South Asia ​
Tags
Cegep1
Humanities
Word count
238 words
Reading time
2 minutes
+ Terms used interchangeably in this course:
- India
- South Asia
- sub-continent
- Indian sub-continent
Comprised of:
- India (C)
- Pakistan (W)
- Bangladesh (E)
- Sri Lanka (S)
- Bhutan (NE)
- Nepal (N)
Population ​
Normal countries: slightly more women than men
South Asian countries: more men than women due to patriarchy
Religion ​
High religion diversity
- Originated in South Asia:
- Hinduism
- Main religion of India and Nepal
- Buddhism
- Main religion of Bhutan and Sri Lanka
- Sikhism
- Elements from Hinduism and Islam
- Jainism
- Indigenous belief systems
- Animism (veneration of plants, trees, water, earth)
- Hinduism
- Other:
- Islam
- Local customs and practices
- Main religion of Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Christianity
- Arrived in 1st Century CE
- Religion-like traditions
- Islam
Geography ​
- North: Himalayas
- West: Arabian Sea
- East: Bay of Bengal
History ​
1700-150 BCE: Vedic period ​
Pastoral lifestyle and adherence to Vedas
Establishment of the caste system
Systematization of preexisting beliefs into Hinduism
1947: Indian Independence Act ​
Partition of British India into India and Pakistan
Legal attempts to erase caste inequalities
Affirmative action (positive discrimination)
1971: Proclamation of Bangladesh Independence ​
Independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan
1992: Destruction of Babri Masjid ​
Hindus destroy Babri Masjid, a mosque in Ayodhya, India
=> Intercommunal conflict between Hindus and Muslims
Ajitani Hifumi