Let’s Review India Geography Ancient History Middle History Modern History Vocab/People to Know

Geography India is a peninsula = Indian Ocean 2 nd biggest country in Asia Rivers are sacred = Indus & Ganges Himalaya Mts. in the Northeast = can’t pass thru easily, geographic barrier & Hindu-Kush to the Northwest = easy to pass thru, allows for travel & trade Lots of cultural diversity b/c of diverse geography, hard to unify groups—18 official languages but English and Hindi are primary. Pop. 80% Hindi Monsoons = create life & take life, 2x’s a yr., drought & flood problems Serious overpopulation problem—almost 1 bil. People (2 nd biggest pop.)

Ancient History Aryans, 3000 BCE, are 1 st people = indo-Europeans Create the Caste System = Brahmans are best; untouchables are worst; no mobility AT ALL! Buddhism, 300 BCE = created by Siddhartha Gautama; 4 Noble Truths, 8 fold path, reincarnation, nirvana – doesn’t catch on in India, takes off in China Hinduism, 200 BCE = know your dharma, get good karma; reincarnation can move you up; no hamburgers Alexander the Great, 322 BCE, gets to Ganges R. valley when troops mutiny. Guptas, CE = golden age, but no rights for women CE spread of Islam

Middle History In the late 1700’s the British east India Co. ruled much of India = made $ from cotton cloth, silk, etc.; Indian princes ruled rest (Raj’s) Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 over beef bullets = British Gov’t takes over now, built roads, railroads, telegraph lines, factories India becomes their “Jewel in the Crown” Indians create = Indian National Congress

Modern History Gandhi is the man, “Mahatma”= ‘great soul’ He creates the idea of civil disobedience (non- violent refusal to obey unjust laws and force government reaction) for Independence Has boycott of British products, armed forces & taxes = famous Salt March Gets independence in 1947 b/c Britain was weak from WWII + Gandhi’s skills Muslims & Hindus both want their own country – violence breaks out until Muslims get Pakistan Today India practices ‘non-alignment’ = not allies with anybody; has hurt their development Tensions are still strong btw. India & Pakistan = nuclear weapons testing AIDS & overpopulation big unrecognized problems

Vocab/People to Know Nehru = 1 st Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi = 1 st woman Prime Minister Overpopulation Non-alignment Caste system still in rural areas (country) Women have more rights in urban areas (city) Border disputes btw. Pakistan & India Hinduism / dharma / karma / reincarnation Buddhism / nirvana/ 8 fold path / Siddhartha