I. India & Its NeighborsI. India & Its NeighborsI. India & Its NeighborsI. India & Its Neighbors

Chapter 14Chapter 14

India Video

A. History of India• India is the second most populated

country in the world behind China • Over one billion people live in India • Rapid population growth should

make India the world’s largest country within 15 years

• India has 18 official languages today

B. Religion

• Most people in India practice Hinduism

• Majority of the world’s 820 million Hindus live in India

• Also pockets of Buddhism and Islam

Holy Rats

Hindu Holy Man

C. Europeans Bring Change

• Great Britain took control of India starting in the 1600s

• Colony – Area controlled by a country that is outside of its boarders

• “Jewel of the British Crown” – Nickname given to India

D. Reasons for Colonies• 1) Europeans acquired a taste for

products such as coffee, tea, and pepper

• 2) Europeans population increased which increased the demand

• 3) Europe need more raw materials

Bamboo Harvest

E. India Gains Independence• Indians were not happy with British

rule • Mohandas Gandhi – Main person

who lead India to declare its independence from Great Britain

• Nonviolent Resistance – Opposing an enemy by any means other than violence

Mohandas Gandhi

• Gandhi taught that peace and love were more powerful than violence and fear

• Nonviolent resistance• Boycott – Indians refused to buy British

made goods• 1947 – India wins its independence from

Great Britain • 1948 – Gandhi is assassinated

F. Troubling Future• Since independence India and

Pakistan have fought in three wars• In the late 1990s both countries

developed and exploded nuclear weapons

• Many people fear a minor conflict could result in a nuclear war