SOUTH ASIA

Exploring the Subcontinent

Region Profile
COUNTRY CAPITAL POPULATION
AFGHANISTAN Kabul 36,373,176
BANGLADESH Dhaka 166,368,149
BHUTAN Thimphu 817,054
INDIA New Delhi 1,354,051,854
MALDIVES Male 444,259
NEPAL Kathmandu 29,624,035
PAKISTAN Islamabad 200,813,818
SRI LANKA Colombo 20,950,041

*2017 estimate
Facts
Official Name ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN (‫د افغ انستان‬
‫اسالميجمهوریت‬ )
Flag Tri-colour band
RED – Blood of martyrs
BLACK – troubled past of the country
GREEN – hope and future, Islam
Motto Shahada
‫ محمد رسول هللا‬،‫( ا إله إال هللا‬Lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh,
Muhammadun rasūlu llāh) There is no God but
Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
Capital Kabul
Government Unitary Presidential Islamic republic
Religion Islam
Currency Afghani
Historical Milestones
• 1800 to 800 BCE – Zoroastrianism was found in
modern-day Afghanistan.
• Territories of the country were conquered by
numerous empires before Islam came.
• Persian Empire (King Darius I)
• Macedonian Empire (Alexander the Great)
• Seleucid Empire
• Mauryan Empire (Ashoka)
• Greco-Bactrian Empire (mainly a coalition of Hellenic
and Bactrian Forces)
• Parthian Empire
• Kushan Empire
Historical Milestones
• 642 CE – Islam was introduced by Arab Muslims.
The whole territory was collected as al-Hind due to
the proximity to Greater India
• 1219 CE – Mongols overran Afghan territories
• 1370 – Timur invaded and established the Timurid
Dynasty
• 1878 - Second Anglo-Afghan War, meant to topple
Russian invasion in the North by the British.
• 1919 – After the Treaty of Rawalpindi, Afghan
territory freed from the British, declared a
kingdom.
 RUSSIAN EMPIRE
Geography

BRITISH
INDIA
Afghan Culture and Customs
• Afghanistan has a wide varying landscape allowing for many different crops.
Afghan food is largely based upon cereals like wheat, maize, barley and rice, which
are the nation's chief crops.
• Cricket and football are the most popular sports in Afghanistan.
• Marriage is considered an obligation, and divorce is rare and stigmatized.
Polygamy is allowed if all the wives are treated equally. However, it is uncommon
and occurs primarily when a man feels obligated to marry the widow of his dead
brother. The general pattern is to marry kin, although families try to diversify their
social assets through marriage. The incidence of unions between cousins is high.
Afghan Culture and Customs
• Traditionally, the basic household consists of a man, his wife, his sons with their
spouses and children, and his unmarried daughters. When he dies, the sons can
decide to stay united or divide the family assets. Sometimes a brother asks for his
share of the family wealth and leaves the domestic group while the father is still
alive. Residential unity does not imply shared domestic expenses.
• Young people address elders not by name but by a title
• A husband will not call his wife by her name but will call her "mother of my son.“
• Hospitality is a strong cultural value. When food is served, the host waits until the
guests have started eating. As soon as the dishes are cleared, guests ask
permission to leave unless they are spending the night.
Afghan Culture and Customs
• The dead are buried rapidly in a shroud. In
the countryside, most graves are simple
heaps of stones without a name. Wealthier
persons may erect a tombstone with a
written prayer. For three days, the close
relatives of the deceased open their house
to receive condolences. Forty days after
the death, relatives and close friends meet
again, visit the grave, and pray. After one
year, a ceremony takes place to mark the
end of the mourning period. Many people
believe that if a funeral is not carried out
properly, the ghost of the dead will return
to torment the living.
Buddhist Niches at Bamiyan Valley
Buddhist Niches at Bamiyan Valley
• Carved in the 6th century, the two statues, standing 38m and 55m respectively,
were the tallest standing statues of Buddha ever made. Now gone, the emptiness
of the spaces the statues have left behind nevertheless inspire awe and quiet
contemplation in equal measure. The bases of the niches are fenced off and
although it is quite possible to view them for free from some distance.
• Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, inscribed
in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003, declared as ENDANGERED in 2003
due to Taliban bombings.
Bala Hissar and City Walls
Bala Hissar and City Walls
• The old seat of royal power, a fortress has stood on the site of the Bala Hissar since
the 5th century AD, and quite possibly before. It sits at the foot of the Koh-e Shir
Darwaza mountains, guarding the southwestern approaches to Kabul.
Facts
Official Name PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH
(গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ)
Flag Green flag with red circle offset to the hoist side
RED – Sun
GREEN – fertile lands of Bangladesh
Motto No official motto
Capital Dhaka
Government Unitary Parliamentary republic
Religion Islam (90%), Hinduism (9.5%)
Currency Taka
 Historical
Milestones

