Culture of South Asia
India
Population Huge population
Over 1.3 billion people
People Ethnically diverse 18 official languages
Most common = Hindi Many Indians identify themselves by religion
Sikh Hindu (most common) Muslim Jain Buddhist Christian
Also identify selves by a jati (group based on social position and occupation)
Cultural Landscape
Taj Mahal
Life in India School is mandatory until age 14 Average literacy rate ~ 63% Controlling once widespread diseases
Malaria
Extended families live together Traditionally, marriages were arranged but that has
changed in recent years
Bollywood
Pakistan & Bangladesh
Population
People Diverse ethnic heritage
Pakistan Punjabis Sindhis Pashtuns Mohajirs Baluchis
Bangladesh Bengali
Main religion is Islam
Life in Pakistan & Bangladesh
Average literacy rate ~ 45% Social/cultural barriers to female education Few children attend school beyond the elementary level Rich history of art
Henna Literature Dance Music
Extended families live together Marriages can be arranged
Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, & Sri
Lanka
People Nepal
Indo-Nepalese Tibeto-Nepalese
Most known group = Sherpas
Bhutan Bhote (bo-tay)
Descendants of Tibetan peoples Northern, central, & western areas of the country
Gurung 35% of population
Maldives Mix of people from S. India, Sri Lanka, E. Africa, & Arab
countries Sri Lanka
Sinhalese (Buddhist) vs. Tamils (Hindu)
Everyday Life Religion
Nepal = Hinduism Bhutan & Sri Lanka = Buddhism Maldives = Islam
Uneven education levels Literacy rates range from 97% (Maldives) to 47%
(Bhutan) School is free through university in Sri Lanka 20% of Bhutan’s children attend school
Reliance on traditional medicine Literature, architecture, and dance
Drawing Connections pt. 2
Take out the drawings you created yesterday Using the book, draw 5 pictures related to culture
(leave some room!) Label and explain why it might be significant to the
region Connect the culture drawings to the landform
drawings with arrows and explanations How do landforms influence culture? Why might this be important to know? Any other connections you can make
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