Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan The second largest country in South Asia is Pakistan, which has volatile country in every sense of the world. Pakistan’s economy is growing. Its agricultural sector exports rice to other countries. Also, the manufacturing sector is expanding. Although these are hopeful signs, Pakistan has many issues that hinder making improvements in the lives of its people. First, Pakistan, predominantly a Muslim country, is locked in a costly rivalry with India, which has Hindu majority. (It is important to note that Pakistan too has conflict between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims – the two main branches of Islam.) As you recall, Pakistan came to being after Britain’s relinquishing its control over the Indian subcontinent. In 1949, the subcontinent was partitioned into Pakistan and India. Thereafter, two nations really did not behave as neighbors in the true sense of the world. Pakistan considers India a threat and, actually, they are locked in a territorial dispute over Kashmir. This rivalry and animosity has sparked a nuclear arms race and Pakistan, despite it economic underdevelopment, is a nuclear power. Pakistan has other threats, namely, Islamic fundamentalists who object to Pakistan’s support of the American-led war of terror. The United States has recruited Pakistan’s help in its war in Afghanistan, which has led to infusion of American aid to Pakistan. However, supporters of Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other radical Islamic elements object to this relationship and has been conducting terror campaign against the government. Pakistan, has many socio-economic issues to grapple with. To begin with, Pakistan’s economy is growing but not fast enough to noticeably improve the lives of Pakistanis. Its main revenue source remains the exports of rice, cotton textile goods and some industrial products. However, most Pakistanis are engaged in subsistence farming. (Like other third world countries, Pakistan has a significant “informal economy” such as street barbering, as shown in the left.) Also, Pakistan has to deal with its explosive population increases. Pakistan’s doubling time is 33 years, which means, at the present rate of population increase, there will be another Pakistan in 2038. Interestingly, this Islamic country also suffers from massive heroine addiction among its people. According to a United Nations estimate, there are about 1.5 million heroin addicts. According to a New York Times report, “Addicts are everywhere and nowhere, easy to overlook from a car but impossible to miss on foot. They are huddled on the sidewalk, under the bridge, behind the truck, against the fence, along the prime begging space beside the shrine.” Why so high a heroine addiction? Pakistan is located next to Afghanistan, which is a major heroine producing country. Also, some addicts argue that the Koran prohibits intoxicants such as liquor but not narcotics. Here is how one geogr.

1. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan
The second largest country in South Asia is Pakistan, which has
volatile country in every sense of the world. Pakistan’s
economy is growing. Its agricultural sector exports rice to other
countries. Also, the manufacturing sector is expanding.
Although these are hopeful signs, Pakistan has many issues that
hinder making improvements in the lives of its people. First,
Pakistan, predominantly a Muslim country, is locked in a costly
rivalry with India, which has Hindu majority. (It is important
to
note that Pakistan too has conflict between Sunni and Shi’ite
Muslims – the two main branches of Islam.) As you recall,
Pakistan came to being after Britain’s relinquishing its control
over the Indian subcontinent. In 1949, the subcontinent was
partitioned into Pakistan and India. Thereafter, two nations
really did not behave as neighbors in the true sense of the
world. Pakistan considers India a threat and, actually, they are
locked in a territorial dispute over Kashmir. This rivalry and
animosity has sparked a nuclear arms race and Pakistan,
despite it economic underdevelopment, is a nuclear power.
Pakistan has other threats, namely, Islamic fundamentalists who
object to Pakistan’s support of the American-led war of
terror. The United States has recruited Pakistan’s help in its war
in Afghanistan, which has led to infusion of American aid to
Pakistan. However, supporters of Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other
radical
Islamic elements object to this relationship and has been

