1. The Land Where Continents Collided
SOUTH ASIA
The Land Where Continents Collided

2. Mountains and Plateaus
Himalayan Mountains
Divide Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates
Mt. Everest
Worlds Highest Peak
29,000 ft.
Subcontinent
Smaller Continent
1/5 of the world’s pop.

3. Northern Mountains Karakoram Mountains
Created by collision of tectonic plates
Himalayas
2 dozen peaks over 24,000 ft.
Stretch 1,500 mi.
Landlocked Nepal and Bhutan
Hindu Kush Mountains
West end of Himalayas
Separate Pakistan from Afghanistan
Khyber Pass
Karakoram Mountains
Northeast portion
Home of K2

4. Southern Plateaus Smaller mountain ranges Vindhya Deccan Plateau
Western Ghats
Eastern Ghats
Keep rain from reaching inteior

5. Rivers, Deltas, Plains Indo-Gangetic Plain Great Rivers
Northern Indian Plain
Lowland northern region of India
Great Rivers
Origins in Himalayas
Indus
Ganges
Brahmaputra
Meet Ganges
Delta in Bay of Bengal

6. Fertile Plains Offshore islands Indo-Gangetic fertile farming region
Alluvial plain
Rivers flood banks
Rivers provide irrigation, rich soil
Offshore islands
SRI Lanka
The Subcontinent’s Tear Drop
Maldives Archipelago
Island group
1,200 small islands

7. Natural Resources Water and Soil Food through farming and fishing
Transportation and Power
Goods send down rivers
Working on hydroelectric power
Baspa-II

8. Forest Rainforests Nepal Deforestation (over cutting) Hardwood Teak
Bamboo
Sandalwood
Nepal
Pine
Fir
Softwoods
Deforestation (over cutting)
Soil erosion, flooding, landslides, loss of habitat

9. Minerals India India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Sri Lanka
4th in coal production
Fulfills half its petroleum needs
Iron ore deposits
Mica - Key components for electrical equipment
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
Natural Gas
Uranium
Sri Lanka
Precious gems

10. Climate and Vegetation
Climate Zones
Six Zones Page 557
Monsoons
Seasonal winds
June through September
Bring moist ocean air and heavy rain
Highly unpredictable
Cause severe damage and flooding
Cyclone
Violent storm
Heavy wind and rain
Low lying Bangladesh hit hardest

11. Vegetation: Desert to Rainforest
Vegetation Zones
Rainforest in tropical wet zone
West coast of India and Bangledesh
Highland Zone
Northern India, Nepal, Bhutan
Semi Arid Zone
Deccan Plateau
Pakistan-India Border
Desert
Little vegetation
Tropical Wet and Dry
Sri Lanka

12. Human-Environment Interaction
Living along the Ganges
Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal
Home to 350 million people
Sacred River (Hindi belief)
Gangamai “Mother River”
Brings life to its people
Water has healing powers
Varanasi
Sacred site on Ganges
Polluted River
Millions of gallons
Raw sewage
Industrial waste
Dead animals
Cremated bodies

13. Polluted river continued
Poisons, Deadly Bacteria and Toxins cause disease
Stomach illness
Typhoid
Cholera
Clean up efforts
Sewage treatment plants
Tough industrial regulations
Not effective
Mother Ganges will fix it

14. Controlling the Feni River
River overflows
Storm surges
Floods coastal flatlands
Fields, villages
1980’s propose dam
Problems
Mouth 1 mile wide
High cost
Bangladesh limited resources and technology

15. Cheap materials and low tech procedures
People power
Large pool of unskilled labor
Hired Dutch engineers
Cheap materials and low tech procedures
Heavy mats of bamboo
Reeds weighted with boulders
Prevent erosion
More boulders covered with clay
Completing the Dam
Concrete and brick on sides
Road on top
Largest Estuary Dam in South Asia
Success bring hope for future