Mr. Marston South Asia Dominion Christian High School Marietta, GA

South Asia is a subcontinent Large, Distinct landmass that is joined to another continent. In this case, Asia. Forms a peninsula Arabian Sea (West) Indian Ocean (South) Bay of Bengal (East) Includes Sri Lanka

Indian subcontinent

Landforms Mountains: Himalaya: formed by collision of tectonic plates. Mt. Everest: 29,035 feet Karakoram Mountains: Hindu Kush Mountains Khyber Pass: narrow pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Indian Topography

Himalayas

Himalayan Video

Himalayas

Internet Activity

Khyber Pass

Ganges Plain Wide, fertile plain at the base of Himalayan Mountains Indus River Ganges River Brahmaputra 1/10 of the world lives here.

Ganges Plain

Chota Nagbur Plateau

Central Landforms Vindhya Range: mountain range in Central India. Divides the northern and southern regions. Cuisine, architecture, and religious practices differ in north and south

Southern Landforms Eastern Ghats: rugged hills. Western Ghats Deccan Plateau: contains rich soil, but relatively dry because rainy winds are blocked by Western Ghats. Karnataka Plateau: south of the Deccan Plateau receives more moisture. Hills are lush.

Deccan Plateau

Karnataka Plateau

Other Sri Lanka: island southeast of India Maldives: Island chain south of India

Major River Systems Rivers are the key to live in South Asia Indus Brahmaputra Ganges All carry fertile soil from mountain slopes onto floodplains as the rivers swell from seasonal rains

Rivers continued Indus: cradle of ancient India Brahmaputra: major inland waterway. Ganges: Most important river in South Asia. Revered by Hindus who consider the river sacred. Most productive agricultural area and world’s longest alluvial plain: an area of fertile soil deposited by river flood waters. The Ganges Plain is India’s most densely populated area.

Natural Resources Rivers of South Asia provide Alluvial soil Drinking Water Transportation Hydroelectric Power Fish

Energy Resources Petroleum Reserves Natural Gas: Southern Pakistan Uranium

Minerals Leading exporter of iron ore Mica: makes electrical equipment Graphite: lead in pencils

Timber Conifers, silver fir, and hardwoods (oak, magnolia, beech, and birch) Severe overcutting threatens Nepal’s timber Massive soil erosion

Climate and Vegetation Tropical climates in the south Highlands Deserts

Climate Regions of South Asia

Tropical and Subtropical Climates Tropical rain forests: western coast of India, near the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh, southern Sri Lanka. Absorb great quantities of moisture Ebony trees, lush vines, and orchids Bamboo, mango and palm trees

Sundarbans (beautiful jungle) Swampy area in SW Bangladesh World’s largest mangrove forest

Sundarbans

Tropical Savanna Central Indian steppe Eastern Sri Lanka

Humid Subtropical Climate Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the NE part of India

Highland Climate Himalayan Highlands Karakoram Mountain ranges Snow all the time Little vegetation survives Coniferous and hardwood trees Grasslands and bamboo divide the lower Himalayan foothills from higher elevations

Dry Climates Great Indian Desert: (Thar Desert) Desert scrub, low, thorny trees, and grasses A Steppe surrounds the desert.

Thar Desert

Location of Thar Desert

Three distinct seasons Hot (Late February to June) Wet: (June to September) Cool: (October to late February) Period distinction depend on seasonal winds (monsoons) Cool season: dry winds Hot: wet winds from Indian Ocean bring monsoon rains

Monsoon Rains Monsoon rains are heaviest in South Asia Some areas receive adequate rainfall for agriculture while others (Deccan Plateau and western Pakistan) do not Other issues: Flooding Cyclones: storm with high winds and rain

Winter Monsoons: Nov.- April

Summer Monsoons: May-Oct.

Indian Monsoons

Youtube Monsoon