Chapter 6 Section 1Geography of Early India

Geography of India• India is so huge that

many geographers call it a subcontinent!

• What is a subcontinent? (Look it up in your book)

• Sub continents are usually separated from the rest of their continent by physical features: mountains, lakes, etc.

The Himalayas

• Mountains separate India from the rest of Asia.

• The Himalayas are the tallest mountains on all continents. Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain, 29,029 ft.

• How many miles is that? Do the math!!!!

• They are still growing around 5 mm. every year.

Mt. Everest

How were the Himalayas formed?

• Plate tectonics!!!!!• Himalayas are the

youngest mountain range on Earth.

• There are over 100 separate mountains in the range.

• In 10 million years, the mountain range will have pushed almost a mile further into Asia!!!!

Mt. Everest Trivia

• First to the top: Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, in May of 1953.

• Over 6,000 people have reached the summit

• 200 people have lost their lives on the mountain.

More Himalaya Trivia

• K2 is the second highest mountain, 28,251 ft. Its summit was first reached in July of 1954, by a team of Italian mountain climbers. It is located in Karakoram, near the border of Pakistan.

Did You Know ?• Did you know that Mt.

Everest is really not the tallest mountain on Earth? The tallest mountain is under the Pacific Ocean, in a underwater trench called Challenger Deep, off the Mariana Islands. Everest would have to grow 1.3 miles to out match this incredibly tall mountain. 16,000 pounds/sq. inch of pressure is placed on the tiniest organisms that live down there.

More Himalayas

Incredible !!!!!!

Geography• Much of India is

covered with fertile plains, rugged mountains, and plateaus. Hindu Kush

MountainsAnd IndusRiver

DeccanPlateau

Fertilefarmland

Ganges River is very sacredto the people of India.

Source of theGanges, The Himalayas

The GangesDelta

VerySacred

ForHindus

Snakes itsway to

The BayOf Bengal

Climate• Most of India has a hot and humid climate. This climate is heavily influenced by India’s summer monsoons.

• What is a monsoon? (check your book)

• Some parts of India receive 100 to 200 inches of rain each season!

Floodedfarmlands

Indus River Valley• The Indus River was

once a part of India. Today this region is now located in the country of Pakistan.

• It is believed that one of the first civilizations began in this river valley, around 2300 BC.

The Harappan Civilization

• Like other ancient societies, the Hapappan civilization grew as irrigation and agriculture improved.

• Mohenjo Daro and Harappa were about 300 miles apart, but they were remarkably similar.

Ruins atMohenjo Daro

PublicWell

India’s First Cities• *Both Harappa and

Mohenjo Daro were well planned cities.*

• *We can infer from this statement that the people of these two cities are intelligent and talented.*

Ruins Of

Harappa

These peoplehad a publicbath

Farming in the Indus Valley• *Make a prediction:

Which of the following would most likely have happened if Indian farmers did not learn how to irrigate?

• *Villages would not have grown along the river.

Harappan Achievements• Most houses had

indoor plumbing.• They developed

India’s first writing system. Scholars have not yet learned to read this language so much of their way of life is still a mystery.

• They had kings and a strong central government.

Where did they go????

• Harappan civilization ended by the early 1700s BC. No one knows why!

• Perhaps invaders, disease, natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods cause the demise of this civilization. Ancient

MohenjoDaro

Aryan Invasion• Not long after the

Harappan civilization crumbled, a new group, the Aryans from central Asia, invaded the Indus Valley.

• They were skilled warriors, using chariots and advanced weapons.

The Vedas• *Much of what we

know about the Aryans came from their poems, hymns, myths, rituals, and religious writings called the Vedas.

The Vedas were written by Aryan priests.

Sanskrit

• What is Sanskrit? (check your book)• *The Aryans wrote their poems and hymns in Sanskrit.• Aryans kept records in Sanskrit and today we are able

to know much about their history.• Sanskrit is no longer spoken. Only a few priests know

this ancient language.

The Aryans• As nomads, the Aryans took along their herds of animals as they moved.

• Unlike the Harappans, the Aryan built no cities.

• They lived in small communities based on family ties.

• Their community leader was called a raja.

Summary

• The earliest civilizations in India were centered in the Indus Valley. First the Harappans and then the Aryans lived in this fertile valley.