river goddess will fix it.

Why have Nepal and Bhutan never been colonized by European powers?

They have never been colonized because the rugged landscape of the two countries have isolated them throughout their histories. Also neither country has access to the sea making it difficult to conquer and settle

Why do Hindus wade in and drink from, the polluted Ganges River? What could happen to people who wade in, and drink from the water?

The Hindus wade and drink from the Ganges River be because they believe the river to be a river goddess and believe it has healing powers. What could happen to people who wade in and rink from the water can become seriously ill and develop many diseases that can be deadly.

What are the 3 great river systems of South Asia? What is the significance of each river?

The Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. The significance of these rivers are they provide crucial irrigation in South Asia and carry rich soil and when the rivers flood this rich soil is deposited along the farmlands.

What is the significance of the Khyber Pass?

The Khyber pass has served as a way for invading armies to get to India

Why do some Indians have such large families?

This is because Indian women marry before the age of 18 and start having children early. Also for the poor children are a source of income and also children can be security when the parents are at an older age and the more children the more Likley someone will take care of them when they are older, Also the infant mortality rate is very high and they must ensure some kids will reach adulthood.

Why are the dalits/untouchable abused and discriminated against?

They are abused and discriminated because they are the lowest past of the caste system and are even believed to be outside the system.

Why are other world leaders particularly concerned about the dispute over Kashmir?

They are concerned because both countries have nuclear weapons that can be used on one another countries.

Why are India and Pakistan fighting over Kashmir?

They are fighting over Kashmir because the Indus flows through Kashmir and tributaries originate in Kashmir. Indus is a critical source of drinking water and irrigation for Pakistan. Pakistanis are not willing to let India control this vital resource

What are the Sherpa most well-known for doing?

They are most well known for being traditional mountain guides for Mt. Everest.

What could happen to the Maldives by the end of the 21st century?

They could be entirely underwater

Where are the coldest climates in South Asia found?

highlands

What is the main export of Bangladesh?

Jute

What is the second tallest peak in the world? In what mountain range is it found?

K2, Karakoram Mountains

Over what region have India and Pakistan been fighting for years?

Kashmir

What two ethnic groups make up the majority of Sri Lanka's people? What are the differences between these two groups of people?

The first ethnic group is the Sinhalese. The second ethnic group is the Tamils. The difference between these two groups is the Tamils settled in the northern portion of the island and the Sinhalese in the south. The Sinhalese adopted Buddhism while the Tamils are Hindus.

Define Purdah

The seclusion of women , this prevents women from having contact with males who are not relatives