Transcript Geography of South Asia

Geography of
South Asia
© Copyright 2008
PJ Fields
Rogers-Herr Year-Round
Middle School
Create a Foldable
Step 1
Hold paper landscape and
fold in half like a hotdog
Fold
Create a Foldable
Step 2 - TOP
Climate
Zones
Water
Physical
Landforms
South Asia Geography
Cut
Monsoons
Fold
1. Hold folded paper
landscape and fold into 4
equal sections.
2. Cut each fold line (ONLY
on the top layer)
3. Label each section as
seen on sample using the
markers at your group
South Asia
Locating South Asia
South Asia is the giant
triangle extending out
of the Asian continent
into the Indian Ocean
Scientists believe that millions of years ago a huge
supercontinent, Pangaea, existed.
Internal forces reshaping Pangaea
•
Over time it broke apart into separate
continents.
•
That is when, they think, the part of the
earth’s crust containing what we now call
South Asia collided with the rest of Asia.
Creating new landforms
• The force of this huge collision pushed the
earth up and created high mountains where
the two landmasses met.
• As you watch the animation identify the
tectonic plates that collide.
• Predict what would happen if the two tectonic
plates continue to push against each other.
“Fire Rim of the Pacific”
Earthquake Zones in India
2004 Earthquake In Indonesia:
Tsunami Devastates Indian
Ocean Coastlines!
the Tsunami’s Devastation
100,000s dead!
South Asia
• Because of its size, South Asia is often called a
subcontinent.
• Subcontinent: large landmass that is part of
a continent, yet considered a separate region
or entity.
• Turn to your neighbor and explain why South
Asia is called a subcontinent.
Physical Features of the region
• The geography of South Asia varies
greatly.
• Mountains to the north and northwest.
• Deserts to the west while dense forest
and hills can be found in the east.
• Plateaus rise up in the southern tip.
• Fertile plains neighbor the three major
rivers in the region.
Mountains
•Hindu Kush
mountains divide
the subcontinent
from Central Asia.
Hindu Kush
Himalayas
•The Eastern and
Western Ghats
separate India’s
east and west
coasts from the
country’s interior.
•The Himalayas
run along the
northern border
and are home to
the world’s
highest mountains.
Western Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Himalayas
The Himalayas
“land of snow”
 “him” [snow]
 “aalaya” [home]
 Mt. Everest is 29,035
feet. It is the highest Mt.
peak in the world.
Hindu Kush
The Khyber Pass
Plateaus and Desert
The Deccan is a
hilly plateau
located in the
Southern tip of
South Asia.
The Thar, or
Great Indian
Desert, is made
up of rolling
sand dunes. It
lies in India and
Pakistan.
Deccan Plateau
Thar Desert
The Deccan Plateau
 31,800 square miles in size.
 Elevation range: 2,000 – 8,000 feet high.
 From the Sanskrit word, “dakshina” [“the south”].
The Thar Desert
 The Great Indian Desert
 200 - 1500 feet in elevation.
 up to 127ºF in July.
The Tibetan Plateau
 The “Roof of the World.”
 average elevation is 16,400 feet.
Valleys
•
•
•
Cedar in Chitral valley
is still used to make
houses and coffins,
following a tradition
that dates back to the
first Indus cities.
Beyond the mountains
in the background is
the region of
Badakhshan,
Afghanistan, a source
of the deep blue lapis
lazuli.
This was mined during
the Indus period and
traded throughout the
Indus Valley and to far
off Mesopotamia and
Egypt.
Rivers and Plains
Indus River
Three major rivers are found in the
north.
The Indus River flows from the
Himalayas and waters the northwest. This river has supported
civilizations for centuries in what is
called the Indus River Valley.
The Ganges also has its source in
the Himalayas and waters the
northeast creating the fertile soils
that are found in the Ganges Plain.
The Ganges is considered the holiest
of rivers for many Hindus on the
subcontinent.
Ganges River
Rivers and Plain
Ganges Plain
The Brahmaputra river also
waters the northeast. It
merges with the Ganges to
form a vast Delta. The
Ganges and Brahmaputra
fertilize North Indian Plain
Indus River
The area between the
Ganges and the Indus called
the Indo-Gangetic plain is
India’s farming heartland.
