1. © T. M. Whitmore Today – South Asia Huge & Complex region  India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan  Bangladesh, Pakistan Environment  Tectonics  Regions  Climate

2. © T. M. Whitmore Last time – Questions? Korea  Environment, settlement, history, & economy Taiwan  Environment, settlement, history, & economy

3. © T. M. Whitmore South Asia Environmental Regions I Tectonic landscapes  Indian plate collision with Eurasian plate Indian plate collision with Eurasian plate  Himalaya (and other( Mountain barriers to the N and W  => severe earthquake hazard  Oct. 2005 Pakistan Earthquake

5. Oct.. 2005 7.6 quake

6. N

12. © T. M. Whitmore South Asia Environmental Regions II Deserts  West of Indus R. valley  Thar or Great Indian

14. Copyright 2005 All Enthusiast, Inc.

15. © T. M. Whitmore South Asia Environmental Regions III Great River valleys  Indus  Ganges  Brahmaputra Valley population concentration Indian (or Deccan) plateau and the Ghats Indian (or Deccan) plateau

16. Indus Ganges Brahmaputra

18. W. Ghats E. Ghats Deccan Plateau

19. W Ghats

21. © T. M. Whitmore South Asian Climates Climatic regions  Dry and semi-arid in W  Rainfall variable with elevation, aspect, location, and season  Hot tropical and semi-tropical Seasonal progression of temperatures The “monsoon” is the summer rainfall regime in most of S Asia and SE Asia The “monsoon”  A system of alternating-direction winds

22. Calicut in the W Ghats

26. © Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

27. © T. M. Whitmore South Asian Environmental hazards Tectonic (mentioned already) Climatic  Failed monsoon (and also flooding)flooding  Tropical cyclones (like our hurricanes) Tropical cyclones  Huge populations live in low lying areas Huge populations live in low lying areas Human induced  Deforestation & Desertification Deforestation  Salinization Salinization

29. 1999 floods in Bangledesh: Dieter Ludwig/Sipa

31. (Calcutta) >21m > 7m > 15 m

32. > 13 m

35. Salinization, caused by salty irrigation water Salinization, caused by high water table