2. conducting
terror campaign against the government.
Pakistan, has many socio-economic issues to grapple with. To
begin with,
Pakistan’s economy is growing but not fast enough to
noticeably improve
the lives of Pakistanis. Its main revenue source remains the
exports of rice,
cotton textile goods and some industrial products. However,
most
Pakistanis are engaged in subsistence farming. (Like other third
world
countries, Pakistan has a significant “informal economy” such
as street
barbering, as shown in the left.) Also, Pakistan has to deal with
its
explosive population increases. Pakistan’s doubling time is 33
years,
which means, at the present rate of population increase, there
will be another Pakistan in 2038. Interestingly, this Islamic
country also suffers from massive heroine addiction among its
people. According to a United Nations estimate, there are
about 1.5 million heroin addicts. According to a New York
Times report, “Addicts are everywhere and nowhere, easy to
overlook from a car but impossible to miss on foot. They are
huddled on the sidewalk, under the bridge, behind the truck,
against the fence, along the prime begging space beside the
shrine.” Why so high a heroine addiction? Pakistan is located
next to Afghanistan, which is a major heroine producing
country. Also, some addicts argue that the Koran prohibits
intoxicants such as liquor but not narcotics.

3. Here is how one geographer notes of centrifugal forces in
Pakistan: “The major problems are between the Sindis, who are
the region’s indigenous inhabitants, and the Mohjirs, the
Muslim refugees from
India who settled in the region and city after independence and
partition in
1947. There are also clashes between Sindis and Biharis, Urdu-
speaking
migrants from Bihar state [near Bangladesh, which was part of
Pakistan until its
independence.]”
Also, as de Blij writes, Pakistan’s “democratically elected
governments have
repeatedly squandered their opportunities, only to be
overthrown by military
coups.” Political instability is one of the reasons why despite
American
assistance, literacy rate is low, healthcare poor, and national
institutions remain
weak. (By the way, like India, Pakistanis still enjoy one of the
legacies of the
British imperialism in the region -- Cricket.)
Bangladesh, on the eastern side of India, is another
underdeveloped country in South Asia. Bangladesh, which used
be part
of Pakistan until 1971, ranks as one of the world’s poorest
economies with GNP
per capita of $2,090. Bangladesh is better known for its endless
series of natural
disasters such as hurricane and flooding. As recorded in our
textbook, “during the

4. twentieth century, eight of the ten deadliest natural disasters in
the entire world
struck this single country.” Why the recurrence of these natural
disasters? Here is
why: “For millennia, the
drenching monsoon rains have
eroded and transported huge
quantities of sediment from the
Himalayan slopes to the Bay of
Bengals by the Ganges and
Brahmaputra rivers, gradually
building this low-lying and fertile deltaic environment. [W]ith
recent
population growth…people moved into the delta swamps to
transform
them into rice fields. While this agricultural activity has
supported the large
Bangladesh populations, it exacerbated the area’s natural
hazards.” Unless
government can build massive anti-flood system, Bangladesh
will continue
to suffer from natural hazards that devastate the lives of many
in that country. (Above is an image of Bangladesh after a
cyclone, or hurricane.)
Sri Lanka, an island nation to the east of India is better poised
to seek economic development and social modernization. Sri
Lanka has a strong commercial farming economy, including tea
plantations (right). However, Sri Lanka has been struggling
with conflict between Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority.
The latter is waging a violent campaign for independence,
which invites counteroffensive from the government forces. So,
as our textbook writes, once promising Sri Lanka is “paying
dearly” for its inability to end the internal conflict.

5. Nepal and Bhutan are two remaining states in South Asia.
Although
culturally rich, and physiographically magnificent, symbolized
by
Himalayas (left), Nepal is identified by our textbook as a
“failed state.” It is
economically poor, and as with other states in the region,
plagued by
internal conflict. The government is waging a costly battle
against the
Maoist anti-government insurgents. Bhutan, a small kingdom,
is a country
better known for its isolation. It is resource rich and attractive
to foreign
tourists. Compared to other South Asian countries, it is a
relatively peace
country in the region that has so much issues to deal with.
Let us move further west to Southwest Asia.
South Asia: India
Let us embark on our journey into this fascinating continent that
is known more for its poverty and violence despite its beauty
and many cultural legacies. In the end, I hope we can make
some sense out of the sufferings and challenges that have fallen
on
the people of South Asia which is comprised of India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and several minor states. Also, I wish we will

