South Asia

Physical Landscape
 South Asia
 Geography has helped
South Asia develop
separately from the rest
of the world
 The Himalayan and Hindu
Kush mountains form
barriers to the north
 The Arabian Sea, Bay of
Bengal, and the Indian
Ocean surround South Asia
on 3 sides.
 South Asia
 “The Indian Subcontinent”
– Another name for South Asia

– Subcontinent: a large
landmass that is smaller
than a continent
 Major Regions of South Asia
 There are 3 major
regions:
1. Northern Mountains
2. Northern Plains
3. Deccan Plateau
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Mountains
– The Himalayas
– The Hindu Kush

Northern
Plains
Deccan
Plateau
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Mountains
– The Himalayas
 Create a wall that separates the Indian
Subcontinent from the rest of Asia
 Contains some of the world’s tallest mountains

Mount Everest
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Mountains
– The Hindu Kush
 Very high and rugged mountains
 Many of S. Asia’s major river systems begin here
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Plains
– From Pakistan to
Bangladesh
– Densely populated
– Two major rivers flow
through the Northern
Plains
Northern
1. Indus River Plains
Deccan
2. Ganges River Plateau
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Plains
– Indus River
 The major river of Pakistan
 Many Pakistanis live near the river
 “Indus” means “river”
– Source of the name
“India”
 Major Regions of South Asia
“Known as Ganga Ma—Mother Ganges—the river
1. Northern Plains is revered as a goddess whose purity cleanses
the sins of the faithful and aids the dead on their
path toward heaven. According to Hindu
– Ganges River mythology, the Ganges was once a river of
heaven that flowed across the sky. Long ago,
she agreed to fall to earth to aid a king named
 Flows across India Bhagiratha, whose ancestors had been burned
to ash by the angry gaze of an ascetic they had
into Bangladesh disturbed during meditation. Only the purifying
waters of Ganges, flowing over their ashes,
 It is the most holy could free them from the earth and raise them
up to live in peace in heaven.”
river in South Asia
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Plains
– Ganges River
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Northern Plains
– Thar Desert
 Covers and area
the size of Colorado
(100,000)
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Deccan Plateau
– A region of high, flat land
with many rivers
– Millions of tiny farms
dot the landscape

Northern
Plains
Deccan
Plateau
 Major Regions of South Asia
1. Deccan Plateau
– The Eastern and Western Ghats
 Low-lying mountain ranges
 “ghats” = passes
 Resources and Climate
 Natural Resources
– Water (for irrigation)
– Mineral resources: iron ore, copper, coal
– Nuclear power
 Governments have supported its use over oil
 Resources and Climate
 Climate
– Climate and vegetation vary greatly
 In areas of heavy rainfall, tropical rainforests
flourish
 Where there is little rain, there are deserts
– Monsoons: seasonal winds that control the
lives of farmers in South Asia
 Resources and Climate
 Rain shadow
– Mountains can create a rain shadow

Wet, windward Dry, leeward

 Review
 Geography has separated South Asia

 Indian Subcontinent

 Three Major Regions of South Asia

1. Northern Mountains
2. Northern Plains
3. Deccan Plateau
 Identifying on a map…
Himalayas
Hindu Kush
Indus River
Ganges River
Thar Desert
Eastern Ghats
Western Ghats
 Review
 Resources
– Water, mineral resources
– Nuclear power
 Climate
– Varied
– Rain Shadows