ANCIENT INDIA LESSON ONE: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

INDAI PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY  Indian SUBCONTINENT  large landmass, smaller than a continent  also called South Asia  Includes: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka INDIA PAKISTAN NEPAL BHUTAN BANGLADESH MALDIVES SRI LANKA

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY - MOUNTAINS  HINDU KUSH  “mountains of India”  northwest  separates South Asia from Central Asia

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY - MOUNTAINS  Eastern & Western Ghats  smaller mountain ranges  separate India’s east and west coasts from the country’s interior

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY - MOUNTAINS  Himalayas  stretch about 1,500 miles  northern border  separates India from China  formed by collision of tectonic plates  world’s highest mountains  home of Mt. Everest  around 29,035 miles

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY - RIVERS  Ganges River  originate in the Himalayas  India’s most important river  flows across northern India & into Bangladesh

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY - RIVERS  Indus River  originates in the Himalayas  located in modern-day Pakistan  today – Pakistan’s most densely populated region  home to the earliest Indian civilizations (Indus River Valley) INDUS RIVER

WHY ARE THESE GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES IMPORTANT? MOUNTAINSRIVERS  Himalayas – provides source of water that empties into the Ganges River AND Indus River  often times create natural boundary between regions/countries  provide protection from invaders  mode of transportation/easy way to travel  a way to trade goods with other groups  source of water  drinking, cooking, cleaning  seasonal floods deposit fertile silt (soil) along the banks of rivers  Allows for development of agriculture using irrigation systems  source of food  provides building material

YOUR ASSIGNMENT 1. eBackpack – Geography of India 2. Geography Challenge Handout  Use History Alive! and student atlas  Finish for homework if needed. We will go over this assignment in class tomorrow.  If you need to finish for homework, be sure to bring home your student atlas. The pages of History Alive! have been scanned and placed on my teacher website.