GEOG 1003 Study Guide for Exam 2 This guide should be used as a guide for studying your lecture notes the slides I have put on Moodle and the relevant chapter in the textbook This test will be based upon Chapter 9 so you should reread it Words in BOLD are generally highlighted in the textbook and refer to that paragraph section Key concepts and ideas that you should know are 1 How many people in total live in South Asia 1 65 billion 2 The average GNI PPP per capita in South Asia 3 101 3 Understand the importance of the MONSOON to this region There is a significant risk of drought and famine if there is a late or significantly dry monsoon season Rainfall can also be uneven so some cities will receive enough rainfall to plant crops while others wont 2009 massive drought in India 700 million people affected and food prices increased by more than 10 government had to import food 4 How parts of the region are ADAPTING TO RAINFALL AND DROUGHT Drought has led to inventive cropping systems agricultural biodiversity social networks and water storage which ensure stability and survival 5 Know the CLIMATE MAP OF SOUTH ASIA Also on page 348 of text 6 Know different agricultural techniques such as TERRACING INTERCROPPING AND TRANSHUMANCE Terracing terracing of slopes making a distinctive landscape to sustain agricultural yields amid torrential rainfall and steep slopes Intercropping the mixing of different crop species that have varying degrees of productivity and drought tolerance Transhumance local communities tend hardy breeds of goats and sheep periodically moving the animals to different climate zones to take advantage of local pasture conditions It involves a traditional social system that allows members of families to be away many months of the year tending animals It also accommodates modern technology herders transport their animals by truck on paved highways and use radios and computers to access up to date weather info 7 The impact of the GREEN REVOLUTION Green Revolution efforts made to boost agricultural production through the use of modern technologies Impact Food security benefits are undeniable However negative impacts of the system are also apparent in the era of climate change Countries such as the US global agencies such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO and multilateral lending agencies such as the World Bank extended new technologies to the region Innovations included high yielding wheat and corn that could double or triple production per hector of land Problem was these crops needed more inputs than traditional crops more fertilizer water fuel and pesticides This increased productivity and dependency on purchased faming products decreased native seed diversity and exhausted soils and water 8 The IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE in the region Too soon to tell precisely Recent years have seen increase in rainfall and flooding Less hurricanes typhoons however are now harder to predict and are more devastating Rise in seas level risk In some areas drought may increase crop yields in some nations have already suffered Unexpected high temperatures and heat waves Melting of the Himalayan glaciers also threaten a rise in rivers 9 The HAZARD OF FLOODING in Bangladesh and Pakistan Bangladesh widespread flooding from monsoon rains Rivers Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna spill over into the low lying delta areas Can drown people and live stick ruin crops Some geographers suggested annual flooding is leading to deforestation in India and Nepal Pakistan periodic flooding 2010 heavy and unrelenting rainfall in the Indus River basin left 1 5 of Pakistan s land underwater Flood affected 20 million people destroyed homes farmland and death toll of 2000 people Economic impact exceeded 43 billion 10 ARSENIC CONTAMINATION in Bangladesh It was discovered in 200 that millions of tube wells in Bangladesh were drawing arsenic contaminated water Tube wells were installed in Bangladesh because of the United Nations Children s Fund in the 1970s to provide free clean water Bacterial contaminated water was killing 250 000 children each year Arsenic contamination occurs naturally in groundwater and this water was never checked The 1990s had high rates of certain types of cancer researchers investigated and indentified the cause Up to 77 million were exposed taking years off their lives 1 10 who drink it over a prolonged period will die of lung bladder or skin cancer Tube wells are now painted red if they are contaminated New technologies to treat the water have emerged 11 Know what ANTHROPOGENIC FOREST COVER is This is tree cover created or retained by human beings This can serve as a wildlife habitat South Asia has high levels of this 12 The main reasons why MEGAFAUNA HAVE DISAPPEARED in large numbers 47 species are critically endangered in India like rhinoceroses elephants and tigers Cheetahs disappeared 50 years ago Animals like tigers and elephants are victim of poaching and loss of habitat Snow leopards of he Himalayas and the golden leaf monkey and red panda in Bhutan The Indian vulture had a 97 decrease in population between 2000 and 2007 This is a result from a loss of habitat human settlement and a veterinary drug called diclofenac It s given to livestock to enhance performance the vultures get it when scavenging off carcasses 13 What were the main characteristics of MUGHAL INDIA Mugals a clan of Turks from Persia that moved east into the region They conquered Kabul in what is now Afghanistan in 1504 Traditional kingdoms and princely states were kept intact but they were integrated in a highly organized administrative structure with an equitable taxation system and new class of bureaucrats Mughal rule didn t seek to impose Islam on Indigenous populations but Mughal commitment to the religious percepts of Islam gave great stature to Islam Known for spectacular architecture Lavish mosques palaces forts citadels towers and gardens Including Taj Mahal 14 What were the main characteristics of THE RAJ Raj British rule over South Asia extended to border present day Afghanistan and tried to extend political control northward well into the 20th century They brought dramatic change like the development of plantation agriculture They grew coconuts coffee cotton jute rubber and tea Thy also introduced Western industrial development and technology to South Asia displacing Indigenous crafts and industries 15 What were the major differences between PAKISTAN AND INDIA AT PARTITION Pakistan