Chapter 8South/Central Asia and International Studies

Environment and Population

Introduction: Why Study South and Central Asia?

• Long history– Harrapan civilization occupied the Indus valley, considered one of the

beginnings of civilization• Major geographic scale

– Region accounts for 25% of world’s population– By 2050 India will surpass China as world’s most populous country

• Cultural complexity– Hinduism and Buddhism originated in South Asia and Islam made its way

there by the Middle Ages• Growing economic power

– India is a rising economic star and South Asia provides many of the world’s goods and services

• Political significance– India has the world’s largest democracy– India and Pakistan have great nuclear power

How Is South Asia Connected to the West?

• Relations between the West and India date back to Alexander the Great around 326 BCE

• Many English words and phrases that are of Indian origin• We can analyze this connection between South Asia and

the West by looking at the influence of the following:– Geography– History– Culture– Economics– Politics

Geography

• Regions in South and Central Asia sometimes overlap– Afghanistan and Pakistan are areas of ambiguity

• Most of the time the regions are divided as follows:– South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and

Sri Lanka– Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia

[Figure 8.1. Pakistan – The Gilgit River (left) flows in to the Indus River. The author is in the foreground. Photo: S. Toops]

Geography – South Asia

• Both Pakistan and Bangladesh were once part of the Indian empire

• Dominant religions are broken up as such:– Hinduism: India and Nepal– Islam: Pakistan and Bangladesh– Buddhism: Sri Lanka

• India and Pakistan are strong political powers due to their nuclear capabilities

• Historical center of the region: Indus River• Modern center of the region: Ganges River

Geography – Central Asia

• Most countries in this region were former Soviet Republics

• All countries in this region are Muslim, except Mongolia which is mostly Buddhist

• Economic development in Central Asia has struggled due to the difficult transition from Soviet-style command economies to a more market-oriented system

• Many of the current governments are authoritarian

History

• The Indus Valley civilization goes back to 2000 BCE• Early civilizations developed by being able to

produce food surpluses• Around the 1500’s Dutch, French, British, and

Russian colonialists began to conquer the area– British dominated India– Russians dominated Central Asia

• By 1949 India was free from colonial rule, forming two new states: India and Pakistan– Pakistan later divided into Bangladesh in 1971

[Figure 8.2 The Gandhi monument shows the spinning wheel, symbol of his movement. Photo: S. Andrus.]

Culture

• Religious diversity in South and Central Asia is very high– Influences include Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and

Christianity in Central Asia– South Asia has Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism,

Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism• Language diversity is also very high– Central Asian languages: Russian and various Turkic

languages– South Asian languages: Indo-European languages, Hindi,

Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, and English

[Figure 8.3. A wedding ceremony in Khiva, Uzbekistan, complete with a trip to the local mosque and wishing well. Photo: S. Toops]

Religious Innovation in South/Central Asia

• The oldest beliefs originated in the Indus River Valley, which was mainly Hinduism

• By 500 BCE, Buddhism was introduced to the region by Buddha himself

• By 1000 BCE, Islam made its way into the region by way of the Turkic peoples

• Christianity had been in the region since almost the beginning but didn’t really make an impact until Russian colonialism in the 1800’s

• The last wave of religion was in 1930 as Marxist atheism made its way into the region

Economics

• The impacts of South and Central Asian economies are felt worldwide

• Oil is a strong export good in Kazakhstan, one of the few countries in the region with a good per capita GDP– Poverty is a much larger issue in South and Central Asia

than in East Asia• India is a part of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and

China), a group of the fastest growing economies• India as seen great economic success due to its

educational system and increased communication technologies

Politics

• The political systems at work in South and Central Asia are closely related to its historical, geographic, cultural and economic issues

• Historically Asian government has seen itself responsible to the people

• How does such a large place intend to govern over a billion people?

Politics – South Asia

• Partition of Pakistan and India has caused political tension in the area– Tensions have caused ever changing relationships

with China, the US, and Russia– Pakistan has for the most part allied with the US

against terrorist groups of the region• Even with the partition, democratic rule has

dominated the region• India is the world’s largest democracy– Also the strongest militarily and politically

Politics – Central Asia

• Diverse political issues after the political domination of the Soviet Union

• Civil wars have persisted in Tajikistan and Afghanistan• Afghanistan found itself at the mercy of the United

States after the Sept. 11th, 2001 attacks– US invaded to take care of the Taliban terrorist group that

controlled the region• Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan have

authoritarian regimes• Mongolia has a democratic system

[Figure 8.4 The Khyber Pass is on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Photo: S. Toops]

Demographic Issues

• Two issues facing South and Central Asia:– Population growth• Like China, countries like India have sought to control

the population, but haven’t made radical attempts like China and have been mildly successful

– Urbanization• Overall urbanization is lower in South Asia than East

Asia, but like East Asia there are many large cities as people move from the countryside to the cities• Urban planning will become a major concern

[Figure 8.5. Calcutta is one of India’s largest cities. Photo: S. Andrus]

Environmental Diversity and Challenges in India

• India is divided into three environments:– Rice-producing central and southern uplands• Fertile soils and water support high population densities

– Alluvial lowland of the fertile Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys• River systems and fertile soil supply the people with

crops that include wheat and rice

– Himalayan mountains of the North• Too rugged for much settlement with man earthquakes• Home to India’s Adivasi, an indigenous group of people

The Monsoon in India

• The monsoon dominates climate patterns in India

• Monsoon comes from the Arabic word meaning “season”

• The monsoon brings moisture from the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean

• The pattern of the monsoon is not regular and sometimes results in crop failure

Environmental Issues in India

• India is susceptible to many environmental issues because of its diverse land mass:– Flooding in the Ganges river valley– Deforestation in the Western and Eastern Ghats– Water and air pollution by the large cities…a result

of urbanization– Global climate change could have strong affects on

India• For example, many people living in the low lying areas

near the Bay of Bengal could lay victim to rising water levels from melting glaciers

Political Ecology in South and Central Asia

• Central Asia experiences great conflict over water issues– The land forms of Central Asia lend to this problem– The Aral Sea, a major water source for crops and

human consumption, is shrinking at an alarming rate• Human activity is a major cause of these

environmental issues as well– Much of the water is contaminated by metals such

as arsenic as a result of poor choices by people in the region

The Future of India

• The economic rise of India is a result of placing a strong value on education

• India’s bright future rests on its huge democracy and its economic prospects– Democracy helps link the cultural diversity– Growing economy gives it a greater say in world issues

• Future challenges of India include:– Environmental issues– Social issues such as inequality between men and

women

Asia Matters: Global Connections

• Elements of South Asian culture are known and recognized worldwide– Indian yoga and Indian restaurants– Bollywood (“Slumdog Millionaire” 2008)– Global transnational corporations

• Central Asia connected in a different way– History– Contemporary geographies– Connections through Russia to Europe– Connections through Islam and Turkey to the Middle

East