Geography of South Asia
Mr. Kevin Nolen
Penncrest High School
Media, PA
Plate Tectonics Theory
Gondwanaland
• Southern supercontinent.
• Started to break up 175 million years ago.
The Indian Subcontinent
The Indian Subcontinent• A part of
Gondwanaland broke off and collided with Eurasia.
• The Himalayas and Hindu Kush were formed.
The Indian Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large landmass that is smaller than a continent.
Isolating Factors• Northern
Mountains– Hindu Kush– Himalayas
• Water– Arabian Sea– Indian Ocean– Bay of Bengal
Regions of Asia
Note: Definitions of regions tend to vary a bit.
Regions of Asia
• North Asia is Russia’s Siberia.
• East Asia includes China and Japan.
• Southeast Asia includes Vietnam and Indonesia.
• South Asia includes India and Pakistan.
• Central Asia includes Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
• Southwest Asia, better known as the Middle East, includes Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
South
Southwest AsiaSouthwest Asia
Central Central AsiaAsia
Northern AsiaNorthern Asia
East East AsiaAsia
Southeast Southeast AsiaAsia
South South AsiaAsia
South Asiahttp://www.powtoon.com/show/eBdJCNKSB4I/geography-of-south-asia/
Countries of South Asia
• Afghanistan• Pakistan• India• Nepal• Bhutan• Bangladesh• Sri Lanka• Maldives
Major Geographic Regions
Major Geographic Regions
• Northern Mountains
• Northern Plains
• Deccan Plateau
Northern Mountains
Northern Plains
Deccan Plateau
Northern Mountains
• Himalayas
• Hindu Kush
Himalayas
• 1,500 mile long chain of mountains.
• Include tallest mountains in the world.
• Create a massive wall separating South Asia from East Asia.https://tellagami.com/gami/SIE56D/
Mount Everest• Tallest mountain
in the world at 29,000 feet.
• First climbed by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal.
Hindu Kush• Smaller in area than
the Himalayas, but almost as high and just as rugged.
• Located mostly in Afghanistan.
• The word “kush” means “death.” https://tellagami.com/gami/HVY6BA/
Khyber Pass• Best known pass
through the Hindu Kush.
• For centuries, traders and invaders traveled through this pass.
Kashmir• Isolated valley in
northern India.• Famous for the
production of a fine wool.
• Split between India, Pakistan and China.
http://www.powtoon.com/show/bOKPdHWkIU5/kashmir/#/
Indo-Gangetic Plain• Large plain formed
by the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.
• Most fertile and densely populated part of South Asia.
Indus River• Largest river of
Pakistan.
• The word “indus” means “river.”
• India’s name comes from this river.
https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/rivers-of-south-asia/24674572/?s=x2R2G4&ref=appemail
Ganges River• Largest river in
India.• Most holy river of
Hinduism.• Joins with
Brahmaputra to create an enormous delta in Bangladesh.
Brahmaputra River
• Large river that starts in Tibet (China).
• Runs through India and Bangladesh.
• Name means “Son of Brahma.”
Thar Desert
Large desert in India and Pakistan.
Deccan Plateau• Large plateau (an
elevated flat or hilly landmass)
• Bordered by mountains:– Vindhyas– Western Ghats– Eastern Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats create a “rain shadow.”
Windward Side Leeward
Side
Monsoons
• Monsoons are seasonal winds.
• The word monsoon comes from the Arabic word for season.
• There are wet and dry monsoons.
The Wet Monsoon
• The wet monsoon arrives in late May or early June.
• South Asia relies on the wet monsoon for most of its annual rainfall.
• Flooding often occurs in September at the end of the monsoon season.
The Dry Monsoon
• The dry monsoon arrives in October and lasts though November.
Review
Q: What large landmass split up millions of years ago, resulting in India’s collision with the rest of Asia?
A: Gondwanaland
Q: What two terms are used to describe this region of the world?
A: South Asia & the Indian Subcontinent
Q: What five physical features isolate South Asia? Hint: two landforms and three bodies of water.
A: Hindu Kush, Himalayas, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean & Bay of Bengal.
Q: What is the name of the territory in northern India that is claimed by both India and Pakistan?
A: Kashmir
Q: What is the name of the famous mountain pass through the Hindu Kush mountains?
A: Khyber Pass
Q: What geographic term is used to describe a landform that is low in elevation and relatively flat?
A: Plain
Q: What is the large plain in the northern part of South Asia?
A: Indo-Gangetic Plain
Q: What three rivers form the Indo-Gangetic Plain?
A: Indus, Ganges & Brahmaputra
Q: What geographical term is used to describe the landform formed at the mouth of a river?
A: delta
Q: Which country is largely composed of the huge delta formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra?
A: Bangladesh
Q: Which two rivers combine to form the largest delta in South Asia?
A: Ganges & Brahmaputra
Q: What two names are used to describe the large desert located in South Asia?
A: Thar & Great Indian Desert
Q: In which two countries is the Thar Desert located?
A: India & Pakistan
Q: What geographic term is used to describe an elevated area that is relatively flat?
A: plateau
Q: What is the name of the large plateau in central India?
A: Deccan Plateau
Q: What mountain chain has the biggest influence on the amount of precipitation the Deccan Plateau receives?
A: Western Ghats
Q: What geographic term is used to describe when one side of a mountain receives a lot of moisture and the other side almost none?
A: rain shadow
Q: What are monsoons?
A: seasonal winds
Q: What is the origin of the term monsoon?
A: It comes from the Arabic word for season.
Q: When does the wet monsoon arrive?
A: late May/ early June
Q: When do the dry monsoons arrive?
A: October
Review: Countries• Afghanistan• Bangladesh• Bhutan• India• Maldives• Nepal• Pakistan• Sri Lanka
Afghanistan
Pakistan
India
NepalBhutan
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Maldives
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Review: Bodies of Water
• Arabian Sea
• Bay of Bengal
• Indian Ocean
Arabian Sea
Indian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
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Review: Rivers
• Brahmaputra• Indus• Ganges
Indus
Ganges Brahmaputra
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Review: Physical Features• Deccan
Plateau• Himalayas• Hindu Kush• Indo-Gangetic
Plain• Thar Desert• Western
Ghats
Hindu Kush
HimalayasThar Desert
Indo-Gangetic
Western Ghats
Deccan Plateau
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