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Chapter 6
Geography of Early India
• India is so huge that
Geography of India
many geographers
call it a
subcontinent!
• subcontinent-a large
area of land that is a
part of a continent.
• Subcontinents are
usually separated
from the rest of their
continent by physical
features: mountains,
lakes, etc.
The Himalayas
Mt. Everest
• 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.!
• They are still growing
around 5 mm. every year.
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
• Over 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 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.
Did You Know ?
More Himalayas
Incredible !!!!!!
Geography
• Much of India is
covered with fertile
plains, rugged
mountains, and
Hindu Kush
plateaus.
Mountains
Deccan
Plateau
And
Indus
River
Fertile
farmland
Source of the
Ganges, The
Himalayas
Very
Sacred
For
Hindus
Ganges River is very sacred
to the people of India.
The Ganges
Delta
Snakes its
way to
The Bay
Of Bengal
• Most of India has a
hot and humid
climate. This climate
is heavily influenced
by India’s summer
monsoons.
• What is a monsoon?
a wind in the Indian
Ocean and southern
Asia that brings
heavy rains in the
summer- Some parts
of India receive 100
to 200 inches of rain
each season!
Climate
Flooded
farmlands
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.
Public
Well
Ruins at
Mohenjo Daro
India’s First Cities
• Both Harappa and
Mohenjo Daro
were well planned
cities.
• We can infer from
this statement that
the people of these
These people
two cities are
had a
intelligent and
public
bath
talented.
Ruins
Of
Harappa
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
Ancient
this civilization.
Mohenjo
Daro
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? an ancient language of India-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.
• 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.
The Aryans
Summary
• The earliest civilizations in India were
centered in the Indus Valley. First the
Harappans and then the Aryans lived in
this fertile valley.