6. realize that India among the South Asian country has enormous
potential to become a dominant power in the future.
What image do you have of these countries? You probably heard
something about the difficult conditions the people of the
region live under. Let us start with some figures reflecting the
low level of development in this region.
Country GNP/Capita Life Expectancy Infant Mortality (per
1,000 births)
India $3,460 62 (male) / 63 ( female) 56
Pakistan $2,350 61 (male) / 63 (female) 79
Bangladesh $2,090 61 (male) / 62 (female) 54
The Indian Subcontinent’s low level of development is reflected
also in adult literacy, which is 50%. That means, half of the
adult population cannot read. India, illiteracy rate is about 60
percent.
Why does this land suffer from such a profound level of
underdevelopment? Let us start with India. Is it the fault of the
physiography? The answer is both yes and no. Geographers in
general agree that India is not deprived of resources that enable
communities to flourish. To start with, this is a region well
known
for its rich agricultural diversity. Take a look at the figure titled
“Indian: Agriculture” in our textbook. That figure amply shows
India’s agricultural diversity. India is also known for its
beautiful and
diverse topography. There are beautiful mountains to the north,

7. lowland river basin in the middle part, and southern plateaus. In
addition, the Indian subcontinent gets plenty of rainfall through
monsoon. For about 60 days, there is a continuation of rainfall
that
replenishes the agricultural land of land. In many ways,
monsoon is
a lifesaver to this region.
These attributes led to the birth of one of the earliest human
civilizations along the two great rivers of Ganges and Indus.
Also, India is
surrounded by very plentiful Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
Pakistan, on the
other hand, is more mountainous and less agriculturally fertile
than India.
(Right is what Calcutta looked like in the early 19th century;
left below is an
image of the same city nowadays.)
Let us compare the situation in the Indian Subcontinent with
that of the U.S.
The territorial size of India is about 30% of the size of the U.S.
Yet its
population is 3.5 times the size of the U.S. Pakistan is no better.
The country,
whose size is about 8% of America, has to support half of U.S.
population.
Bangladesh is the worst: the land that is about 1.3% of the
American
territory has a population slightly less than a half of the U.S.
population. In
any event, the population of the seven countries in South Asia
combined is
1.4 billion, which means that more than one-fifth of all

8. humankind lives in
this realm.
And population pressure is getting worse. Birthrate is so high
that doubling
time for India’s 1 billion people is 36 years. In other words,
after 36 years,
there will be another billion Indians. Doubling time for
Pakistan’s 141 million
people is 25 years. Bangladesh -- 35 years. Compare these
doubling times
with that of other countries with a fairly large population size:
the U.S., 116
years; Japan, 231 years; China, 69 years. Population pressure is
most severe
in the cities, including Calcutta, which has 13.5 million
inhabitants. Of these,
as many as a half million people are homeless. In any event, in
2025 South
Asia’s population size will increase to 1.85 billion. More
importantly, when we analyze the population pyramid of South
Asian
countries, we see that a significant part of the population is 14
or younger, as shown in the above population pyramid of India.
Poverty is hard on people, but more so on children.
Let us now move to other factors. The Indian Subcontinent was
a colony of Great Britain until 1949. The British used its Indian
colony to produce raw cotton, which was shipped to textile
mills in England that produced finished cotton goods that were
sold to Indians. The British authorities forbade Indians from
developing their own textile industry, thus securing India as a

