2. The region is located on a subcontinent, Geographically set off from the rest of Asia by mountains and water,the subcontinent forms of triangle.

3.  The Land the Mountains, and the Rivers  The northern border of the Indian subcontinent is marked by the rough but beautiful Himalayas.  The Indo-Gangetic Plain, a plain that is watered by the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra Rivers.  The coastal plains lie on the eastern coast of India facing the Bay of Bengal.

4.  The Climate  The climate of the Indian subcontinent varies quite a bit.  Monsoons are characterized by seasonal winds from the ocean.  The Monsoon winds bring very heavy rainfall during part of the year.

5.  The Indus Valley civilization was located in what is now Pakistan and northwestern India.

6.  Farming and Trade  The Indus Valley people had many items to use for trade.  Skilled craftspeople in the cities wove cotton and made jewelry and furniture.  They raised wheat, barley, cotton, and fruit on farmlands near the cities.

7.  A Network of settlements  The settlements of the Indus Valley had links with other villages located on or near the Indus Valley itself.  Overtime a gradual change occurred among some settlements that were located far from certain types of materials.  People in the villages must have brought in the stones from other areas.

8.  The main streets of the cities formed a well organized grid system with streets running parallel to one another.

9.  Building Houses  The most common building material at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro was brick.  The sizes of houses varied from one-room barracks to large homes with central courtyards.  Plumbing in these settlements was the most advance in the world.

10.  Communications and Crafts  People of the Indus Valley may have been seafers and traders who sailed along the coastline and on the regions many rivers.  Indus pottery found its way to Mesopotamia.  Various objects found by archaeologists tell about games and toys of the Indus people.

11.  Archaeological evidence from the Indus Valley civilization continues to be unearthed and analyzed.

12.  Writing and Language  It appears that they had some sort of writing but its unclear what language they spoke.  Archaeologists have found some seals with a type of script carved on them.  No one knows how to read it but if we knew how to translate there language we might learn more.

13.  Indus Valley Religion  It is not clear what role religion played in the Indus valley civilization.  Many terra cotta figurines mostly of females appear to represent gods or goddesses.  Numerous seals have been unearthed.

14.  The Decline and Disappearance of the Indus Valley Civilization  There may have been a gradual change in the climate that forced people to leave the city.  It might have been because of a flood or a disease.  They found the remains of some bodies.

15.  Language of the Indus people  One of the greatest unsolved mysteries about the Indus Valley civilization is the language.  It appears that they had some sort of writing, but it is unclear what language they spoke.  Archaeologists have found some seals with a type of script carved on them.