REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY

Exam Topics Related to India

The Importance of Culture In India

• Culture describes how people live their lives• Can include descriptions of ethnic origin,

language, religion, foods, festivals• India has 1.2 Billion people and its population

is growing• Its culture has been influenced by British

colonialism, European migrants and migrants from other parts of Asia

India - Culture• There is cultural Diversity throughout India• Several different regions can be recognised by the

differences in Language and Religion• There are over 1,600 languages spoken in India• Language – India can be divided into 2 Regions

from a language perspective.• In the far north of India in the mountainous

regions, (Himalayas) people speak languages related to Tibetan and Chinese

• In Southern Regions, people speak Dravidian languages.

India - Culture

• The Dravidian language group has over 200 million speakers and is unrelated to other languages used in India

• Hindi is the official language of India and is spoken throughout the country

• English was brought to India with the British colonisation and is still the language of Business and Commerce

India - Culture

• Religion – Also used to define regions in India• India has 2 main religions – Hinduism and Muslim• Majority of people are Hindi and this religion is found

throughout the country• A minority of the population is Muslim and they tend to

live in the north along the Indus and Ganges river plains• They would have tended to settle along the north as their

ancestors would have been Muslim traders from the east• People living in this region converted to Ilam over the

yearsa

India - Culture• 1947 after independence from Britain the region

was divided into 2 States – India and Pakistan• Pakistan is the Islamic state and India is the Hindu

state.• However, the partition has caused many problems.

Over 12 million people were displaced and moved between regions as they did not wish to remain in the newly – created states

• They wished to be with people of their own religion• Muslims moved to Pakistan and Hindus moved to

India.

The Development of Mumbai

• Mumbai is in western India• It is an island Mega-City with 23 million people• The second largest city in the world after

Tokyo• Originally made up of seven islands joined

together by reclaimed land• In the 17th century trade with Britain and

Europe lead to a significant growth of the city

Mumbai

• Mumbai was controlled by the East India Trading company – developed it into a major trading port and built sea defences

• The city attracted many merchants from Europe and Asia – it was politically stable and allowed religious freedom

• Mumbai had a population of 60,000 by end of 17th century

Mumbai• Religious conflict between Muslims and Hindis in 19th

century forced many people to flee to Mumbai from other areas of the subcontinent

• The beginning of Rural-Urban migration and this led to a large increase in the population

• The second half of the 19th century saw the development of cotton spinning and weaving to supply the British Empire with textiles

• Mumbai developed further with the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt which made the transport distance between Mumbai and Europe much shorter

• It became a stop-off point between Europe and Asia

Mumbai• Nowadays it is the Financial Capital of India• The centre of Bollywood Film Industry – much

more substantial than Hollywood• The largest port in India – 25% of India’s

International Trade• The rapid growth though has caused problems

which are typical of Mega-Cities – Pollution/Crime/Slums (Bustees)

• Almost 10 Million live in slums in Mumbai

Mumbai

• Dharavi is the largest slum in Mumbai• It originated as an area where migrants from

rural areas of India first settled. They did not have money or permission to locate here but did so anyway

• Dharavi was originally a swamp on the edge of the city but now is a prime development area in the city of Mumbai

• It is a problem for planners and developers

Mumbai• State officials have planned to demolish Dharavi

and move the slum residents to apartments elsewhere in Mumbai

• They have planned an 800 Million Euro development of Business Parks/Restaurants/Universities/Hotels for the site

• However, before this happens they must build new areas for the slum dwellers to relocate

• They plan to develop new suburbs on the edge of the city which may further increase Urban Sprawl

Agriculrure in India

Factors Affecting Agriculture in India2 Factors – Climate and SoilsFactor 1: Climate• A Tropical climate with highs of 20-32 degrees

celcius throughout the year which influences the types of crops grown

• The climate allows for the growth of crops such as: Rice and Sugar Cane which require high temperatures

• The amount of rainfall in India is controlled by the effect of Monsoon

India - Agriculture• Monsoon is a reversal of wind patterns over the continent

which creates 2 seasons• Wet season – June-September and Dry season October –

June• The monsoon rains control the type of crops grown by

people and when they can be planted or harvested• If the rains are late or bring low rainfall, irrigation, planting

and crop yields are affected• In the Wet season thirsty crops such as Rice are grown in

the Eastern half of India along the Ganges Valley and the Eastern Ghats

• Rainfall can total over 2,500mm • In the Dry season Millet is grown throughout India

India Agriculture

• In drier regions of the North-West, Wheat, Maize, Chickpeas are grown

• Tropical climate is also suited to Tea Production.• Asam State in in the North-East is a major

supplier of tea to world markets• The extreme North-West has the Thar Desert

and the desert soils are unsuited to most crops. However, Cotton and Millet bare grown in areas where irrigation is used

India - Agriculture• Factor 2: Soils• Soils have an influence on the pattern of agricultural

production in India• In South-West (Kerala State) deep fertile soils are found.