9. huge
market for its textile goods. So consider the following irony.
Cotton is one of the largest crops of India. However, India did
not
have textile manufacturing. Also, Great Britain produced opium
in India that was exported to China. One historian called this
the largest state-sponsored drug trafficking in history.
The authors of our textbook, de Blij and Muller, write the
following:
When the Europeans came to India, they found a considerable
amount of industry, especially
in metal goods and textiles, and an active trade with both
Southwest and Southeast Asia in
which Indians merchants played a leading role. The British
intercepted this trade, changing
the whole pattern of Indian commerce. India now ceased to be
South Asia’s manufacturer,
and soon the country was exporting raw materials and importing
manufactured goods –
from Europe, of course. India’s handicraft industries declined;
after the first stimulus, the
export trade in agricultural raw materials also suffered as other
parts of the world were
colonized and linked in trade to Europe. Thus the majority of
India’s people (who were
farmers then as now) suffered an economic setback as a result
of the manipulations of
colonialism.
The British rule certainly had some salient effects. One of them
is the democratic tradition that
the British fostered in India. Today, India is known as the

10. largest democracy in the world. Also,
the role of English as lingua franca has engendered a sense of
unity in a society that suffers
from various centrifugal forces. However, economically, India
existed to benefit its colonizers under the British imperialism.
(To the right is the father of India’s independence struggle
against Great Britain, Mohandas K. Gandhi. His handwriting on
the
picture reads, “God is Truth.”)
The British rule over in the Indian subcontinent left behind an
economic legacy of lop-sided land ownership in the hands of
few.
This has led to another problem called fragmented agriculture.
Take a look at
the following figures. In India, for example, the richest two
percent own
twenty-five percent of arable land. It is not that difficult to
imagine that the
British relied on this class to lording over the vast population of
India. In any
event, a half of India’s farming families own either no land or
less than one
acre. Three-quarters of farming families tilt less than five acres
of farmland.
Also,
India’s agricultural problems are
compounded by the fact that 60
percent of all villages are not
accessible by automobile. Knowing these facts, there is no
mystery to the fact that
India lacks food sufficiency. One interesting aspect of India’s
agricultural problems

11. is the fact that as de Blij and Muller relates, “India devotes
more land to rice
cultivation than any other country, but yield per acre remain
among the world’s
lowest….” The same thing is happening with sugarcane: large
sugarcane cultivation,
but “among the world’s last in terms of [sugar] yields.”
This is not the end of the story. There is another debilitating
force, the legacies of
Hindu caste system. This system of social differentiation is
based on a Hindu belief
that a person is born into a given caste, which determines the
individual’s experience, and opportunities available to him or
her, for a lifetime. Since a person is born into the current state
of being for
whatever he or she had done in a previous life, “it would not be
appropriate to
counter such ordained caste assignments by permitting
movement (or even
contact) from a lower caste to a higher one,” writes de Blij and
Muller. What does
that mean in terms of people’s daily life? “One’s caste
determines where one
would live, where and what one can eat and drink, with whom
on will associate,
one’s marriage partner, and one’s livelihood,” writes one
student of Hinduism.
Furthermore, “One must wear only certain clothes and worship
only in prescribed
ways at particular places.” The following is the four largest
castes. (To the left is an
image of Maharaja, or Hindu prince. The picture to the right
shows lower caste
women cleaning the streets.) In any event, following is just four

12. main categories in
Hindu caste system. Each caste has multiple sub-castes.
Brahmans: study, teach, and perform religious rituals and
sacrifices
Kshatriyas: the warriors, political leaders
Vaisyas: the farmers, tradesmen and merchants
Sudras: servant class, otherwise known as untouchables. (They
are also known
as Harijans, Children of God, a term coined by
Mohandas Gandhi.)
Well, Hinduism is more than just caste system. It is known as
religion in search of
purity, spiritual as well as physical. Therefore, as de Blij and
Muller relate:
Stand on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, Hinduism’s
holiest city, and you
will wee people bathing in the holy water, drinking it, and
praying as they stand in it
-- while the city’s sewage flows into it nearby, and the partially
cremated corpses of
people and animals float past. It is one of the world’s most
compelling -- and
disturbing sights.
http://www.worldreligions.co.uk/hinduism.htm
Tradition has it, the rivers’ water is immaculate, and no amount
of human (or other) waste can pollute it. On the contrary: just
touching the water can wash away a believer’s sins.

