continental/subcontinental region south asia/indian subcontinent india,pakistan,bangladesh,sri lanka...

Continental/Subcontinental region• South Asia/Indian subcontinent

• India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka

• India is the most populated country in the world over 1 billion people.

• 47 times the size of Ireland

Physical Processes-Relief and DrainageThere are four main landform regions in India: Northern mountains-Himalayas

Ganges-Indus plain-a depression/syncline on the southern edge of the Himalayas(drained by Ganges and Brahmaputra )

Southern Deccan Plateau-eastern and western ghats mountain range on either side

Thar desert

MOUNTAINS:

Northern mountains-Hindu Kush in the north west through the Himalayas to the extreme northeast.

Himalayas- the worlds highest mts formed by converging plates-Indo-Australian and Eurasian –young alpine fold mts,still colliding.

The source of many rivers that flow into India.

Western and Eastern Ghats in the south of India

Drainage:

Indus- Ganges plain a great depression to the south of the Northern Mts.

Pakistan drained by Indus River rises in the Hindu Kush Mts and flows into the Arabian Sea.

India and Bangladesh drained by the sacred Ganges and Brahmaputra-rise in the Himalayas and flow into the Bay of Bengal-double delta:

Fertile lowlying region densly populated. One of the worlds largest alluvial plains. Monsoon rain floods extensive areas of this

lowland.

SOUTHERN PLATEAU:

Deccan Plateau is the largest one in peninsular India.

It is tilted from west to east. Drainage flows from west to east out into

the Bay of Bengal. Coastal lowlands are narrow ,rising

abruptly to form the Western and Eastern Ghats.

These mountains affect onshore winds and rainfall.

Physical processes-soils and climateSOILS: Alluvial soils:Found in the valleys and lower courses of

the rivers,especially in the east coast deltas.Reserves of groundwater supply irrigation waters to make the Ganga valley the most agriculturally productive region of the subcontinent.In the southeast alluvial soils of the krishna and Godavari rivers are ideal for growing rice.

Laterites/red soils:Found in Peninsula India,where all minerals except iron are leached from the soil,due to the heavy rainfall-infertile.Mainly the Eastern and Western Ghats

Black soils:occur in regions with moderate rainfall and underlying basalt rock,such as the volcanic Deccan Plateau.These soils retain moisture-high clay content, are good for irrigation and most of the regions cotton is grown here.

Climate

India,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka all experience a monsoon climate.

The monsoon is a reversal of winds over the subcontinent,it is divided into two seasons-the dry and the wet.

Wet monsoon:From mid June to September,low pressure develops bringing rain bearing clouds from the south west over the Indian ocean this moisture laden air rises, cools, condenses,forms clouds and rain.This leads to very heavy rainfall-some of the heaviest in the world have been recorded here 10,800 mm.

Retreating monsoon/Dry October to February-cool dry weather.High pressure develops over the land,bringing a dry wind from the north east across the interior towards the sea.

March –mid June:hot dry weather-45 degrees,very humid

PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

Farming India’s cultivated land is equal in area to

the total cultivated land of the EU countries. Arable farming, especially cereals, is the main type of farming

Two-thirds of India’s one billion people depend directly on the land for their living.

Almost half of rural families have farms of less than 0.5hectares, or no land at all.

A quarter of India’s agricultural land is owned by less than 5 per cent of farm families. Most family farms are broken up into tiny, scattered plots.

Farming is mainly intensive subsistence. This means people depend on their own food supplies to feed themselves

Rice is the chief crop. Cereals such as wheat and millet are grown in drier areas

Almost all planting, weeding and harvesting is done by hand.

Double-cropping is practised. While rice is grown in the wet season. Other crops such as cereals are grown in the drier season.

The country’s rapidly growing population places huge demands on annual output.

Genetically modified, high-yield varieties of rice and wheat have been introduced and are now grown . These varieties are resistant to many diseases and pest.

This practice is called the Green Revolution and has led to India being a net food exporter.

India has the largest livestock population in the world. Many are in poor physical condition. The slaughter of cattle is illegal in many states because of a Hindu religious belief that the cow is a sacred animal.

Most of the beef that is eaten comes from cattle that have died of old age. Many cattle are malnourished and old livestock are allowed to roam as strays or may be sent to special compounds until they die

MINING

India has large reserves of iron ore and copper. Other mineral ores are bauxite, from which aluminium is made, and zinc, gold and silver.

