On May 11, 1998, the Prime Minister of India stunned the world by announcing that his country had conducted a weapons test involving the detonation of three nuclear devices.  Not only did this event usher in a new nuclear power into the world arena, but it also served to further agitate already strained relations with its neighbor Pakistan.  Two days later, two more detonations were conducted, prompting Pakistan to respond with five nuclear detonations of its own at month's end.  The world held its breath for the first time since the days of the Cold War, hoping that the situation would defuse itself.   But while nuclear threats subsided, a limited 2-month ground war over the hotly contested Kashmir area did erupt in the summer of 1999 and tensions drew to a new height in 2002.

Tensions persist in this volatile region, home to the two newest nuclear powers in the world.  But beyond politics, beyond the disagreements of two countries, we find a region that is home to a diversity of languages and religions that is unprecedented in the world.

Origins of the Civilization - It is believed that the roots of South Asian culture originated from the Indus Valley civilization in what is now Pakistan more than 5,000 years ago.  By 800 B.C. a new urban focus had emerged in the middle Ganges Valley, the area in which the Buddhist faith was later organized.

Religion -  Despite the success of Buddhism, especially abroad, the region has been predominantly shaped by the Hindu faith.  However, there is enormous complexity when examining the religious expression of contemporary South Asia.  Not only are there other religions to be found here, but Hinduism itself is a geographically complicated religion with different aspects of the faith, such as the worship of specific deities, varying greatly between places.  Pakistan and Bangladesh are overwhelmingly Islamic.  Other major religions, such as Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Christianity, are found in various locations throughout the subcontinent.

Himalayan Kingdoms - Bhutan and Nepal are unique in the region for their surviving kingdoms. While Bhutan maintains its traditional ways of life by excluding all but a select few foreigners, it introduced local elections (and therefore democracy) for the very first time in 2002. Other freedoms, such as freedom of the press, may be longer in coming. In contrast, BBC News Service broadcasts in Nepali may have helped create a constitutional monarchy in Nepal in 1990. Since then, Nepal welcomes foreign tourists and globalization. This has not endeared the royal family, which may fall due to internal tensions, to either the impoverished peasantry or to Maoist rebels that violently oppose Nepal's interconnectedness with the outside world.

Nepal - The Himalayan nation of Nepal has long been of great interest to hikers and adventurers, from Mount Everest to the Kathmandu Valley.

View Mount Everest from space

The Himalayas - From Northern Pakistan's Karakoram & Hindukush Mountains, to India's Garhwal Himalayas, the Himalayas have not only provided recreation for millions of tourists and adventure seekers, but have been instrumental in shaping the complex physical and cultural mosaic of the region.

Pakistan's border with Afghanistan -Never completely controlled by the governments of Pakistan or Afghanistan, the border region between the two countries is rugged, wild and an ideal hideout for militant Pashtuns as well as members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda fleeing international law. Troops of several countries involved in the "War on Terror" scour the countryside regularly for signs of Al Qaeda activity in northwestern Pakistan.

High Altitude Trash -  It is not something that one generally considers to be a problem until they happen to encounter it in person.  With the ever increasing number of trekkers who journey to South Asia to tackle the world's largest mountains, the amount of trash left behind by visitors is increasing dramatically at altitudes that make regular clean-up operations by government personnel almost impossible. To address these concerns, Nepal created the Sustainable Tourism Network.

Global Warming & Rising Waters - The Maldives, an island chain southwest of India, is experiencing first-hand the effects of rising sea levels.  With 80% of the land area of The Maldives at less than 3 feet above sea level, rising sea levels are posing a serious threat to the islands and their inhabitants. While active in calling for worldwide recognition of global warming, the Maldives is not waiting to be washed away and has constructed the new city of Hulhumale on artificially higher ground. If the experiment works, other residents will be evacuated to similar locations.

Other environmental sites for South Asia:
Biodiversity Profile of India

Visit the Maldives while it is still here.

Take a Virtual Tour of Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

Take a virtual tour of Pakistan and travel through the mountains to the Chinese border.

Take a Virtual Tour of India, a country that is expected to eclipse China's population early this century.

Images of India
A photographic tour of Calcutta

Radio:

          
Sikhnet - Punjab, India
Radio Nepal - 3230 kHz - Kathmandu, Nepal
          

           You'll need to Download the FREE G2 player to listen in.

Newspapers:

The Daily Star - Dhaka, Bangladesh
News from Bangladesh - Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Afternoon Dispatch & Courier - Bombay, India
Deccan Herald - Bangalore, India
The Times of India - New Delhi, India
Dawn - Karachi, Pakistan
The Sunday Times - Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Page - Sri Lanka

             [ Asia  |  Satellite image |  10-Day Precipitation Outlook for South Asia ]

Embassies in Washington D.C.:

India
Pakistan
Nepal

For access to embassy Web sites worldwide, try the Embassy & Consulate Search Engine.

Asian Studies WWW VL
South Asia WWW VL
Maps of the Indian Ocean
GupShup Image Gallery of Pakistan

This activity contains 2 questions.

	As discussed in the textbook and this article, there is growing concern over the amount of trash that is being dumped by trekkers in the mountains of South Asia.  Given the topography and limited access to many of these areas, government-sponsored action may not be an option.  What creative measures can you think of to combat this growing problem?  Please divide your answer by first looking at it from the hiker's point of view, and second from the point of view of the government.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	You have been invited to attend talks aimed at defusing tension between India and Pakistan.  How has geography played a role in the political divisions we find between these two countries?  Based on what you know from reading news sources and other links provided on this page, summarize in a paragraph what could be done to bring these nations closer to a lasting, peaceful coexistence.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

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