The Routledge Atlas of South Asian Affairs

319 Pages·2015·9.53 MB·English

by  Robert W. Bradnock

The Routledge Atlas of South Asian Affairs
South Asia has developed from a group of newly independent post-colonial states of at most
secondary importance to the wider world to its current position as a region of central strategic
importance to both global economic development and world peace and stability.
This Atlas highlights the global significance of South Asia in relation to economic, geopoliti-
cal and strategic interests. It provides a coherent descriptive and analytical account of the key
elements of the complex societies that make up the region and its component countries. It is
illustrated with more than 100 original maps and offers concise entries on key issues, including
population growth, the geopolitics of trans-boundary water resources, natural disaster manage-
ment and climate change. The book is structured thematically in these sections:
• Global context
• Geographical environments
• Historical evolution of South Asia
• Key issues in modern South Asia
• Economy and security
Designed for use in teaching undergraduate and graduate classes and seminars in geography,
history, economics, anthropology, international relations, political science and the environment,
as well as regional courses on South Asia, this book is also a comprehensive reference source
for libraries and decision makers focusing on South Asia.
Robert W. Bradnock has published extensively on South Asian Affairs, first at SOAS, where
he became Head of the Department of Geography, and subsequently at King’s College London.
Here most recently he has been a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Geog-
raphy. He continues to lecture, broadcast and publish widely on the politics and current affairs
of South Asia. His recent work includes Paths to Peace, a Chatham House report based on the
first-ever opinion poll to be undertaken in both Indian and Pakistani-held Kashmir.
Catherine Lawrence trained as a Cartographer while also studying for a Geography Degree at
the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. After coming to England she became
Cartographer at King’s College London, where she met her future husband. While raising her
family she did freelance cartography for journals and magazines like the Geographical Magazine,
returning to academic map-making for 10 years as Cartographer at SOAS. A freelancer once
more, since 1998 she has produced a wide range of original and illuminating work.
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The Routledge Atlas of
South Asian Affairs
Robert W. Bradnock
Cartography by Catherine Lawrence
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Robert W. Bradnock
The right of Robert W. Bradnock to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the p ublishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bradnock, Robert W., author.
The Routledge Atlas of South Asian affairs / Robert W. Bradnock. — First published 2016.
pages cm
“©2016 Robert W. Bradnock.”
1. South Asia—Economic conditions—Maps. 2. South Asia—Politics and government—Maps.
3. South Asia—Foreign relations—Maps. 4. South Asia—Maps. I. Title.
II. Title: Atlas of South Asian affairs.
G2261.G1B7 2016
330.9540022'3—dc23 2015005550
ISBN: 978-0-415-54512-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-54513-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-68308-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
This Atlas is dedicated to my grandchildren
Manon Arkinstall
George Warnett Rowan Cameron
Alba Cameron Thomas Warnett
Jessie-Mai Morton
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Contents
List of Maps ix
List of tables xiii
Preface xv
Abbreviations, acronyms and glossary xvii
Section A The global context 1
1 South Asia and the world powers 3
2 South Asia and its neighbours 11
3 South Asia and the Muslim world 15
4 South Asia: the cultural fabric 19
Section B The geographical environments 29
5 Plate tectonics and South Asia’s contemporary environments 31
6 Mountains, valleys and plains: the relief of South Asia 35
7 South Asian climates 39
8 Water resources 46
9 Natural vegetation and the challenge to biodiversity 64
10 Energy resources 69
11 Non-energy mineral resources 77
Section C The historical background 81
12 The settlement history of South Asia 83
13 British and Princely India at Independence 88
14 Partition and the newly independent states of South Asia 92
15 Independent South Asia: contrasting experiences of governance 98
16 South Asia: the Cold War era 120
Section D Key issues in modern South Asia 127
17 Population issues: density and growth 129
18 Fertility and mortality 136
19 Urbanisation 144
20 Health and morbidity 150
21 Literacy in South Asia 156
22 South Asia’s external borders: the legacies of an Imperial past 162
23 New borders and unresolved disputes: the post-colonial legacy 171
24 South Asia’s water resources: reaching the limits? 182
viii CONTENTS
25 The geopolitics of cross-boundary water resource use 197
26 Natural disasters and environmental risk 212
27 Environmental security: air and water pollution and soil degradation 225
28 Climate change in South Asia 235
Section E Economy and security 247
29 The economies of South Asia 249
30 Defence and security in South Asia 263
31 South Asia: entering an era of co-operative development? 273
Bibliography 279
Index 291
Maps
Section A
1 South Asia: a global view 3
2 South Asia and Brazil 5
3 South Asia: the modern States and their administrative units 6
4 The US Department of State’s definition of South and Central Asia 7
5 South Asia: the US Pentagon’s Strategic Command Areas 7
6 The 1980s view of the world from Washington 8
7 South Asia and the Middle East: the ‘Crescent of Crisis’ 11
8 South Asia and the Muslim world 15
9 Muslim populations of the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia 17
10 The spread of Dravidian and Indo-European languages 20
11 South Asia’s major languages 21
12 The major religions of South Asia 24
13 “Scheduled Castes” and “Scheduled Tribes” 27
Section B
14 The Indian Plate and its boundaries 32
15 Seismic zones of South Asia 33
16 Mountains, valleys and plains: the relief of South Asia 36
17 The monsoon system 40
18 Precipitation and temperature 41
19 Precipitation in Sri Lanka 42
20 Precipitation in Nepal 43
21 Precipitation in Pakistan and Bangladesh 44
22 Mean annual precipitation in South Asia 48
23 The major river basins 50
24 Régimes for six rivers 51
25 Major aquifers in South Asia 53
26 Natural vegetation 65
27 Biodiversity ‘hotspots’ 66
28 Fossil fuel resources 70
29 Electricity generation by source 73
30 Power generation schemes in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka 74
31 Sustainable energy sources: solar 75
32 Sustainable energy sources: wind 76
33 Iron ore resources 78
34 Copper resources 78