South Asia ​
Tags
Cegep1
Humanities
Word count
441 words
Reading time
3 minutes
- Terms used interchangeably in this course:
- India
- South Asia
- The sub-continent
- The Indian sub-continent
Geography ​
- Center:
- India
- North:
- Nepal
- Himalayas
- Northwest:
- Pakistan
- Khyber Pass connects Afghanistan and Pakistan
- West:
- Arabian Sea
- South:
- Sri Lanka
- East:
- Bangladesh
- Bay of Bengal
- Northeast:
- Bhutan
Society ​
Demography ​
Normal countries: slightly more women than men
South Asian countries: more men than women due to patriarchy
Ethnicity ​
| India | Pakistan | Bangladesh | Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority | - | Punjabi | Bengali | Sinhala |
| Minorities | Naga, Mizo, Kashmiri | Balochi | Chakma | Tamil |
Politics ​
Parliamentary system
Political parties ​
- India: Indian National Congress (
abbr.INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (abbr.BJP) - Pakistan: Muslim League, Pakistan People's Party
- Bangladesh: Bangladesh Awami League
History ​
1700–150 BCE: Vedic period ​
Pastoral lifestyle and adherence to Vedas
Establishment of the caste system
Systematization of preexisting beliefs into Hinduism
711: Muslim invasion ​
Muhammad bin Qasim conquered parts of modern Pakistan along Indus river -> greater Islamic influence
1206–1526: Delhi Sultanate ​
1526–1857: Mughal India ​
- 1526: Babur defeated the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and established the Mughal Empire
- 1754-1763: 7 years war between Britain and France colonies in South Asia
- 1757: Battle of Plassey: the British capture Bengal
1857–1947: British India ​
- 1857: The British exiled Bahadur Shah, the last emperor of the Mughal Empire
- 1869: Opening of the Suez Canal => travel time between Britain and India reduced
- 1885: Foundation of the Indian National Congress
- 1906: Foundation of the All-Indian Muslim League
1947–: Post-Colonial India ​
- 1947: Indian Independence Act
- Legal attempts to erase caste inequalities
- Affirmative action (positive discrimination)
- Partition of British India into India and Pakistan
- Done without any consultation of the population
- Largest and most rapid population transfer in history
- => creation of Hindu-Muslim conflict
- => increase of communalism
- => land reform
- Legal attempts to erase caste inequalities
- 1948:
- Assassination of Gandhi
- 1st war between India and Pakistan
- Independence of Sri Lanka
- 1965: 2nd war between India and Pakistan
- 1971: 3rd war between India and Pakistan & Proclamation of Bangladesh Independence
- Independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan
- <= same religion but different culture
- 1975: Indira Gandhi declares Emergency rule in India => de-institutionalization
- 1979: Islamisation of Pakistan
- 1992: Hindus destroy Babri Masjid, a mosque in Ayodhya, India
- Intercommunal conflict between Hindus and Muslims
Ajitani Hifumi