1. South Asia
Physical Geography

2. South Asia

3. Satellite View of South Asia

4. The Size of South Asia

5. Mountains & Plateaus Himalaya Mountains
-Natural barrier to rest of Asia
-Still growing-colliding w/ Asia
-Nepal & Bhutan

6. The Himalayas “him” [snow] “aalaya” [home]
Mt. Everest is 29,035 feet. It is the highest mt. peak in the world.

7. Mountains & Plateaus cont.
Hindu Kush Mountains
-Barrier b/w Pakistan &
Afghanistan
-Fight over passes

8. Hindu Kush

9. The Khyber Pass

10. Mountains & Plateaus cont.
Deccan Plateau
-Most of southern India
-Surrounded by Western &
Eastern Ghats
-Arid: Mts. Block moisture

11. The Deccan Plateau 31,800 square miles in size.
Elevation range: 2,000 – 8,000 feet high.
From the Sanskrit word, “dakshina” [“the south”].

12. Rivers & Plains Three Great Rivers -Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra
-Begin in Himalayas

13. The Ganges River System
1,560 miles long

14. The Brahmaputra River System
1,800 miles long

15. Flooding on the Brahmaputra

16. The Indus River System
1,975 miles long

17. Rivers & Plains cont. Indo-Gangetic Plain -North India
-Formed by Indus,
Ganges &
Brahmaputra
(3 Great Rivers)
-Most heavily
populated area
(3/5 of population)

18. The Thar Desert The Great Indian Desert 200 - 1500 feet in elevation.
up to 113ºF in July.

19. South Asia: Physical Map

20. Resources Water & Soil -Provides food (Farming/fishing)
-Alluvial soil: fertile, river soil
-Water: CROPS & transportation

21. Resources Forests -Rain forests -Highland forests
-Deforestation: PROBLEM
Leads to: soil erosion
flooding/landslides
habitat loss

22. Resources
Minerals
-Coal, petroleum, natural gas
-Iron ore

23. Climate 1. Highland – coldest 2. Humid subtropical – lush land
3. Semiarid
4. Desert
5. Tropical wet
6. Tropical wet &
dry

24. Climate Monsoons -Seasonal winds -Good: Rain
-Bad: Unpredictable, flooding
                                       
                                       

25. Winter Monsoons: Nov.-April

26. Summer Monsoons: May-Oct.

27. Climate
Cyclones
-Violent storms
-Dangerous

28. Major Farming Systems of South Asia

29. Economic Activities & Resources

30. Silk Cultivation

31. HEI: Ganges River Most well known in region Important
-Drinking, farming, transportation
Hinduism
-Most popular religion in India
-Sacred River
-Healing power

32. HEI: Ganges River Pollution -Most polluted in world
-sewage, industrial waste, corpses
-Diseases: cholera, hepatitis, typhoid
-Enormous problem!!!!

37. Overview