13. Undoubtedly, Hinduism’s sense of purity has led to a rigid caste
system.
Also, Hindu nationalism is responsible for the recurrences of
sectarian violence again Muslim who retaliate against Hindus
with
violence as well. However, Hinduism in India is also a
centripetal force that
glues together this country of many divides. Our textbook
writes, “For most
Indians, Hinduism is a way of life as much as it is a faith, and
its diffusion
over virtually the entire country (Muslim, Sikh, and Christian
minority
notwithstanding) brings with it a national coherence that
constitutes a
powerful antidote to regional divisiveness.” Unfortunately,
however,
increasingly, Hindu fanaticism is gaining influence in Indian
society. (Here
are two more images of Hinduism that show the ascetic aspect
of that
religion.)
India is fractured by more
than competing religions. In India, there are fifteen
constitutionally recognized,
official languages. And there are 1.600 dialects altogether. In
this world, there
are 32 different languages spoken by more than 40 million
people, and eight of
them are used in India. Talk about a divided society. In
conclusion, India is a
divided country with overwhelming social and economic
problems.

14. There is another problem, a sectarian violence between Hindu
majority and
Muslim minority. Throughout India’s history, animosity
between these two
religious groups have frequently erupted in violent clashes that
have cost many
human lives. This problem is compounded by the rivalry
between Pakistan,
which is a Muslim country, and India. Two became rivals after
the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 by Great Britain in
preparation for its departure from the Indian subcontinent. Over
the last half-
century, the two counties fought numerous battles because of
their animosity
and a sense of competition based on different religions. The
conflict between
India and Pakistan has engendered even a nuclear arms race. As
a result, the
two counties, despite their poor economy, are nuclear powers.
(The pictures
here show belligerence Indians harbor towards Pakistan. A
Hindu-Muslim
conflict is not the only sectarian violence in the region. There is
an on-going
conflict between Indian government and Sri Lanka, which has a
Buddhist
majority.)
India, despite its poverty -- 97% of the population is considered
poor, and 70%
live in crippling poverty -- of course, has strength too. Actually,
India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world with
the growth rate of 7 percent in the last several years. (By the

15. way, it is the sixth largest economy in the world.) The engine
that
drives this growth is India’s highly educated population. India,
in particular,
continues to produce a large number of doctors, scientists and
high-tech,
computer specialists who have turned such a city as Bengaluru
(formerly
Bangalore) in southern India into what is called, “Silicon
Plateau.” (Below is a
company building of Infosys Technologies, India’s leading
software exporter.)
India’s rising middle class is driving the demands for, as de
Blij writes, “goods
ranging from mobile phones (in mid-2006, 2. 5 million new
subscribers were
signing up each month) to motor bikes (10,000 per day were
being sold in mid-
decade). At this rate, by 2020 India is likely to rank the third
largest economy in
the world. India’s future can be glimpsed through the fact that
many American
companies “outsource” part of their operation and production to
companies in India where highly educated and trained
laborer can be hired at a faction of what Americans workers are
paid.
India is also known as the world’s largest functioning
democracy. As
this title suggests, India, despite its third world economic
status, has
not had the somewhat typical third world experience of change
of
government through coup d’état or revolution. The voters, such

16. as
above, may not have what the people of western societies have
but
they do exercise what they learned from the westerners; they
have
power to form the government and check on it. That is an
important
ingredient for a better future for India, of course.
Let us now move to other countries in the region.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BangaloreInfosys.jpg
Let’s first look at these images of India’s ancient and modern
architecture. They testify to cultural richness and diversity of
India.
You will feel the Islamic, Persian, European, Buddhist and
Hindu
influences in these architectural wonders. Let’s enjoy them
before we
get to the topic essay question.

17. Here is our topic essay question for South Asia. Analyze
the major historical, economic, social and physiographical
factors that hindered social and economic development
in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In other words, why
have these countries suffered from underdevelopment?