South Asia Geography

The subcontinent Subcontinent – a large landmass, slightly smaller than a continent.

Landforms Mountains –Himalayas Highest point in the world –Mt. Everest –Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountains are part of the Himalayan chain

Rivers –Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra All have their sources in the Himalayas Both pictures show different views of the Ganges River, considered the greatest river of the Indian subcontinent

Rivers support alluvial plains (Fertile Area created by flood waters) –Indo-Gangetic Plain is one of the most fertile farming regions in the world –10% of the world’s population lives here Many crops are grown in India. It is extremely necessary to grow significant quantities of food for their ever- expanding population.

Offshore islands The Indian Subcontinent also contains two large island groups –Sri Lanka The “teardrop” of the subcontinent

The Maldives –Another chain of islands, smaller than Sri Lanka –They are an archipelago Island group –Many Island are atolls

South Asia Climate Monsoons (Seasonal) –Summer monsoon brings tons of rainmonsoon Very necessary to help support agriculture in South Asia –Winter Monsoon is a wind shift that brings dry air.

Cyclones India is prone to experiencing cyclones which are similar to our Hurricanes

Indian-subcontinent natural resources The subcontinent relies heavily on it’s land and water as resources –Forest for timber plants and animals –Minerals, coal, oil and natural gas(Pak), iron ore, Graphite (Sri Lanka) Coal strip mining Iron ore from Pakistan