South Asia(India)Chapter 23

Geography and Climate

Unit 8: Page 576

Maps: Pages 582, 584-586

Monsoons: Pages 586-587

Chapter 23: Pages 588-601

Gondwanaland

• Himalayas and Hindu Kush created

• South Asia developed it own identity

Water Links to Other parts of the World

• Arabian Sea• Bay of Bengal• Indian Ocean

Indian Subcontinent, or South Asia

• India• Pakistan• Bangladesh• Nepal• Bhutan• Sri Lanka• The Maldives• Afghanistan

Northern Mountains

• World’s tallest mountains

• Himalayas • Hindu Kush• Mt. Everest• K2

Northern Mountains

• Mountain passes allow for traders to get through

• Khyber Pass

Northern Mountains

• Mountain valleys allow for some farming

• Kashmir

Northern Plains

• Indo-Gangetic plain• Fertile silt deposits• River water for

irrigation• Dense population

Northern Plains

• Indus River flows through Pakistan

• Earliest civilization in South Asia found here

Northern Plain

• Ganges River is the most sacred river in India

• It starts in an ice cave in the Himalayas

Northern Plain

• Bramaputra is located in Bangladesh

• The delta region is subject to terrible flooding

Thar Desert

• 100,000 square miles

• The size of Colorado

• Nomadic herders raise sheep and goats

Deccan Plateau

• High flat land with rivers and hills

• Tiny farms growing millet, cotton, wheat, and rice

Vindhya Mountains

• Separate the deccan plateau from the Indo-Gangetec plain.

• Low but rugged• Agastya tamed

Vindhya, the spirit of the mountain

The Ghats

• Fringe the Deccan Plateau east and west

• Western Ghats helped keep Europeans out

• Eastern Ghats contains broad valleys which let the Europeans in

Monsoon

• A seasonal wind that dominates the climate of South Asia

• The most important weather prediction on earth

• Monsoon Cycle

Wet Monsoon

• Begins in May or June

• Blows north from the Indian Ocean

Dry Monsoon

• Begins in October• Blows south from

the northern mountains

Importance to farming

• If late, the seedlings will wither and die.

• If too much rain too soon the crops will be washed away.

Flooding and Storms in Bangladesh

• Delta formed by Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers

• 3 crops of rice per year

• Crowded and poor• Cyclones

Rainfall and Vegetation

• The monsoon affects South Asia unevenly

• Mountains cause more rain in the north

• Cherrapunji gets 425 inches/year

Rain Shadow

• The Ghats make the Deccan Plateau dry due to their high elevation

Temperatures vary greatly

• Northern mountains and Western Ghats are cold

• Much of the rest of South Asia is Tropical

• Madras is three months hot, 9 months hotter

Natural Resources

• The Indo-Gangetic plain has good soil

Some parts of South Asia have worn out soil

• Fertilizers are used• Irrigation from rivers

and wells• Farmers must dig

deep wells in the Deccan Plateau

Minerals

• Iron ore• Manganese• Bauxite• copper

Energy Resources

• Coal in the northern plain

• Limited oil has led to support for nuclear power

Peoples of South Asia

• 1.1 billion people• 1 out of every 5

people in the world lives in South Asia

• 75% are farmers• Most live in villages

People

• Great cultural diversity in food, dress, values, etc.

• Geographic features have separated people

Religions

• Hindus• Muslims• Christians• Sikhs• Buddhists

Languages

• India has more than 700 languages and dialects

• Hindi is the most widely spoken

• 15 official languages• English used due to

former colonization by Britain