south asia

countries in south africa

india, pakistan, bangladesh, bhutan, nepa, sri lanka, maldives

a subcontinent

a large landmass that is smaller than a continent

mountains - himalayas

parallel mountain ranges creating a barrier between india and china

mount everest

worlds highest peak

hindu kush

lie at west end of the himalayas

karakoram

north east

plateaus

formed by the collision of tetonic plates; includes vindhya range and deccan plateau

indus

flows west than south through pakistan

ganges

flows east across northern india

bramaputra

winds east-west-south

alluvial plains

rich farmlands

islands

sri lanka and maldives

resources

water, soil, forests, and minerals

climate zones

6 main zones

highland zone

coldest, pine and evergreen forests

lower elevations

nepal, bhutan, northern india

semiarid zone

western plain and deccan plateau, less vegetation

tropical wet zone

west and east india and bangladesh, most forests; subtropical, oak, chestnut palm forests

desert zone

lower indus valley

monsoons

seasonal winds that are unpredictable and important but causes hard ships

cyclone

violent storm, feirce winds, heavy rain, strongest in bangladesh

vegetation

varies by climate and altitude

the ganges

major river

the area around the ganges

home to 350 million people, hughe impact on human lofe

the ganges is extremely important to the people because

water is used for drinking, farming, transportation; sacred and spiritual meanings

in the banks

temples and sacred sites

varanasi

scared sight people gather everyday

the ganges is one of the most polluted rivers in the world

raw sewage and industrial waste, human corpses thrown in the water, people who bathe in or drink the water become ill

the feni

marshy, flat, slow moving river

storm surges

high waters that swamp low areas, causes floods and destruction

building a dam

completing a dam was proposed in the 1980’s, it was built of concrete and brick

estuary

an arm of the sea at a lower end of a river

culture and history

over 4000 years old

foreign invaders

constantly tried to conquee india, result-diverse culture and religion

the aryans

incaded india

the mauryan empire

321 bc united most of india

the mughal empire

muslim rulers

european arrivial

looking to trade

the raj

period of british control

nonviolent resistance

peaceful protest movement

independence

divided west and east india

politics

democracy,, a major factor is relations between hindus and muslims

economy

major dependence on farming, low crop yields, land reform (balanced distribution of land)

the green revolution

increased crop yields

industry

cotton, textiles, iron, steel, ect

center

marriage and damioy, some marriages are arranged

india has

18 language groups, 1000 languages and dialects, hindu religion, english is widely spoken

the caste system

1) brahman

2) kshatriyas

3) vaisyas

4) sudras

reincarnation is how move to a different caste

indus valley civilization

well-developed cities and buildings; fall 1500; the aryans invaded

later emipres

mauryan, gupta, mughal

british rule

brought partition of india, division, led to violence, military rule-result of political struggle

economy

dependent on-agriculture; population is-poor

subsistence farming

farmers dont grow crops in productive ways

the best farming areas

in the indus valley

fishing

important to economy in bangladesh

factories and textile industries

small, lack markets; provide revenue and employment

bangladesh and pakistan

religion - islam(important part of life); pakistan - stricter islamic laws for citizens; bangladesh - less strict