INDIA
Video Intro http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/discovery-atlas-india-
geography.htm
EQ: What are the geographic features
of India and how did they influence
the development of a civilization?
SUBCONTINENT
India is called a subcontinent of Asia
A subcontinent is a distinct landmass that is
smaller than a continent
When we talk about Ancient India we are
talking about the modern countries of India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh Nepal, and Afghanistan
WHERE IS THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT?
Major Geographic
Features
THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER
THE GANGA (GANGES) RIVER
THE INDUS RIVER
THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS
THE HINDU KUSH MOUNTAINS
THE EASTERN AND WESTERN GHATS
THE DECCAN PLATEAU
THE THAR DESERT
MONSOONS •INTERACTIVE QUIZ
•DOWNLOAD LESSONS
•HOME
•India and the Himalayas LessonsSubcontinent
•Monsoons •Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
•The Caste System •Hinduism •Buddhism
•A History of Conquerors •Gandhi
•The Subcontinent Since Independence •Learn even moreTime and Space
•Prehistory •Mesopotamia •Ancient Egypt •African History
•India and the Himalayas •Chinese History •Ancient Greece •Ancient Rome
•The Middle Ages •The Renaissance •The World Wars
•Western East and North Africa •Conflicts in the Middle East
•The Cariean
Monsoons India’s climate is
dominated by monsoons. Monsoons
are strong, often violent winds that
change direction with the season. Mosoon
winds blow from cold to warm regions
because cold air takes up more space than
warm air. This means that monsoon winds blow from the land toward the sea in
winter and from the sea toward land in the
summer. India’s winters are hot and dry. The monsoon winds blow from the northeast and carry
little moisture. India’s winters are hot
because the Himalayas form a barrier that
prevents cold air from passing onto the
subcontinent. Additionally, most of India lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, so the
sun’s rays shine directly on the land. The temperature can reach as high as 110oF
during the Indian winter.
The summer monsoons roar onto
the subcontinent from the southwest. The
winds carry moisture from the Indian Ocean and bring heavy rains
from June to September. The
torrential rainstorms often cause violent landslides. Entire villages have been swept away during
monsoon rains. Despite the potential for destruction, the
summer monsoons are welcomed in India. Farmers depend on the rain to irrigate
their land. Irrigated land has enough water
to grow crops. Additionally, a great
deal of India’s electricity is generated
by water power provided by the monsoon rains.
Pakistan is much drier than India. The
summer monsoon winds in India bring moisture from the
Indian Ocean in the west, but Pakistan is north of the ocean, so it receives much less rain. The Thar Desert
is on the border between India and
Pakistan. Desert land receives very little precipitation. The Thar Desert covers more than 77,000
square miles, about the size of Nebraska.
Resources Download this
lesson as Microsoft Word file or as an
Adobe Acrobat file. Download a Powerpoint
Presentation of this lesson.
Listen as Mr. Dowling reads this
lesson.
NEXT: Mohenjo
Daro and Harappa
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To cite this page (MLA): Dowling, Mike. "Monsoons at mrdowling.com". www.mrdowling.com. Updated November 2, 2013. Web. Date of Access. <http://www.mrdowling.com/612india.html>
MOVEMENT
As we go through this unit, we will see people move (migrate) and cultures change because of this movement.
There are many factors that contribute to this movement. Can you think of any?
Flood
Tsunami
Drought
Earthquake
Invasion