South Asia

Question 1

Which countries does South Asia border?

Answer 1

Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, and Mayanmar

Question 2

Which bodies of water does South Asia border?

Answer 2

Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea

Question 3

What are the three physiographic regions of the South Asian region?

Answer 3

Nothern mountains, southern (deccan) pleateau, and River lowlands

Question 4

Where are the Northern mountains?

Answer 4

Hindu Kush and Korakoran ranges, Himalayas, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh

Question 5

Where is the Deccan Plateau?

Answer 5

Peninsular India, central indian plateau, and Chota Nagpur Plateau (tilts to the east)

Question 6

Where are the river lowlands?

Answer 6

Belt of lowlands in the lower indus valley, northern plains, and double delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra

Question 7

Where is the wettest place on earth?

Answer 7

Cherrapunjee

Question 8

Where is Cherrapunjee?

Answer 8

India

Question 9

What is a common weather event for the region? Why does it happen?

Answer 9

Monsoons: caused by temperature differences between land and ocean since land warms up faster than water

Question 10

What happens during the Summer Monsoon season?

Answer 10

Low pressure system develops, draws moisture ridden air, air is forced upwards over the western ghats, and the air cools, condenses and creates heavy rain

Question 11

What is the direction of the summer Monsoons?

Answer 11

Across the bay of Bengal, through NE India, blocked and then directed by the Himalayas

Question 12

What are the impacts of Monsoons on the region?

Answer 12

Flooding, agriculture boom, and rice paddies flourish

Question 13

What happens during the winter Monsoon reversal?

Answer 13

Lands cools faster than ocean, oceans draw cooler air from the land over the warmer waters and the land becomes dry

Question 14

Where does Hinduism thrive?

Answer 14

India

Question 15

Where does Islam thrive?

Answer 15

Pakistan and Bangladesh

Question 16

Where does Buddhism thrive?

Answer 16

Sri Lanka

Question 17

Where does Sikhism thrive?

Answer 17

India

Question 18

Tell me about Hinduism

Answer 18

back to 1500 BC, Caste system, Reincarnation, and Karma

Question 19

What are the characteristics of the Hindu Caste System?

Answer 19

Oldest form of social stratification, divides into hierarchial social groups, assignments based on past deeds/misdeed, and last name determines one’s caste

Question 20

What is the structure of the Caste System?

Answer 20

Brahmins (head), Kshatriyas (Arms), Valshyas (thigh), Shudras (feet), and Dalits (outcasts)

Question 21

What are the jobs of the Brahmins

Answer 21

Teachers and priests

Question 22

What are the jobs of the Kshatriyas

Answer 22

Warriors and rulers

Question 23

What are the jobs of the Valshyas

Answer 23

Farmers, traders, merchants

Question 24

What are the jobs of the Shudras

Answer 24

Laborers and service

Question 25

What are the jobs of the Dalits

Answer 25

Menial jobs

Question 26

What was the "official response to the Caste system"

Answer 26

Constitutional ban, quota system introduced in 1950's, and 1989 quota system expanded to include OBCs

Question 27

What are the characteristics of Buddhism?

Answer 27

Emerged from Hinduism, self knowledge, not have desires, do not hurt other living things

Question 28

What is the history for Islam in the region?

Answer 28

Emerged in 10th-13th C, attractive alternative to Hinduism, but destroyed Buddhist monasteries and killed the monks and burned the libraries

Question 29

Which country has the largest Islamic minority?

Answer 29

India with greater than 180 million

Question 30

Tell me about Skihism?

Answer 30

AD 1500 to unite Hindu and Islam, blend beliefs, supported British colonial admin

Question 31

Which region had colonial power?

Answer 31

British

Question 32

When did the colonies gain independance?

Answer 32

1947

Question 33

What happened during the india-Pakistan conflicts?

Answer 33

India encouraged Bangladesh, but at independance the ruler was Hindu of a 3/4 Muslim pop, so there were wars in 1947, 1965, and the 1970's... Pakistan still wants a referendum

Question 34

What is India's argument in the conflcit with Pakistan?

Answer 34

There is a place for Muslims in Secular India, but there isn't a similar place for Hindus in the Islamic republic of Pakistan

Question 35

What is the timeline for terrorism in India?

Answer 35

2001 - Islamic terrorists assault Parliament 2003 - bombs 2006 - train station attacks 2008 - western hotel attacks

Question 36

What are the three subregions of South Asia?

Answer 36

Stand alone countrues, mountainous north, and southern islands

Question 37

What are the stand alone region countries?

Answer 37

Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh

Question 38

Which countries are in the Mountainous North?

Answer 38

Nepal and Bhutan

Question 39

Which countries are the southern islands?

Answer 39

Sri Lanka and The Maldives

Question 40

What is the British history with Afghanistan

Answer 40

Three wars: 1839-1842, 1878-1880, and 1917

Question 41

What is the Soviet War history in Afghanistan?

Answer 41

supported communist gov't against Muslim rebels, US launched aircraft in 1987, Soviets withdrew in FEB 1989, warlords took over, and in 1994 a Pshtun religious group (Taliban) took over the entire countries *contributed to the fall of the soviet union*

Question 42

Tell me about the Pashtun

Answer 42

They were eager to build an Islamic theocracy along Sunni lines, comfort to Osama Bin Laden, and the Taliban was overthrown by the US (not for long though)

Question 43

Tell me about Afghanistan's economy?

Answer 43

one of the porest, major source of income is Narcotics (poppy and opium = $2 billion), and more than 1/3 live below the poverty line

Question 44

What is the life expectancy for someone in Afghanistan?

Answer 44

62.8 years

Question 45

What is a major feature of Pakistan?

Answer 45

The indus that empties into the Arabian Sea

Question 46

Where did Pakistan emerge from?

Answer 46

The partition of India as two separate territories

Question 47

What is the religious stratification of Pakistan?

Answer 47

97% muslim - 77% Sunni

Question 48

What are the official languages of Pakistan?

Answer 48

Urdu, English, and Arabic

Question 49

What is the capital city of Pakistan?

Answer 49

Islamabad

Question 50

What does Pakistan say about the Taliban?

Answer 50

They support it and recognize it as a legitimate government in Afghanistan

Question 51

What is the main movtive for Pakistan's economy?

Answer 51

Cotton; textile accounts for more than 1/2 of Pakistan's exports

Question 52

What is Bangladesh's history?

Answer 52

Eastern territory of Pakistan linked by a common religion.

Question 53

What were the challenges of a separated Pakistan?

Answer 53

East and West apart by 1300 miles of India territory, power concentrated in the West, and war broke out in 1970

Question 54

Which rivers drain Bangladesh?

Answer 54

Ganges and Brahmaputra

Question 55

What is Bangladesh sucseptible to?

Answer 55

sea level rises that risk natural disastor damages. the funnel-shaped Bay of bengal steers cyclones and storm surges into the coast

Question 56

What is the territory distribution of India?

Answer 56

28 states, 8 union territories, and 1 national capital territory

Question 57

Why is there a gender disparity in India?

Answer 57

Boys are entitled to land and inherritance, don't pay a dowry, and they take care of the parents

Question 58

Where is Nepal? What are its characteristics?

Answer 58

Buffer state between India and China ; secular since 2006, 80% Hindu, MT. Everest, language Nepali, and birthplace of Buddha

Question 59

Tell me about Bhutan?

Answer 59

con monarchy ended inn 2008, language is Dzongkha