Most of India’s oil comes from Mumbai (Bombay) High Field in the Arabian sea.

The most important coal producing regions are Bihar and West Bengal.

SECONDARY ACTIVITIES

•After independence in 1947 only two per cent of the labour force was employed in industry.

•Industry was concentrated in the major cities of Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras).

Three factors that help industry are:

1. A large home market2. A wide range of natural

resources, such as coal and iron ore.

3. A cheap labour force.

The government has focused on new industries such as:

1. Agri-industries: the manufacture of fertilisers

machinery and food processing to benefit rural communities

2. Consumer Goods: Small-scale , labour intensive craft

industries. These employ a lot of workers and together with traditional skills they could be competitive on export markets.

3. Community based developments: and self help schemes in rural regions: this

was to create jobs in rural regions where over 70% of the people live. This would prevent, or reduce rural-urban migration.

4. High Tech Industries: the growing educated workforce is

attracting computer software companies to India. India produces more university graduates than the USA and Canada combined and 40% are in Science and Engineering.

Most of these new industries are located in urban regions such as Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai and their hinterlands.

MUMBAI:

has attracted growth industries such as electronics and pharmaceuticals. It also has traditional industries like food processing and textiles.

CHENNAI:

Chennai forms the core of the southern industrial zone. Textiles and light engineering are important industries. Many multinational computer software companies have set up here. The region is called India’s “silicon valley”

KOLKATA

Key industrial zone in north east india Close to deposits of coal and iron ore. Coal produces 60% of india’s energy Heavy industries such as iron and

steel are long established, The Indian owned Tata Iron and Steel Company is the tenth largest producer of steel-mostly export.

Tertiary ActivitiesThe tertiary sector is the fastest growing

economic sector in India.

Investment in transport and tourism is seen as central to regional development.

The aim is to reduce regional variations among India’s different states and territories in terms of per capita income, availability of infrastructure and socio-economic development.

The development of the tourist industry is related to:

1. IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE. There are now 2.1 million km of road

63,000 km of rail (the second largest rail network in the world)

2. IMPROVED STANDARD OF LIVING This allows for greater domestic tourism.

3. A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN This is to create awareness about the

impact of tourism and the preservation of India’s rich heritage and culture.

4. MONITORING OF STANDARDS This is to establish a standard of

cleanliness and warm hospitality through a process of training and orientation.

Recent trends show that over 3 million tourists visited India last year, an annual growth rate of over18%

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism grew by 30%. This brings earnings of almost $4 billion to the local economy.

•Tourism provides employment to 23% of the workforce. There are over 20 million directly related jobs, Other indirectly related jobs include jobs in horticulture, agriculture, handicrafts and construction.

India’s tourist attractions include……..

Nanda devi national park

Tombs and monuments such as the Taj Mahal

Spectacular scenery such as Kerala and Kashmir

Beaches such as this one in Goa

HUMAN PROCESSES

Human processes such as population dynamics and

culture/language are important in defining India as

a region.

Human processes-Population dynamics

Population over one billion. Second most populous country

in the world. High birth rate and inward

migration Population predicted to be 2

billion by 2040

India is in the early expanding stage(2) of the demographic transition model.

Birth rate increasing ,death rate decreasing.

1970’s government incentives to reduce the birth rate-transistor radio/gun licences for vasectomy

Family planning difficult-rural areas.(blessing,farming,care in old age,virility,die at young age)

There is an uneven pattern of population distribution-physical and human factors.

Population densities in the Himalayas and on the Deccan Plateau/Thar desert are low.

There are very high population densities in the Ganges valley, along the coastline and in the cities.(800 people per sq.km/3000 in Mumbai)

30% of India’s population live in cities Rural–urban migration is common Congestion/conurbations are common Mumbai,(18 million)kolkata,New

Delhi,Chennai,Bangalore-some of the biggest cities in the world.

Pollution,bustees,lack of open space and clean water

21/04/23Revised Geography Syllabus 2004

Calcutta – city of contrasts Poor Suburbs

Social Stratification

21/04/23Revised Geography Syllabus 2004

kolkata– city of contrasts Wealthy CBD

Social Stratification

Mumbai’s slums