aero standards - mr. strother's 4th grade classhow does physical geography affect the people of...

AERO Standards:4.1.5.c. Identify cause and effect relationships in history.

4.3.5.c. Apply concepts such as location, distance, direction, scale, movement and region.

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Northern Mountains



Kangchenjunga is the tallest mountain in India

and the third tallest in the world. It is only 262

meters shorter than Mt. Everest.

Interesting Fact

How does physical geography affect the people of India?

mountains

The Northern mountains of India have some of the tallest mountains in the world. This mountain range is known as the Himalaya mountains. The Himalaya mountains are home to about 52 million people and they spread across five countries: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. India’s two most important rivers, the Indus and the Ganges, start within the Himalayas. These gigantic mountains protect India from the countries in the North and they keep India’s monsoon rains from blowing north into other countries. Therefore, India gets the benefits of the monsoon rains. The Himalaya’s are home to the snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, red panda, and many more.

Himalayan tahr

monsoons: a time of year when it rains a lot

benefit: help that you get from something

Northern Plains




The Northern plains are south of the Himalaya Mountains which is the source of the Ganges River. The Ganges river is an important river that brings water to most of this region. This river also gives the Northern plains very fertile soil which helps make the region great for farmland. Most of India’s rice is produced in this region. This area is also well known for its winter and summer monsoons, which are an extremely important part of life in this region. Since these lands are such good farming land, it also is one of the world’s most denselypopulated areas. More than 400 million people live within these plains. Until recent history, these plains have been home to numerous large animals, including: rhinoceros, buffalo, elephants, lions, hippos, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and more.

plains

According to Hindu mythology, the Ganges river was created

when Vishnu’s big toe accidentally created a hole in the wall of the universe that spilled water to create the

Ganges river.

Interesting Fact

monsoons: a time of year when it rains a lot

fertile: good dirt to grow crops

densely: how much an area is filled with people or things

numerous: many

sloth bear

Peninsular Plateau



The average height of the Deccan Plateau is about

610 meters high. The average height of the

Tibetan Plateau is about 4,500 meters.

Interesting Fact


plateau

The Peninsular Plateau is often divided into two regions: the Deccan Plateau and the Central highlands. These regions are known for their valleys and rounded hills. These regions also mainly have black soil, which is thought to come from ancient volcanic eruptions. Most of the Peninsular Plateau gets little rainfall, which makes it difficult to grow crops, but cotton is still grown throughout the plateau. Valuable minerals, such as, iron, gold, diamonds, and other metals have also been mined in this area. This region is between two small mountain ranges; the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats. The Deccan Plateau is home to a variety of animals, including, 75 species of mammals and 260 species of birds. This region also has the largest population of elephants in India, which is 6,000. plateau: a high flat piece of

land

valleys: low land, usually between two mountains

minerals: something made from earth that can be dug up

variety: different types of something

Thar DesertHow does physical geography affect the people of India?



India conducted its first nuclear bomb test in the

Thar desert in 1974.

Interesting Factdesert

The Thar desert is in the Northwest of India. It is the 18th largest desert in the world, and it covers about 200,000 square kilometers. Approximately 85% of the Thar desert is in India, while the remaining 15% remains in Pakistan. Most of the desert is covered with huge moving sand dunes, like the above picture. The Thar desert is the most densely populated desert in the world, with about 83 people living in every square kilometer. Interestingly, the Thar Desert has become the largest wool-producing area in India. About 50% of India’s total wool production is produced here. A large variety of wildlife can be found in this desert, including 23 species of lizard, 25 species of snakes, 141 species of birds and bigger animals such as the Indian gazelle, blackbuck, and the Indian peafowl. approximately: about

densely: how much an area is filled with people or things

variety: different types of something

wildlife: animals and plants

blackbuck

Indian peafowl

Coastal Plains




The coastal plains of India are located between India’s Peninsular Plateau and the Arabian Sea. These plains are often separated into two main parts, the western coastal plains and the eastern coastal plains. The coastal plains range in width from 50 to 130 kilometers. The widest portion of the coastal plains are on India’s eastern side. The western coastal plains receive high amounts of rainfall due to India’s monsoon season. These fertile plains produce large amounts of rice, sugarcane, coconut, Indian spices, and much more. Fishing is also a major industry in the coastal area. Fishing gives jobs to over 14 million people in India, and fish is sold to over 75 countries. The plains also have a very high population density because of the suitable environment. monsoons: a time of year when

it rains a lot.

fertile: good dirt to grow crops

industry: businesses that produce

density: how much an area is filled with people or things

suitable: having the right qualities

plains

Indian fishermen are often put in prison by

Pakistani and Sri Lankan officials because they say that Indian fishermen are

fishing in their ocean.

Interesting Fact

Islands




India has a total of 1,208 islands, including uninhabited islands. The Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are India’s two major island formations. The Lakshadweep islands are about 200 kilometers off the Southwest coast of India. These islands consist of 39 islands with a total population of about 65,000. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are about 1,000 kilometers off the South east coast of India. These islands consist of about 897 islands with a total population of about 380,000. When the people of all of these many islands are totaled up, they only account for .03% of India’s 1.3 billion people.

uninhabited: a place that does not have people

consist: to be made up of two or more things

account for: to make up a certain amount

One of these islands contains a group of people,

named the Sentinelese, that have never been

affected by the outside world. These people use bows and arrow to hunt,

and every time people try to visit them they attack

them with arrows.

Interesting Fact

aero standards - mr. strother's 4th grade classhow does physical geography affect the people of...

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