It feeds about half of the
population of South Asia
Ganges River
Brahmaputra
Role of the rivers in the
region
• These rivers flood each year bringing
needed water and minerals to the
surrounding plains.
“Mata Ganga” (Mother Ganges)
City of Varanasi
The Brahmaputra River System
1,800 miles long
Floods on the
Brahmaputra: 2003
Flooding on the Brahmaputra
The Indus River System
1,975 miles long
Coast
• The coast of Sindh
and Makran have
bays and ancient
Harappan sites
have been located
along the coast to
the border of
modern Iran.
• These coastal
settlements were
involved in fishing
and trading, using
the monsoon winds
to travel back and
forth to Oman and
the Persian Gulf
region.
Bodies of Water and Islands
Sri Lanka
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
The Maldives
Indian Ocean
What are the countries that make up
the region?
Pakistan
• Pakistan is shaded
• Afghanistan and Iran
are to the west.
• India to the East.
• China to the North
• Rugged Mountains
cover the northern
and western part of
the country.
Pakistan Country snap shot
• Pakistan has 40 of the
world’s 50 highest
mountains.
• K2 or Mount Godwin
Austen is the world’s
second highest mountain.
• The Baluchistan Plateau
is in the Southwest.
• The Indus River flows
through the Punjab and
Sindh Plains.
• K2 Mount
http://www.fotopolis.pl/obrazki/k2_32s.jpg
Bangladesh
• Bangladesh is
surrounded by India
to the west, north,
and east. Myanmar
is to the southeast
and the bay of
Bengal is to the
south.
• Plains cover most of
the nation.
• Bangladesh is
shaded
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/bangladesh/
Bangladesh country snap
shot
• The rest of the
country is covered in
lakes, swamps,
marshes and two
hilly areas.
• Three major rivers
divide the nation into
many plains and
deltas.
• Bangladesh has a
subtropical climate.
• The winter season is
mild and damp.
• Summer is hot and
damp.
• The country has
heavy
thunderstorms and
high winds.
Nepal and Bhutan
• Nepal and Bhutan
are two landlocked
kingdoms in the
Himalayas.
• Nepal has three
major physical
regions: mountain,
hill and grasslands.
• Bhutan has
glaciated mountain
peeks in the north.
Forests and black
mountains cover the
central area.
• The south has a
mixture of valleys,
hills and dense
forests.
A country snap shot of
Bhutan and Nepal
• Nepal has a tropical,
subtropical, temperate,
cold and subarctic and
arctic climate.
• Bhutan experiences five
distinct seasons:
summer, monsoons,
autumn, winter and
spring.
• Bhutan climate varies
with altitude; subtropical
in the south, temperate
in the highlands and
polar type climate in the
north.
• Bhutan experiences five
distinct seasons:
summer, monsoons,
autumn, winter and
spring.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives
• Two island nations are
part of South Asia.
• Sri Lanka is mostly flat
to rolling coastal plains.
• Mountains are situated
in the south central
region.
• Sri Lanka has a tropical
climate and can be
quite hot.
• The Maldives is an
archipelago holding the
record for being the
flattest country in the
world.
• The Maldives is warm
year round determined
by monsoons
India
• India occupies most of South Asia. It is onethird the size of the United States.
• This peninsula is bordered by Pakistan in the
northwest; China, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, and Myanmar border it in the
northeast.
• India is the seventh largest country in the
world and the second most populated.
• India is bordered in the north with the
Himalayas.
India
• Kanchenjunga in the Himalaya is the
highest point in India and the third
highest mountain in the world.
• South of the Himalaya are the northern
plains. The Brahmaputra, the Ganges
and the Yamuna run through this
region.
• India’s capital city, New Delhi, is located
in the northern plains.
Geography of India
• South of the northern plains is the southern
peninsula.
• The Deccan Plateau, which occupies most of
the peninsula, is flanked by two mountain
chains. The Western and Eastern Ghats run
along India’s coastlines.
• Most of India has three main climates. The
cool season, the hot season, and the rainy
season.
• India’s climate is affected by the monsoon.