Climate and Resources

Trivandrum, India (South Western Tip of the Sub-Continent) “A line of spectators had formed behind the Kovalum beach road. They were dressed with surprising formality, many of the men wearing ties and the women fine saris which streamed and snapped in the wind…Thunder boomed. Lightening went zapping into the sea... ‘The rains!’ everyone sang. The wind struck us with a force made our line bend and waver. Everyone shrieked and grabbed at each other…The deluge began.” Why Would People Be So Happy About Rain?

Summer Monsoons Winter Monsoons

Monsoons Monsoon- seasonal wind that dominates the climate of South Asia Monsoon = “Season” in Arabic They have the wet monsoon of the summer and the dry monsoon of the winter There is a monsoon cycle that is important to South Asia

Monsoon Cycle Wet Monsoon Arrives in late May or early June –Temperatures as high as 120 Degrees Fahrenheit –Land is hot and dried out and causes heat to rise –Hot air mixes with cool air from ocean and causes rain Dry Monsoon Arrives in October –Cool air from the mountains blows towards the seas –Causes the temperatures to drop and humidity to drop –Less rainfall and leads to drought How does knowing this cycle help farmers ?

Monsoons and Farmers Monsoons are the key to farmers life Farmers plant seeds in the dry months before the monsoons Rains come and water the seeds Too much rain falls and the land floods Too little rain and the crops die Influence art and literature in South Asia as well

Mountains and Rainfall This is a common problem in South Asia How would you explain what this diagram is showing ?

Mountains and Rainfall Mountains act as a shield to block rain from reaching certain areas –Western Ghats block rain from the Deccan Plateau –Deccan Plateau is much drier than the coastal plains Temperature is affected by rainfall Northern areas are colder than the southern parts of Asia the Picture on pg 168

Natural Resources Irrigation –Water is scarce on the sub- continent –Rains are mostly in the wet monsoon season –Wells have to be dug 200 feet into the ground Mineral Resources –Iron-ore, manganese, bauxite and copper –Coal, mica, limestone, and gypsum –Does not have plentiful oil reserves Mica Limestone Gypsum

Peoples of South Asia Population of South Asia is 4 Billion people (60% of the World Population) About ¾ of the people live as farmers Many different cultures live in this area –Migrated from Europe, Middle East and other parts of Asia Geography isolated groups of people and makes them unique Religions: –Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists

Languages of South Asia Nepal (size of Illinois) has 13 languages India has 700 different languages Dialect- a regional version of a language with its own words, expressions, and pronunciations Most widely spoken language is Hindi in India –India has 15 official languages and 35 major regional languages Blah…Bla h…Blah…. Say What ?