• 1204 - The Islamic conquest of Bengal began with the 1204 invasion by Bakhtiar Khilji;
after annexing Bengal to the Delhi Sultanate
• 1700’s - The Mughal Empire controlled Bengal, During the reign of Emperor Akbar, the
Bengali agrarian calendar was reformed to facilitate tax collection. The Mughals
established Dhaka as a fort city and commercial metropolis, and it was the capital of
Mughal Bengal for 75 years.
• 1757 - Bengal was the first region of the Indian subcontinent conquered by the British
East India Company.
 Historical
Milestones

• 1937 – Bengal Legislative Assembly, largest in British India, was established.

• 1947 – The Muslim majorities in British India was declared a Dominion (independent
territory within the British Empire), and was known as the Dominion of Pakistan.
• 1956 – Pakistan declared independence from the British, naming it the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan. The two were names as West Pakistan (mainland) and East Pakistan (Bengal
territories)
• 1971 – Bangladeshi Liberation War vs. West Pakistan
• 1972 – Bangladesh won via allied forces vs. West Pakistan, led to its surrender, and became
independent.
Bangladeshi Culture and Customs
• People are respected because of their age and position.
• Older people are naturally viewed as wise and are granted respect.
• Bangladeshis expect the most senior male, by age or position, to make decisions
that are in the best interest of the group. This is also valid in businesses, the
majority of which will be family owned/run.
• The majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim. However, most still very much mix this
with pre-Islam folk traditions.
• There is a strong tradition of music, dance, and literature that includes classical
devotions of Hindu and Muslim music.
Bangladeshi Culture and Customs
• Greetings usually take place between members of the same sex.
• The hand shake is common although they may feel rather limp.
• Women will only really be met within business contexts and even so, it is best to wait to see
if a hand is extended before doing so.
• The traditional greeting for Muslims is Asalamu alaikum to which the response is wa
alaikum salam.
• Bangladeshis will append a suffix to a person's name to denote respect and the level of
closeness between the two people.
• In general, age dictates how people are addressed.
• If people are of the same age, they use first names.
• If the person being addressed is older than the speaker, the person is called by their first
name and a suffix that denotes the family relationship.
Bangladeshi Culture and Customs
• When visiting a Bangladeshi's home, it is more common to bring pastries, sweets
or good quality chocolates.
• If bringing flowers avoid frangipanis as they are used at funerals. Similarly white
flowers indicate mourning.
• Do not give alcohol or products containing non-halal meat to Muslims.
• Never give money.
• It is considered bad form to open gifts in front of the giver. Gifts are given with two
hands.
Bangladeshi Culture and Customs
• If meeting with people for dinner here are some basic rules on etiquette and
protocol:
• If invited to a meal it is rude to flatly turn the invitation down. One should always
use less direct language to suggest that it may be difficult such as "I will try." or "I
will have to see".
• Many people eat with their hands and it may be that you share food from a
common dish. It would not be seen as impolite if you asked for utensils.
• You will constantly be urged to take more food. Simply saying "I'm full" will be
taken as a polite gesture and not accepted at face value. It is therefore always best
to pace yourself to allow for more servings.
• The left hand is considered unclean so only eat, pass dishes or drink with the right
hand.
Cox’s Bazar
Cox’s Bazar
• It is a seaside town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is
known for its wide and long sandy beach, which is considered by many as the
world's longest natural sandy sea beach.
• The beach in Cox's Bazar is an unbroken 125 kilometres (78 mi) sandy sea beach
with a gentle slope.
• Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, whose literal translation means
"yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee".
Sundarbans
Sundarbans
• The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of
Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans from the
Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh.
It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, agriculturally used land, mudflats
and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and channels. Four
protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites,
viz Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans West, Sundarbans South and
Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq
mi).
Sixty Dome Mosque
Sixty Dome Mosque
• It is more commonly known as Shait Gambuj Mosque or Saith Gunbad Masjid), a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a mosque in Bangladesh, the largest in that
country from the Sultanate period. It has been described as "the most impressive
Muslim monuments in the whole of the Indian subcontinent.“
Facts
