Post on 03-Feb-2016
description
South Asia Unit
The subcontinent
A closer look at the breakdown of India…
India is a Federal Union of States
• 28 States• Elected
governments
• 7 Union Territories• Administered
directly by the government
Disputed Regions, States, and Union Territories
European Imperialism in South Asia
1. Northern Mountains
Himalayas Hindu Kush
Northern Mountains
Separate South Asia from the rest of the continent• Himalayas– Contains some of the
world’s tallest mountains• Mt. Everest – tallest
in the world
• Hindu Kush– Smaller than Himalayas– But almost as high– “kush” = death– Khyber Pass – access to
subcontinent
Kashmir Valley
• High valleys among the mountains• Kashmir Valley – produces wool known in the
west as Cashmere
2. The Northern Plains
The Northern PlainsA.K.A. Indo-Gangetic Plain
• 3 major rivers – Indus–Ganges–Brahmaputra
Indus River• Principal river of
Pakistan – Many live in the
river basin
• Indus Valley civilization– Earliest in the
region
• “Indus” = river– Source of the
name India
Ganges River
• Begins in the Himalayas
• Joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh
• Holiest River - Ritual purification in the Ganges
“Mata Ganga” (Mother Ganges)
Brahmaputra River
• Joins the Ganges in Bangladesh• Ends in the Bay of Bengal• Vulnerable to flooding
3. Thar Desert
• 100,000 sq. mi. (size of Colorado)• Barren landscape
Jaisalmer Located in the state of Rajasthan
“The Golden City”
People of the Thar Desert
4. Deccan Plateau
Bordered by two mountain ranges•Vindhyas•Ghats
Vindhya Mountains & The Ghats
Vindhyas• Separate the Deccan
Plateau from Northern Plain• Boundary between
Northern and Southern India
• Rugged but relatively low
Ghats• Named for the many ghats
(passes) that run through them
Deccan Plateau
MONSOONS
• Seasonal wind that dominates the climate of South Asia
• “monsoon” = season in Arabic• Summer = wet monsoon• Winter = dry monsoon
–Wet, summer monsoons• June
– Land heats the air air rises cool moist air from the sea flows across land to bring rain
• Central India receives more than 90% of its total annual precipitation
• Southern and northwestern India receiving 50%-75% of their total annual rainfall
–Dry, winter monsoons
• October– Cool air from
mountains sinks winds blow back to the sea dry air crosses subcontinent mild season follows
• Himalayas act as a huge wall blocking this cold weather and causing high temperatures
Impact on the People?
Impact on the People?
• Famine– It is important that the monsoon comes on
time– If the monsoon is late, the seeds planted
may die and cause FAMINE
• Floods– If the monsoon brings too much rain, rivers
can overflow–Most common in the low lands of
Bangladesh where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers meet
Flooding in Bangladesh
• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22537615
• http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/jan/23/bangladesh-floods-harbingers-disaster