They are used for the production of coffee. It is the largest coffee producing state in India

• In the Ganges Valley the soils are wet, clay, rich in alluvium. A result of the Ganges flooding its floodplain annually

• In very far North, the high relief (mountains) has caused the formation of thin, infertile soils and results in subsistence farming – eg Goat Herding

Agriculture - India

• Northern States of Assam/Himachal/Pradesh have well drained, well aerated, red coloured soils and are used for Tea Production

India - Secondary ActivitiesSteelProduction/Electronics/Pharmaceuticals/Software• 2 Factors have influenced industrial

development – 1. Government Influence2. Availability of Raw Materials• Indian secondary sector was very

underdeveloped prior to independence in 1947• Most industrial development was focused on

food processing and textiles

Secondary Activities• Only 2% of the workforce was employed in

manufacturing• Industry was located in Colonial cities established

by British -- Kolkata/Mumbai/Chennai• Post Independence Government policy was to

spread industry across India and into rural areas• This was done by investment in local craft

industries and food processing – Labour Intensive Industries

Secondary Activities

• These industries used locally sourced raw materials

• Also developed fertiliser production and manufacture of agricultural machinery

• Despite this Kolkata/Mumbai/Chennai remain the main drivers of secondary activities

Secondary Activities• India has major advantages for Industry – eg.

Resources and large supply of Labour• Well-educated – but low-cost workforce• Indian government has invested heavily in

education and Indians value education very highly

• India has more third level graduates than USA and Canada combined

• About 40% have engineering and science degrees

Secondary Activities

• These advantages have attracted many multinational companies in the high-tech- software sector/Back Office Operations

• Skilled Indian graduates can be employed at less than one third of the cost of European or American workers

• Bangalore is the centre of the Indian software with high profile companies like IBM located there – India’s Silicon Valley

Secondary Activities

• Raw materials are widely available throughout India for traditional industries

• Iron Ore and Coal near Kolkata – as a result Kolkata is the centre of Iron and Steel Industry – TATA STEEL CO.

• Transport has also helped develop industry – Infrastructure is very poor outside the main cities especially roads

• Industries therefore locate in the major cities as transport network is superior

• Mumbai is the main port. Pharmaceutical Industry is located in Mumbai to take advantage of this and keep costs low

India - Tourism

• Largest service industry in India – 10% of employment and 6% GDP

• Approximately 5 million tourists visit annually – USA and UK are main visitors

2 Factors have influenced the development of tourism in India – 1. Physical Factors2. Human Factors

India - Tourism• Very varied landscape due to its vast size eg.

Mountains, river valleys, plateaux, desert, rainforest, beaches

• Himalayas attract thousands of climbers and trekkers to Northern India every year

• Eco-tourism is a developing sector in the south – west of the country

• Likewise the beaches in the south are extremely attractive for tourists and offer great potential

• Goa in the South – West is a renowned holiday resort

India - Tourism

• Human attractions are quite diverse in India• The ‘Golden Triangle’ of the cities of Delhi,

Agra and Jaipur in Northern India attract many tourists. They are well connected by trains and luxury coaches

• Kerala in the south has many temple festivals throughout the year which attract religious tourists and is a popular honeymoon destination

India - Tourism

• Tourism in India has its problems – Poverty in the mega-cities has restricted people form visiting in large numbers

• Internal tourism has yet to grow as so many people cannot afford to take holidays in India

• India is a long-haul destination for Europeans and Americans and the distance and expense restrict tourists from coming in larger numbers

India - Tourism

• Terrorist bombings – eg. Mumbai in 2008 have had a negative impact on foreign tourists

• The Indian Tourism Development Plan has been established to promote India as a destination abroad. It aims to increase international tourist numbers to 8 million by 2015

• Improved airport access and development of luxury hotels in cities like Mumbai and Bangalore will help as will the development of the road infrastructure

• Since 2000 there has been an increase of internal tourism due to wealthy IT workers from Bangalore and Chennai heading to the south-west coast on ‘Monsoon Holidays’

India – Population Distribution

• India has a population of aprx. 1.2 Billion but it is unevenly distributed

• The 2 main reasons for the uneven distribution are (1)Physical factors – Climate/Relief (2) Human Factors – Availability of jobs and services

• Population density is highest along the river valleys, in the narrow coastal plains and in the cities and their hinterlands

• Population density is lowest in the Himalays region of the North and The Thar desert area of the North - West

India - Population• The most densely populated zone is along the Indus and Ganges river

valleys• The population density here is over 250 per square km• The region has a constant supply water, fertile alluvial soils and flat

land• Millions of people live here and survive by intensive subsistence rice

farming• Another are of high population density is along the narrow coastal

plains of the Eastern and Western Ghats• The region has intensive rice farming and commercial farming of Tea,

Coconuts and Cotton• There are lots of plantations of these cash crops so density is loqwer

here than in the river valleys

India - Population

• The main cities of Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai have very high population densities

• Kolkata has a density of over 2,050 per square km – this is mainly due to the high rate of rural-urban migration

• Poor people move to the cities in search of a better life – work/education/

• Cities such as Chennai and Bangalore attract lots of internal and international migrants seeking work in IT sector

• Mumbai is India’s largest port and has many port-related jobs that attract migrants

• The high relief of the Himalayas is the main reason for low population density in Northern India

India - Population

• The steep slopes, snow-covered land, poor soils and poor road infrastructure discourage settlement here

• The low population density of 100 per square km in the North-East is mainly due to the Thar Desert

• Lack of water prevents agriculture and the population is dispersed among the small communities where water is available