Transcript South Asia Geography

South Asia/Indian
Subcontinent –
Images of India 1st 7 minutes
 Subcontinent
 separate part of continent: a large area
that is an identifiably separate part of a
continent
 isolated by geographic features
 India - 2nd to China in population
 Nations
 India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan
 Island Nations: Sri Lanka, Republic of
Maldives
Transition: Afghanistan
Indian Subcontinent
Geography (South Asia)
Instructions: Using page 161-170, find evidence in the
section to support each of the following generalizations.
A. The terrain of the Indian subcontinent varies widely.
B. The Himalayas and the Hindu Kush are important to
the subcontinent’s water supply.
C. Farming is an important way of life for millions of
people on the subcontinent.
D. Geographic barriers influenced the development of
different regional cultures on the subcontinent.
E. Rivers play many vital roles in the life of South Asia.
The Indian Subcontinent
• A subcontinent is a large
landmass that is smaller
than a continent.
• The Indian subcontinent
was formed when pieces of
the landmass of
Gondwanaland collided with
Laurasia.
• The ensuing collision
created the Himalaya and
Hindu Kush mountains.
• Although people were able
to travel through passes in
these mountains, its
settlers developed a unique
culture.
a. The Terrain of the Indian
subcontinent varies widely.
 Northern Mountain:
 Himalayas (Mt. Everest), Hindu Kush
 Khyber Pass: mountain pass through Hindu
Kush = traders & invaders
 Kashmir : mountain valley – farming &
herding - song
 Mineral resources – lacks oil for industry
 Rain shadow effect
Rain Shadow
Northern Mountains
•
•
The Himalaya Mountains
stretch 1,500 miles from east to
west.
Many of the world’s highest
mountains are in the
Himalayas.
•
•
At least 50 of the mountains
are more than 5 miles high,
including Mt. Everest.
To the northwest of the
continent lie the Hindu Kush
Mountains.
•
•
Although smaller in area than
the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush
are nearly as high and rugged.
The Arabic word kush means
“death.”
Mountain Valleys
• In between the northern
mountains lie many remote
valleys.
• Through these valleys flow
the headwaters of many of
the subcontinent’s rivers.
• People in these isolated
valleys developed their own
ways of life.
• In the Kashmir Valley,
goats produce a fine wool
called cashmere.
a. The Terrain of the Indian
subcontinent varies widely.
 Northern Plains/Indo-Gangetic Plain
 Pakistan to India to Bangladesh
 Rivers: Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra
 Farming=Densely populated
 Steady source of water
 Fertile land
 Long growing season
 Thar Desert: western end of plains = nomads
 Mineral resources – lacks oil for industry
a. The Terrain of the Indian
subcontinent varies widely.
 Deccan Plateau
 Surrounded by Ghats and Vindhya mountains
 Triangular, high, flat land, rivers, water harder
to find
 ½ of South Asia
 Millions of tiny farms rely on monsoons
b. The Himalayas and the Hindu
Kush are important to the
subcontinent’s water supply.
 Melting snow is the source of streams
that feed river system
c. Farming is an important way
of life for millions of people on
the subcontinent.
 ¾ are farmer
 Indo-Gangetic = Plain densely populated
 Monsoons: Deccan Plateau relies on the monsoons
 Key to life, wet and dry (see handout)
 Ganges River Delta (Bay of Bengal) (video)
 Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna rivers
 Bangladesh
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Densely populated
At sea level
Cyclones
Floods
 Influences art and literature
 Read page 162 and page 166
 advance past video
Back
Monsoons
• Some people consider
monsoon forecasts the most
important weather
predictions on earth.
• The monsoon is a seasonal
wind that dominates the
climate of South Asia.
• The word monsoon means
“season” in Arabic.
• Two monsoons define the
seasons in South Asia: the
wet monsoon of summer
and the dry monsoon of
winter.
Bay of Bengal
Flooding and Storms
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•
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Because of the rich soil on the
delta formed by the Ganges
and Brahmaputra Rivers,
Bangladesh is one of the most
densely populated nations in
the world.
Because much of the land is
barely above sea level,
seasonal flooding is common.
In addition, fierce tropical
cyclones sweep in from the
Bay of Bengal every five to
seven years.
•
These storms have a
devastating effect on the
people in Bangladesh.
1:45
2:40
Back
d. Geographic barriers influenced the
development of different regional cultures
on the subcontinent. Show Culture section Images of India 5 minutes
 Mountains: separate and isolate
 Hindu Kush, Himalayas, Ghats, Vindhya (read page 164)
 Cultural diversity – Unity in Diversity
 Separate people into regional and local groups
 Food, clothing, music, dance
 Language
 India: 15 official languages, 700 dialects
 Hindi: most widely spoken
 English
How to play
Cricket
Highlights
Highlights
 Religion:
 Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism,
Zoroastrianism
 3 Migrations:
 1. other parts of Asia, 2. Muslim , 3. Europe
How to play Cricket
Highlights
Highlights
• There are more than 80
recorded ways to wear a sari
• The most common style is for
the sari to be wrapped around
the waist, with the loose end
of the drape to be worn over
the shoulder, baring the midriff
• However, the sari can be
draped in several different
styles, though some styles do
require a sari of a particular
length or form
e. Rivers play many vital
roles in the life of South Asia
 Essential to life = farming and religion
 Ganges holiest river to Hinduism
 Supported earliest civilizations of the
region
 Ganges River delta/Delta on the Bay of
Bengal = fertile supports life
Closure
 One sentence summary.