Human Geography of South Asia

Invasions, Empires, and Independence

Life in Modern India

India's culture and history go back more than 4,000 years. Indian culture is a huge blend because of all the past foreign invaders that tried to conquer India. Indian civilization began in the Indus Valley around 2500 BC. The beginnings of ancient Indian civilizations are disputed. The interactions of the kingdoms would eventually form the basis for Hinduism. Muslims later conquered the Indus Valley and then filled the Ganges Plain. By the 1500's, they had established te Mughal Empire throughout a large portion of India. The new religion's rule brought new customs that often conflicted with those of the Hindus. Also in the 1500's, European traders came to India looking for goods that weren't in Europe. The British won out the trade relations with India. Britain gained control over Europe's trade relations in 1757, and, in 1857, Britain established direct rule over India called the raj. The raj lasted for nearly 90 years. Gandhi began a movement to stop the violence and to gain independence. This was achieved in August of 1947. Pakistan and Bangladesh separated from India after independence.

With a modernizing economy, many Indians still live and work traditionally. Family and marriage are huge parts of modern Indian life. Most families follow arranged marriage, but people are now starting to choose their own person to marry. The diet is mostly vegetarian. Some people eat fish or chicken, but there are meat restrictions in Hindu and Islam. Indians have sports, music, and movies for entertainment. Cricket is a popular sport, both traditional and pop music is popular, and the movie theaters are a favorite among the youth. Education is also becoming a bigger factor of life in India. Many work on farms, but new industries such as technology are coming up as well. Education is needed for this, and the literacy rates are starting to rise. In slums in rural areas, the literacy rate is still fairly low.

Governing the World's Largest Democracy

Jawaharlal Nehru was India's first prime minister. India created a constitution and became a democratic republic in 1950. The population was over 1 billion which made India the world's largest democracy. India is a federation of states held together by a strong central government, but it is a parliamentary democracy. One major influence of politics is the relations between Hindus and Muslims. Religion, ethnicity, and culture influence Indian politics greatly. Even minority groups can have a major influence. The Indian state came down hard on resistances from these types of groups. Indian democracy continues to struggle but, at the same time, make their progress.

Economic Challenges

India has one of the world's largest economies, but about half of India lives in poverty. Another challenge of India is promoting economic growth and to raise the living standards. Nearly 2 out of every 3 people rely on farming for a living. Farms here struggle due to how much crop can be produced. Land reform, a possible solution, is a more balanced distribution of land among the farmers. A small amount of farm families own a ton of the land for farming. The large landowners have political influence, so land reform hasn't done much good. The Green Revolution was a new farming technique introduced in the 1960's which helped crop yields. Industry is important alongside agriculture. Cotton textiles have always been a major product of India, but now they are a major producer of iron, steel, chemicals, machinery, and food products. Today, Mumbai is India's most prosperous city and leading commercial city with industries including metals, chemicals, and electronics. Bangalore is becoming a high-tech city with many computer software companies. These companies use the skilled workers and low wages their advantage. It is believed that Bangalore represents the future of India's economy.

Indian Culture

22 major languages are recognized in India, but over 1000 are spoken. Hindi is the official language, but many also speak English. The dominant force in the lives of Indians is Hinduism, and 80% of the population is Hindu. They believe in a supreme God and in reincarnation decided by karma. The caste system is a social class system based off of birth. It used to be a division of labor. There are many caste groups which causes discrimination and no ability for people to improve their wealth or lifestyle. There are also other religions from northern India including Jainism, Christianity, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Islam still has a strong influence on certain parts of the country, but most Muslims left after India gained independence in 1947.

Human Geography of South Asia

India

Jack Greer