India: more than 1 billionPakistan: 145 millionBangladesh: 133.5 millionLarge undernourishment and malnourishment in these countries

Population and Settlement: The Demographic Dilemma

The Geography of Family Planning◦ India Since the 1950s the TFR has dropped

TFRS vary widely within the country Strong correlation between women’s

education and family planning 27% of India’s married women are

sterilized Cultural preference for male children

◦ Pakistan

The country still lacks an effective, coordinated family planning program Overall high TFR Early childhood mortality, and low rate of female contraception usage may account for the high TFRs

The Geography of Family Planning (cont.)

◦Bangladesh Has one of the highest settlement densities in the world TFR has been nearly cut in half between 1975 and the late 1990s

50% of Bangladesh women use oral contraception

Strong government support for family planning

South Asia is one of the least urbanized regions of the world Majority reside in compact rural villages and small towns

Rural-to-urban migration as a result if agricultural changes

Migration and the Settlement Landscape

Agricultural Regions and Activities

Historically unproductive agriculture

Green Revolution – agricultural techniques based on hybrid crop strains and heavy use of industrial fertilizers and chemical pesticides Greatly increased agricultural yields in South Asia

Agricultural Regions and Activities

◦Crop Zones Rice: lower Ganges Valley, lowlands of

India’s eastern and western coasts, delta lands of Bangladesh, Pakistan’s lower Indus Valley, and Sri Lanka

Wheat: northern Indus Valley, western half of India’s Ganges Valley Punjab is India’s “breadbasket”

Oil seeds in semiarid districts Coconut, tea, and spices in Kerala and

Sri Lanka Cotton in west central India and Pakistan Jute in Bangladesh

◦LivestockLow meat consumption due to vegetarianism and poverty

White revolution – increase in dairy efficiency and production

Agricultural Regions and Activities (cont.)

THE GREEN REVOLUTION

Use of hybrid seeds to bolster production 1970 and 1990s: India more than

doubled annual grain production Only more prosperous farmers could

afford to adopt seeds and use mechanization

Environmental problems from dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Poorer farmers forced from their lands

◦ Future Food Supply

Many of the crop improvements have seemingly exhausted their potential

Genetic engineering a solution? Expanded irrigation a solution? Salinization – the buildup of salt in agricultural fields

Agricultural Regions and Activities (cont.)

About 25% of the South Asian population resides in urban areasMany live in bustees – sprawling squatter settlements

URBAN SOUTH ASIA

Urban South Asia (cont.)

Bustees – settlements of temporary, often illegal housing in Indian Cities; main cause is rural to urban shift.◦Mumbai (Bombay) Largest city in South Asia Financial, commercial, and industrial

center Less-fortunate immigrants live in

“hutments” – these are crude shelters built on formerly busy sidewalks often right in the center of the city.

More than 11 million people India’s capital British colonial imprint Air pollution

DELHI

More than 12 million people Poverty, pollution, and congestion; homelessness rife

CALCUTTA

Capital of Bangladesh Around 8 million people Economic vitality has increased since independence

DHAKA

Parliament

http://boson.bose.res.in/~kamal/DHAKA/image1.html

http://boson.bose.res.in/~kamal/DHAKA/image1.html

High Court

Market near Dhaka

More than 7 million people Is Pakistan’s largest cityPolitical and ethnic tensions

KARACHI

Pakistan’s cultural, educational, and artistic center

◦ Islamabad Forward capital – the capital that signals both

symbolically and geographically the intentions of the country Islamabad

Name makes formal statement about religious foundation of Pakistan

Location close to Kashmir gives message that Pakistan is not giving up claims to that region

LAHORE