Post on 29-Dec-2015
*it is separated from the rest of Asia by its ???????
*South Asia is called a subcontinent (large distinct landmass that is joined to a continent)
*it is bordered by . . .
-W = ????-S = ????-E = ????-N = ????
*in the north, you find the world’s highest sharp, icy peaks that rise above the desert plateaus and rich valleys
*in the south, you find lower, eroded mountains and flat plateaus
-South Asia was part of Africa 60 million years ago
*broke off and collided with the southern edge of Asia
*collision created . . . Himalaya and Hindu Kush
*Mt. Everest in Himalaya = 29,035 feet (highest peak in the world)
1. Khyber Pass*historically, invaders from north could enter this region through a few narrow crossing passes, such as Khyber Pass (in Hindu Kush between Pakistan and Afghanistan)
*How do you think this pass impacted early life in this region?
2. Ganges Plain
*lies at foot of Himalaya
*watered by Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra Rivers
*1/10 of population lives in this area – India’s most densely populated area
*world’s longest alluvial plain
-formed by collision between Indian subcontinent and Asia
*divides India into northern and southern physical and cultural regions (we will look more at this with culture)
2. Deccan Plateau
*between Eastern and Western Ghats
*very rich, black soil, because once covered by volcanic ash
*Western Ghats prevent yearly rainy winds from reaching the plateau (leaves it arid)
3. Karnataka Plateau*receives the plentiful rainfall from above (#2)
*hills are lush and green (rainforest located here)
*good for growing crops
*rivers are the key to life here – provide drinking water, transportation, alluvial soil, fishing, and hydroelectric power to the people of this region
-flows mainly through Pakistan
-important transportation route and irrigation source to orchards in the region
-Indus River Valley = the cradle of ancient Indian civilization (one of the earliest in the world)
-joins the Ganges River in Bangladesh
-major waterway for ships to sail inland from the Bay of Bengal (navigable)
-also provides Bangladesh with 50% of its power (hydroelectric power)
Varanasi
-most important river of South Asia
*named after Hindu goddess, Ganga – Hindus consider the river sacred
-during the summer monsoon, heavy rains cause devastating floods along the Ganges
*South Asia depends on a variety of natural resources for its livelihood
-some petroleum reserves, but mainly dependent on imported oil
-South Asia supplies 90% of the world’s mica (layered rock used in making electrical equipment)
-Sri Lanka produces sapphires, rubies, and other precious and semi-precious stones
-exporters of silver fir, oak, magnolia, beech, birch, teak, and sandalwood
*much of South Asia experiences 3 distinct seasons:
-cool (from October to late February)
-hot (from late February to June)
-wet (from June or July until September)
*these periods depend on seasonal winds called monsoons
-cool season – dry monsoon winds blow from north and northeast (from
Himalaya)
-hot season – warm temperatures heat the air, which rises and triggers a change in wind direction
-wet season – moist ocean air from the Arabian Sea blows in from the south and southwest, bringing monsoon rains
-high temperatures allow farmers to produce crops, but they can also result in evaporation and dried-out, nutrient-poor soils
-rainfall waters crops, but areas outside the monsoon path (Deccan Plateau and western Pakistan) receive little or no rainfall
-monsoons may also cause flooding (especially in Bangladesh) which kill livestock and people and destroy homes and crops