Physical Geography of South Asia

*South Asia is about ½ the size of the continental United States at 1.7 million square miles

*it is separated from the rest of Asia by its ???????

*South Asia is called a subcontinent (large distinct landmass that is joined to a continent)

*it is bordered by . . .

-W = ????-S = ????-E = ????-N = ????

*in the north, you find the world’s highest sharp, icy peaks that rise above the desert plateaus and rich valleys

*in the south, you find lower, eroded mountains and flat plateaus

-South Asia was part of Africa 60 million years ago

*broke off and collided with the southern edge of Asia

*collision created . . . Himalaya and Hindu Kush

*Mt. Everest in Himalaya = 29,035 feet (highest peak in the world)

Natural Wonders: Mt. Everest

1. Khyber Pass*historically, invaders from north could enter this region through a few narrow crossing passes, such as Khyber Pass (in Hindu Kush between Pakistan and Afghanistan)

*How do you think this pass impacted early life in this region?

2. Ganges Plain

*lies at foot of Himalaya

*watered by Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra Rivers

*1/10 of population lives in this area – India’s most densely populated area

*world’s longest alluvial plain

3. Chota Nogpur Plateau*high tableland of forests in northeast India

-formed by collision between Indian subcontinent and Asia

*divides India into northern and southern physical and cultural regions (we will look more at this with culture)

1. Eastern and Western Ghats

*form a triangle of rugged hills (eroded mountains)

2. Deccan Plateau

*between Eastern and Western Ghats

*very rich, black soil, because once covered by volcanic ash

*Western Ghats prevent yearly rainy winds from reaching the plateau (leaves it arid)

3. Karnataka Plateau*receives the plentiful rainfall from above (#2)

*hills are lush and green (rainforest located here)

*good for growing crops

*rivers are the key to life here – provide drinking water, transportation, alluvial soil, fishing, and hydroelectric power to the people of this region

-flows mainly through Pakistan

-important transportation route and irrigation source to orchards in the region

-Indus River Valley = the cradle of ancient Indian civilization (one of the earliest in the world)

-joins the Ganges River in Bangladesh

-major waterway for ships to sail inland from the Bay of Bengal (navigable)

-also provides Bangladesh with 50% of its power (hydroelectric power)

Varanasi

-most important river of South Asia

*named after Hindu goddess, Ganga – Hindus consider the river sacred

-during the summer monsoon, heavy rains cause devastating floods along the Ganges

*South Asia depends on a variety of natural resources for its livelihood

-some petroleum reserves, but mainly dependent on imported oil

-South Asia supplies 90% of the world’s mica (layered rock used in making electrical equipment)

-Sri Lanka produces sapphires, rubies, and other precious and semi-precious stones

-exporters of silver fir, oak, magnolia, beech, birch, teak, and sandalwood

Directions: Work with a partner to complete the table below.

What climate type do these climographs depict?

*much of South Asia experiences 3 distinct seasons:

-cool (from October to late February)

-hot (from late February to June)

-wet (from June or July until September)

*these periods depend on seasonal winds called monsoons

-cool season – dry monsoon winds blow from north and northeast (from

Himalaya)

-hot season – warm temperatures heat the air, which rises and triggers a change in wind direction

-wet season – moist ocean air from the Arabian Sea blows in from the south and southwest, bringing monsoon rains

-high temperatures allow farmers to produce crops, but they can also result in evaporation and dried-out, nutrient-poor soils

-rainfall waters crops, but areas outside the monsoon path (Deccan Plateau and western Pakistan) receive little or no rainfall

-monsoons may also cause flooding (especially in Bangladesh) which kill livestock and people and destroy homes and crops

-cyclones often form in this region due to low atmospheric pressure

-they bring heavy winds and rain

-in 1999, a cyclone struck Orissa, India and killed nearly 10,000 people and caused more than $20 million in damages