I. Indian Subcontinent A.South Asia is a large triangular peninsula that juts southward from the continent of Asia B.Hindu Kush and Himalaya Mountains are found in the North and the rest of South Asia is surrounded by water

II. Landforms A. Northern Mountains – Himalayas-1500 miles east to west and separate the sub-continent from the interior of Asia – 50 Mountains more than 5 miles high Home to the world’s tallest mountains (Mt. Everest) Great river systems – Hindu Kush (death) Mountains are to the Northwest and are smaller than the Himalayas Khyber Pass allows for the passage of traders and invaders

Mountain Valleys Rivers are fed by snow capped mountains Among the mountains are high valleys where people live in isolation and grow wheat, rice and raise goats Kashmir Valley (goat wool) as cashmere

B.Northern Plains (Indo- Gangetic) – Fertile due to 3 rivers Rivers are sacred and lined with temples and shrines – Indus: means river and is principal river of Pakistan – Ganges: begins in the Himalayas flows east across India – Brahmaputra: located east and joins Ganges to create enormous delta on the Bay of Bengal – Densely populated Hundreds of millions

C.Deccan Plateau – South of Plains and triangular shaped – Vindhya Mtns. in north – Ghats to the East and West: named for the many ghats(passes) that cut through them – Crossed by many rivers and millions of tiny farms (millet, cotton, wheat, and rice)

Review What 3 bodies of water border South Asia? How many mountains are at least 5 miles high? What does Kush translate as? Name the 3 major rivers of South Asia. Name the 3 mountains that rim the Deccan Plateau.

Monsoons Seasonal winds that dominate the climate Monsoon translates as season Wet monsoon is from June to September Dry monsoon October to March Cyclones: 70 have struck Bangladesh since 1990

Rain and Temperature Rain Shadow: One side of a mountain receives plenty of moisture while the other side does not Temperature can be described as “3 months of hot and 9 months of hotter”

Early Civilizations of India (7-3) Indus Valley Civilization – Largest of the world’s earliest civilizations – Lasted for 1,000 years – Cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were the most important – Each city was carefully planned out – Level of planning suggests the government was well organized

Indus Valley Walled fortress protected cities Cities had separate districts for homes and public buildings Elaborate bathing facilities Drainage that linked to sewer systems

Decline of the Indus Valley 2000 BC there were signs of decay Bricks were no longer uniform in size Broken streets did not receive repair Fine homes were divided into tenements It’s possible the the decline was due to natural causes

Arrival of the Aryans Aryans were nomadic and warlike peoples from the West Swept into India through high passes (ghats) They came from the Caucus Mtn. region The migration took hundreds of years

Aryan Culture Religious beliefs were passed on through oral traditions known as the Vedas Sanskrit developed much later but allowed for their oral traditions to be written down From the Vedas, we learned the Aryans worshipped many gods

Aryan Social Class The Aryans divided people into 4 classes, called Varna – Brahmans were the priests at the top – Kshatriyas were the warriors – Vaisyas were landowners, merchants, and herders – Sudras were servants and peasants who waited on others

Religious Traditions Hinduism – No founder and no formal church – Vedas and Upanishads: sacred texts – Brahman: single supreme force made up of thousands of gods Brahma: creator Vishnu: preserver Siva: destroyer – Believe in unity of all life Atman: essential self part of a universal soul

Hindu Beliefs Nonviolence Moksha: freeing of the soul from the body to unite with Brahman Reincarnation or rebirth because Moksha cannot be achieved in one lifetime Karma

Caste System Born into a certain caste and remain there for life Hindus believe your Caste is a result of Karma Each Caste has its’ own dharma(duties)

Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama: the Buddha Goal: to achieve enlightenment – Cause of suffering and its cure – Nirvana: condition of wanting nothing 4 Noble Truths 1.Suffering is universal 2.Desire is the cause 3.Crush desires to end suffering 4.Follow Noble 8-Fold Path to end desire

Spread of Buddhism 3 Baskets of Wisdom: a collection of his teachings Monasteries and Convents were set up for monks and nuns following Noble 8-Fold Path Buddhism began in South Asia but was absorbed by Hinduism

Homework Finish Map Section 1 Review page 182 – 1 through 8