India’s Geography and Government

Geography Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world. Two rivers- Ganges River and Indus River Very Fertile land

Monsoons Important part of climate. Winter it brings dry air Summer it brings wet air. The rains brought by monsoon have a huge effect on farming.

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India’s First Civilization Harappan Civilization Around 3000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. Made up of more than 1,000 villages Two Major cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro Carefully planned cities More than 35,000 people in the cities

Houses Made of mud brick Wells to get water Indoor bathrooms Garbage chutes

No written records so you have to look at ruins They were farmers Harappan Society No written records so you have to look at ruins They were farmers Made copper and bronze tools. Jewelry was made out of gold and shells

Traded with Mesopotamians Weapons were rare so they were peaceful society Harappan civilization fell about 1500 B.C. No one knows why

Nomads who settled in India Good fighters Aryans Nomads who settled in India Good fighters Cattle very important because they provided milk, meat, and butter So important used cattle as money Later declared cattle were holy and forbid people to use them as food. Created the language of Sanskrit

Caste: a social group someone is born into and can not change. Caste System Caste: a social group someone is born into and can not change. Created by Aryans Why? No one knows exactly believed they were better than the people in India. People in India outnumbered the Aryans, helped Aryans stay in control The Social Classes:

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Caste decides what job you will have, whom you will marry, and with whom you can socialize with. The top four classes were called varnas.

Pariahs-Untouchables Performed work other Indians thought was too dirty Ex: handling dead bodies Very hard life Indians believed being near them was harmful. Had to live away from everyone

Chandragupta united parts of India Called it the Gupta Empire Grew very wealthy from trade Known as the Golden Age of India

Indian Math and Science Developed algebra Invented algorithms Knew that the Earth was round and revolved around the sun Form of plastic surgery.

Literature Mahabharata- longest poem in any written language. Around (88,000 verses!) Several different authors wrote it.