Geography of South Asia

Plate Tectonics Theory

Gondwanaland

• Southern supercontinent.

• Started to break up 175 million years ago.

The Indian Subcontinent

The Indian Subcontinent• A part of

Gondwanaland broke off and collided with Eurasia.

• The Himalayas and Hindu Kush were formed.

The Indian Subcontinent

A subcontinent is a large landmass that is smaller than a continent.

Isolating Factors• Northern

Mountains– Hindu Kush– Himalayas

• Water– Arabian Sea– Indian Ocean– Bay of Bengal

Regions of Asia

Note: Definitions of regions tend to vary a bit.

Regions of Asia

• North Asia is Russia’s Siberia.

• East Asia includes China and Japan.

• Southeast Asia includes Vietnam and Indonesia.

• South Asia includes India and Pakistan.

• Central Asia includes Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

• Southwest Asia, better known as the Middle East, includes Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

South

Southwest AsiaSouthwest Asia

Central Central AsiaAsia

Northern AsiaNorthern Asia

East East AsiaAsia

Southeast Southeast AsiaAsia

South South AsiaAsia

South Asia

Countries of South Asia• Afghanistan• Pakistan• India• Nepal• Bhutan• Bangladesh• Sri Lanka• Maldives

Major Geographic Regions

Major Geographic Regions

• Northern Mountains

• Northern Plains

• Deccan Plateau

Northern Mountains

Northern Plains

Deccan Plateau

Northern Mountains

• Himalayas

• Hindu Kush

Himalayas

• 1,500 mile long chain of mountains.

• Include tallest mountains in the world.

• Create a massive wall separating South Asia from East Asia.

Mount Everest• Tallest mountain

in the world at 29,000 feet.

• First climbed by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal.

Hindu Kush• Smaller in area than

the Himalayas, but almost as high and just as rugged.

• Located mostly in Afghanistan.

• The word “kush” means “death.”

Khyber Pass• Best known pass

through the Hindu Kush.

• For centuries, traders and invaders traveled through this pass.

Kashmir• Isolated valley in

northern India.• Famous for the

production of a fine wool.

• Split between India, Pakistan and China.

Indo-Gangetic Plain• Large plain formed

by the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.

• Most fertile and densely populated part of South Asia.

Indus River• Largest river of

Pakistan.

• The word “indus” means “river.”

• India’s name comes from this river.

Ganges River• Largest river in

India.• Most holy river of

Hinduism.• Joins with

Brahmaputra to create an enormous delta in Bangladesh.

Brahmaputra River

• Large river that starts in Tibet (China).

• Runs through India and Bangladesh.

• Name means “Son of Brahma.”

Thar Desert

Large desert in India and Pakistan.

Deccan Plateau• Large plateau (an

elevated flat or hilly landmass)

• Bordered by mountains:– Vindhyas– Western Ghats– Eastern Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats create a “rain shadow.”

Windward Side Leeward

Side

Review

Q: What large landmass split up millions of years ago, resulting in India’s collision with the rest of Asia?

A: Gondwanaland

Q: What two terms are used to describe this region of the world?

A: South Asia & the Indian Subcontinent

Q: What five physical features isolate South Asia? Hint: two landforms and three bodies of water.

A: Hindu Kush, Himalayas, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean & Bay of Bengal.

Q: What is the name of the territory in northern India that is claimed by both India and Pakistan?

A: Kashmir

Q: What is the name of the famous mountain pass through the Hindu Kush mountains?

A: Khyber Pass

Q: What geographic term is used to describe a landform that is low in elevation and relatively flat?

A: Plain

Q: What is the large plain in the northern part of South Asia?

A: Indo-Gangetic Plain

Q: What three rivers form the Indo-Gangetic Plain?

A: Indus, Ganges & Brahmaputra

Q: What geographical term is used to describe the landform formed at the mouth of a river?

A: delta

Q: Which country is largely composed of the huge delta formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra?

A: Bangladesh

Q: Which two rivers combine to form the largest delta in South Asia?

A: Ganges & Brahmaputra

Q: What two names are used to describe the large desert located in South Asia?

A: Thar & Great Indian Desert

Q: In which two countries is the Thar Desert located?

A: India & Pakistan

Q: What geographic term is used to describe an elevated area that is relatively flat?

A: plateau

Q: What is the name of the large plateau in central India?

A: Deccan Plateau

Q: What mountain chain has the biggest influence on the amount of precipitation the Deccan Plateau receives?

A: Western Ghats

Q: What geographic term is used to describe when one side of a mountain receives a lot of moisture and the other side almost none?

A: rain shadow

Review: Countries• Afghanistan• Bangladesh• Bhutan• India• Maldives• Nepal• Pakistan• Sri Lanka

Afghanistan

Pakistan

India

NepalBhutan

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Maldives

Review: Bodies of Water

• Arabian Sea

• Bay of Bengal

• Indian Ocean

Arabian Sea

Indian Ocean

Bay of Bengal

Review: Rivers

• Brahmaputra• Indus• Ganges

Indus

Ganges Brahmaputra

Review: Physical Features• Deccan

Plateau• Himalayas• Hindu Kush• Indo-Gangetic

Plain• Thar Desert• Western

Ghats

Hindu Kush

HimalayasThar Desert

Indo-Gangetic

Western Ghats

Deccan Plateau