The Land Where

Continents Collided

Physical Geography and

Climate of South Asia

South Asia

Countries include:

1. Pakistan

2. India

3. Nepal

4. Bhutan

5. Bangladesh

6. Sri Lanka

7. Maldives

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2 3

4

5 5

6 7

Indian Subcontinent • Subcontinent- a large

landmass that is smaller

than a continent.

• India is 1/3 the size of the

U.S.

• Natural barriers separate

India from China and

other countries.

– Himalayan Mountains

– Arabian Sea, Bay of

Bengal, Indian Ocean

One GIANT

peninsula

The Himalaya form a

natural boundary

between India and

other countries.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/South_asia.jpg

Himalaya Mountains • 50 million years ago, the

Indian subcontinent was

an island east of Africa.

– Tectonic forces caused the

subcontinent to drift

northward from Africa to

Asia.

– The collision between the

Indian subcontinent and

Asia created the Himalayan

mountain range.

physical

process

In which sphere

do earthquakes

occur?

TQ

Himalaya-

house of snow

TQ

Himalayas • Form a natural

boundary

between India

and other

countries.

– Northeast

border of India

– Make Nepal

and Bhutan

landlocked

Nepal

Airport

TQ

TQ

Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

May 29, 1953

Mt. Everest

– 29,029 ft.

– Grows about 4 mm

each year

– Nepal, Tibet-China

border

• Hindu Kush lie west of India- separate

Pakistan from Afghanistan

Khyber Pass

Southern Plateaus

• Deccan Plateau- tilts

east, toward the Bay of

Bengal.

– Lower population density

due to semi-arid climate.

• Western and Eastern

Ghats- rugged mountain

landforms that make

access to the Deccan

plateau difficult.

Pop Quiz 1. True or False. The Place where a river

begins is the origin.

2. The place where a river opens up into

the sea is an estuary or mouth.

Trick Question! It’s both. An estuary is the broadened seaward end of a river, where the river’s currents meet the ocean’s tides.

Great Rivers of the Indian Subcontinent

• Origins in the Himalayas

• Indus River flows

southwest through

Pakistan, into the Arabian

Sea.

• Ganges River flows

eastward across India to

the Bay of Bengal.

• Brahmaputra River winds

through Bangladesh.

Ganges River

Indo-Gangetic Plain • Rivers provide water for

irrigation and carry alluvial

soils.

– Silting has created low

lying areas that flood

easily during spring

snowmelts and monsoon

rains.

– one of the most

productive agricultural

areas in the world.

• This region is heavily

populated- home to 3/5 of

India’s population.

1,139,964,932

Indo-

Gangetic

Plain Silt (alluvial soil):

Soil that runs into streams and

rivers due to precipitation.

Gives water its brown/muddy

color.

TQ

Islands

• Sri Lanka- large tear

shaped island southwest

of India.

• Maldives archipelago-

group of 1,200 islands.

– Low lying tops of

submerged volcanoes

(atoll)

– Only 200 islands are

inhabited

II. Natural Resources • Approximately of 50% of

India’s population relies

on primary industries for

survival.

• 56% of India has arable

land

– Sugarcane

– Rice

– Tobacco

– Tea

Arable:

land suitable

for plowing or

tilling

(farming)

Where in India

would you find

most of the

arable land?

Which South

Asian country

has the least

amount of

arable land?

TQ

III. South Asia’s Climate

• South Asia has 5 climate

zones.

– Highland- Himalayas and other

mountains

– Arid- Thar Desert, less than 10

inches of rain a year

– Humid subtropical–

Bangladesh and northeastern

India.

– Cherrapunji, India holds the

world record for most rainfall-

366 inches a year.

– Semi-arid- Central India,

fringes of the Thar Desert.

– Tropical wet– southwestern

India

• Monsoons

– Seasonal winds that bring rain.

– Winter monsoon (October-February), dry winds blow

from the northeast (Himalaya), push precipitation

away from South Asia, causing dry weather.

– Summer monsoon (June-September), winds from the

southwest (Arabian Sea) bring heavy rainfall. Bangladeshi houses on

stilts:

adaptation or modification?

TQ

TQ

Cyclone

– Violent storm with fierce

winds and heavy rains.

– Cyclones are the most

destructive in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh has a low-

lying coast.

• In 1970, Cyclone Bhola

killed ~300,000 people. What do we call

these storms when

they occur in the

Atlantic Ocean?

Forests • Less than 1/5 of India’s original forest remain.

• Deforestation is a severe problem- – Soil erosion

– Flooding

– Landslides

– Loss of wildlife habitats

– Climate change

Write down three

examples.

Warm-UP

1. True or False. Mt. Everest is the highest

peak in the world.

2. Which is the largest country in South

Asia?

3. True or False. Monsoons are strong

winds that bring heavy rains.