South Asia/Indian

Subcontinent – Images of India 1st 7 minutes (intro

( link
start at 1:43)

 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
 Uzbekistan Tajikistan
Turkmenistan

Iran
 Indian Subcontinent
Geography (South Asia)
Instructions: Using page 161-170 (Sections 1 & 2), find
evidence in the sections 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
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
 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
• 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 How to play
 Food, clothing, music, dance Cricket
 Language
 India: 15 official languages, 700 dialects Highlights
 Hindi: most widely spoken
 English 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.