Official Name KINGDOM OF BHUTAN (འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་)
Flag Flag divided into two equal parts, diagonal. With
white dragon on the center.
YELLOW – Regal authority of the King, civil
tradition
ORANGE - Buddhism
Motto No official motto
Capital Thimphu
Government Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
Religion Buddhism (75%), Hinduism (22.6%)
Currency Ngultrum
Facts
Official Name REPUBLIC OF INDIA (Bhārat Gaṇarājya)
Flag Horizontal tri-band with 24-spoked wheel
INDIA SAFFRON – Renunciation or
disinterestedness
WHITE – Light as a path of truth to guide conduct
INDIA GREEN – relation to lands
WHEEL – Ashoka Chakra, law of dharma,
dynamism of a peaceful change
Motto Truth Alone Triumphs (Satyameva Jayate)
Capital New Delhi
Government Federal Parliamentary Democracy
Religion Hinduism (79.8%), Islam (14.2%), Christianity
(2.3%)
Currency Indian Rupee
Historical Milestones
• 2500-1900 BCE – Indus Valley Civilization, covering
Pakistan and India, flourished. It was the first urban
culture in South Asia.
• 6th century BCE – major religions were found in India.
• Jainism – based on teachings of Mahavira
• Buddhism – based on the meditations of Siddharta Gautama
• 1526 – Mughal Empire was established.
• 1820 – most of the empire was explored by the British
thru its East India Company.
Historical Milestones
• 1857 – The Indian Rebellion sparked, but with unsuccessful
results, when the British East India Company was
abolished and was replaced by the direct rule of the King
of Great Britain.
• 1930’s – the Indian National Congress, led by Mohandas
Gandhi, pursued nonviolence, or non-cooperation in the
conflicts.
• 1947 – British Raj was dissolved, therefore dividing the
territory to two dominions, India and Pakistan.
• 1948 – Burma, a province of the British Raj, became an
independent state.
Indian Culture and Customs
• The cow is considered a sacred animal
• Family values are highly respected throughout India and are fundamental in daily
life
• The structure of the family is patriarchal; a woman must obey her father, her
husband, her son.
• Arranged marriages are common.
• Families often live with three or four generations in the same household
• Traditionally sons inherit and daughters receive a dowry
• Child care is provided by the female family members
• Divorce and inheritance laws are male dominated
Indian Culture and Customs
• Mothers, grandmothers and older siblings care for infants
• Patriarchal families are the norm
• Women are considered to hold secondary positions within the home and
workplace
• Until the child is two,  the mother or grandmother is primary caregiver
• Once the child is two, older sisters are the primary caregivers
Indian Culture and Customs
• Food in India is often served on a ‘thali’ – a tray or plate that can hold several
dishes
• ‘Curry’ is a European term to describe the spicy dishes found in India
• In some parts of India meals are eaten with rice (chawal), in others, flat breads
(roti) are preferred
• Food is infused with spices such as cumin, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom,
cloves and coriander  
• Most Hindus avoid eating beef
Indian Culture and Customs
• In India it’s traditional to greet people using ‘Namaste’ – place both hands
together and bow slightly. In urban areas this is often overlooked
• Men will often also shake hands when meeting or leaving
• Men should not attempt to shake hands with women
• Some Indian women might shake hands with a western woman
• Indian culture is based on a hierarchical system so elders and superior are greeted
first
• Avoid standing too close to others
• Communication may not be straightforward – you may have to read between the
lines and interpret gestures/signs
Khangchendzonga National Park
Khangchendzonga National Park
• It was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming
the first "Mixed Heritage" site of India. The park gets its name from the mountain
Kangchenjunga (alternative spelling Khangchendzonga) which is 8,586 metres
(28,169 ft) tall, the third-highest peak in the world. The total area of this park is
849.5 km2 (328.0 sq mi).
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
• meaning "Crown of the Palaces")is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on
the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was
commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned from
1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It
also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan, the builder. The tomb is the
centerpiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque
and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a
crenellated wall.
Red Fort • Red Fort is a historic fort in the city of Delhi
in India. It was the main residence of the
emperors of the Mughal dynasty for nearly
200 years, until 1856. It is located in the
centre of Delhi and houses a number of
museums.
• Every year on the Independence day of
India (15 August), the Prime Minister hoists
the Indian "tricolour flag" at the main gate
of the fort and delivers a nationally
broadcast speech from its ramparts.
• It was designated a UNESC
O World
Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the Red
Fort Complex.