South Asia Regional Overview

Physical Geography:

• South Asia is a subcontinent formed by plate tectonics.

• The South Asia plate is still moving.

I. Physical Features

A. Himalayas• Run through India,

Nepal, and China

• Formed when the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate

I. Physical Features

A. Himalayas• Run through India,

Nepal, and China• world’s highest

mountain range.• Formed when the

Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate

Review

• What effect can mountains have on trade and migration?

• What about culture?

• What about population?

B. Mt. Everest• The highest point in the world

– 29,035 feet (5+ miles)

• Sits on the border of Nepal and China

• Still growing today, but less than 2 inches per year

Climbing Mt. Everest

• The climb is broken into stages over several weeks

• Climbers much stop to acclimatize (Adjust to lower oxygen levels)

• Accute Mountain Sickness: nausea, headache, brain swells

Sherpas

• Sherpas are Everest’s expert climbers

• They are native to Nepal

• Serve as guides/cooks, set up camps, and carry supplies

Frostbite

Rivers

• Rainwater and snowmelt from the Himalayas form the region’s major rivers, the Indus and Ganges.

C. Indus River

D. Ganges River

D. Ganges River

• Drinking, farming and transportation

• Sacred– Hindus believe it brings life to its people; believe it has healing powers

• Ashes of deceased scattered in river sometimes

Ganges River - Pollution

Pollution in the Ganges video

E. Deccan Plateau and Ghats

• The Deccan Plateau is surrounded by the Eastern and Western Ghats (mountains).

Deccan Plateau and Ghats

• Why do you think the Deccan Plateau is arid?

• Rain shadow effect.

II. Climate• The climate of much of this region is

shaped by monsoons– Strong, seasonal winds that create distinct

rainfall patterns– In summer, monsoons blow in from the

ocean toward the land, bringing heavy rains

Monsoons

• Challenges of summer floods:– Death, polluted water, and disease– Crop loss– Closed streets,

schools, and businesses

– In the winter months, little to no rainfall

Supual, in the northern Indian state of Bihar, as seen from the air on August 2, 2007. Though the monsoon is an annual event, this is the heaviest season Bihar has seen in 30 years, bringing incessant rains to a wide area of north India and Bangladesh since June.

III. Vegetation

IV. Population

IV. Population

• Give two facts regarding India’s population you can learn from this graph.

IV. Population

• High population densities

• The region is still mostly rural, but rapid urbanization is taking place.

• Jobs, space, resources?

IV. Population

• All of the countries have rapidly growing populations

• Put tremendous strain on available land and other resources.

Bangladesh

• Second most densely populated country in the world

• 950 persons per square kilometer.

• 60%+ of its people are farmers.

• The most important industries are textiles and the processing of agricultural products.

Other Countries

• India has an average of 328 persons per square kilometer.

• Pakistan has 168.

• As in Bangladesh, more than 60% of the people in India and Pakistan are farmers.

• By contrast, the United States has less than 30 persons per square kilometer, and less than 10% of Americans are employed in agriculture.

V. Economic

• Economically contrasting

• Small elite of very wealthy people

• Large and growing middle class.

• Poverty is a problem in South Asia due to the population strain on limited land and other resources, and weak economic development

Still a problem but…