Transcript Sri Lanka - TeacherWeb

South Asia
Although only about
one-third the size of
the United States,
India has a wide
spectrum of
geographical features,
from deserts to lush
forests to majestic
mountain ranges to
broad deltas.
The Indian subcontinent consists of five primary
regions:
•Coastal Plains—on the east side of the continent,
these fertile broad plains consist of river deltas.
The west coast is home to lengthy, narrow plains.
•Central Highlands—three plateaus make up this
region, with the Deccan Plateau being the most
prominent. It dominates much of India and
receives little rainfall, compared to the monsoon
rains of the east coast.
•Thar Desert—located in western India and
eastern Pakistan, this region receives very little
rain and consists mostly of rocks and sand;
•Indo-Gangetic Plain—vast plain located roughly
between the Indus and Ganges Rivers. The Indus
River is located in Pakistan, flowing north to south.
The Ganges River runs along the Himalayas before
veering south to the Indian Ocean. A
series of tributaries flow into each of
these rivers creating a very fertile
region that is prone to much flooding.
•Himalaya Mountains—run a from the
•north to the eastern borders of India and are
home to the world's tallest mountains. Mount
Everest (29,028 ft), K-2 (28,251 ft), and
Kangchenjunga (28,209) are all located here.
Heavy snow and numerous glaciers provide the
water to India's river systems.
• India also owns two small island chains located in
the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The largest
island is off the Indian coast, Sri Lanka.
India's natural resources
include fertile farm lands,
the fourth largest coal
reserves in the world, iron
ore, oil, natural gas, and
manganese.
As might be expected, India's climate varies
greatly, depending on the region. The coastal areas
receive the brunt of monsoon season when great
amounts of rain and winds create havoc with
flooding. From the Central Highlands northward,
the climate tends to be temperate due to the fact
that the Himalayas deflect cold, arctic fronts.
Temperatures can reach more than one hundred
degrees Fahrenheit in the Thar Desert and will fall
below freezing in other locations.
Click here for a short video about India’s climate
and geography.
To the west of India lies the nation of Pakistan, a
nation about three times the size of Arizona. Like
its neighbor, it consists of broad geographical
features.
Pakistan can be broken down into three primary
regions:
•Baluchistan Plateau—located along the western
edge of Pakistan and consisting of rugged
mountains and little water.
•Indus Plain—located along the eastern edge of
the country, the Indus Plain is a broad fertile valley.
A number of tributaries flow into the Indus River
providing ample water for growing crops. Along
the eastern edge of this plain lies the Tharparker
Desert, an extension of the Thar Desert in India.
•Northern Highland—There are two main features
in this region, one geographical and one historical.
The geographic feature is the Himalaya Mountains.
The historical feature is the Khyber Pass. This route
has been used over history for numerous invasions
of Pakistan and India.
Pakistan's natural resources
include natural gas and oil
reserves, salt, coal, gypsum,
and limestone. In addition,
the land provides ample
crops around the Indus
River such as wheat, rice,
cotton, and maize. It also
exports carpets and rugs,
and wool.
There is a wide variation in temperatures for most
of Pakistan with winters averaging near freezing
and summers averaging more than one hundred
degrees Fahrenheit. The country is quite arid, with
little rainfall during the year.
There are a number of smaller South Asian states
in this region. Their geographic and climatic
characteristics vary immensely.
This nation of 150 million is slightly smaller than the state
of Illinois. It consists mainly of broad alluvial plains. These
were formed by the convergence of the Ganges and
Brahmaputra rivers. Since much of the land is composed
of river deltas, it is very flat with an elevation barely
above sea level. Consequently, much of the country is
prone to devastating
floods during monsoon
rains or when cyclones
strike.
There are no mountains of consequence in Bangladesh.
Along the coastline can be found the Sundarbans, which
is one of the world's biggest mangrove forests. With few
natural resources, most people rely on agriculture, which
is often damaged by flooding made
worse by deforestation.
Bangladesh's climate can best be described as
tropical with mild, cool winters and hot, sticky
summers.
Sri Lanka is a small tear-shaped
island just thirty miles off the
southeast coast of India. It is an
island with rugged mountains of
around 7,000 feet with the tallest
being Pidurutalagala (8280 ft).
Located near the south central
part of the island, these
mountains fade away to broad
plains that can be found on the
outer edges. Rivers and streams
supply ample water throughout.
Sri Lanka's climate is tropical, with little variation in
temperatures other than in the mountains. Ample rainfall
provides for its main crops of rice, sugarcane, and its
famous tea.
The Maldives Islands can be found about 450 miles
southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Sitting atop a
lengthy submarine ridge, Maldives consists of nearly 1,200
islands grouped into more than twenty-five atolls. These
islands stretch across the ocean for 600 miles. Many of the
tiny islands are surrounded by a single atoll.
While most of the islands are uninhabited, those that do
support human life key on fishing and tourism. In some
instances, resorts consist of one or two buildings located
on a tiny island. Tourism accounts for most of the Maldives
Islands' income.
The great tsunami of 2004 swept through the islands,
temporarily flooding all but nine islands. Fortunately, there
was no continental shelf to add to the size of the waves
and damage was minimal, considering the circumstances.
Nepal is located along the northeastern border of India
and western border of China. Much of it lies within the
Himalaya Mountains. Here, Mount Everest (29,028 ft) and
seven others have the distinction of being in the top-ten
list of the world's tallest mountains. With several rivers
bisecting its rectangular shape, Nepal can be divided into
roughly three geographical sections…
•Terai Plain—running along the country's southern border,
this plain is the northernmost extension of the IndoGangetic Plain. Here, the principal crops are wheat, rice,
and corn. This also is home to a semi-tropical climate.
•Hill Region—as might be expected, this region lies
sandwiched between the Terai Plain and the Himalayas.
Most of Nepal's people live here and subsist on a
combination of farming, ranching, and migrant work.
Typically, this region lies between 3,000 and 12,000 feet
above sea level.
•Mountain Region—This area consists of the Himalaya
Mountains and is made up of a subarctic and arctic
climate.
Bhutan is located just to the east of Nepal and is also
bordered by India and China to the south and north. Like
Nepal, the southern border tends to be semi-tropical, with
the Himalayas dominating the north. Only about the size
of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, this tiny nation
has little opportunity for economic growth and depends
heavily on Indian assistance.
As a result, it is one of the
world's poorest nations.
Most of its people live in valleys carved by rivers between
the mountains and hills of the central highlands. Here,
some farming is done, although most people depend on
raising livestock.