South Asia - Elliot

subcontinent

large landmass that is smaller than a continent

1/5

How much of the population does the Indian subcontinent contain?

himalayan mountains

worlds highest mountain range, created by the drifting of Indian subcontinent’s collision with the asian continent

mount everest

worlds tallest peak (29,035 ft above sea level)

sir edmund hillary and tenzing norgay

first men to climb mount everest

alluvial plains

land that is rich farmland, that has been deposited by running water containing silt and rich soil, one of the most populated places in the world

archipelago

island group, ex: maldives

atoll

islands are low lying tops of submerged volcanoes surrounded by coral reefs and shallow lagoons

monsoons

seasonal winds (rainy season)

possible negative effects of monsoons

widespread flooding, property damage, disease, malnutrition, and death

cyclone

violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rains (same as a hurricane)

storm surges

high water level brought by a cyclone that swamps low lying areas

deforestation

serious problem in south asia

ganges river

most well known river of south asia, sacred to hindus - waters have healing powers, pilgrims come from all over to bathe in it, families scatter ashes of deceased in it, and one of the most polluted rivers in the world

estuary

opened end of a river where the rivers currents meet an ocean’s tides

india

ancient culture, over 4,000 years old, blending of many different cultures and traditions, many invaders and empires came to power in the region

raj

the period of time where Britain controlled all of India (1857-1947)

nonviolent resistance

protest that does not use violence to achieve its goals

land reform

• more balanced distribution of land among farmers

• proposal to redistribute land

• done because 25% of farmland is in the hands of a powerful 5% of farm families

green revolution

• increasing of crop yields by introducing higher yielding grain varieties and teaching better farming techniques to farmers

• introduced in late 1960s and early 1970s

• dramatically improved the amount of food available for the poor

indus valley civilization

• largest of the worlds first civilizations

• began around 2500 BC

partition

• division of british india

• led to violence between hindus and muslims

• one million died

• ten million moved to new areas

• by 1971 a civil war broke out and the new nation of bangladesh was formed

kashmir

small territory in northern india that both pakistan and india claim as their own

microcredit

very small loans that are made available to entrepreneurs

entrepreneur

people who start and build a business

pakistan and bangladesh

countries that are mostly muslim

ramadan

month long period of fasting from sunrise to sunset

nepal and bhutan

• geographically isolated because of their mountainous terrain

• difficult to visit

• both constitutional monarchies

• both very poor and have minimal resources

constitutional monarchy

kingdom in which the ruler’s powers are limited by a constitution

sherpas

• people of nepal of tibetan ancestry

• renowned mountain climbers and pack carriers

buddha

• born on the borders of nepal and india in the 6th century

• founder of buddhism

mandalas

• geometric designs that are symbols of the universe and aid in meditation

• buddhists in bhutan use them

sinhalese

buddhist people from india that settles in sri lanka (majority)

tamils

dravidian hindu people from southern india that settled in sri lanka (minority)

the maldives

• population of only about 300,000 on over 1,200 islands (none over 6ft high)

• ruled by sultans

sultan

muslim ruler

hinduism

a collection of the religion, culture, and philosophy of ancient india

mughal empire

an empire in india established by the warrior king babur, a descendant of ghengis khan on his mothers side

caste system

a class structure determined by birth

false

T/F: all of the climate zones that exist on earth can be found in south asia

true

T/F: monsoons are seasonal winds that bring moist ocean air to south asia for part of the year

true

T/F: monsoons are crucial to life in south asia

false

T/F: high temperatures and light rainfall are characteristics of the highland zone

true

T/F: the most extreme weather pattern in south asia is the cyclone, violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rain

true

T/F: in the 6th centuty BC, the sinhalese settles in sri lanka and created an advanced civilization

false

T/F: buddhist rulers, or sultans, governed the maldives for many years

true

T/F: sri lanka is one of the worlds leading tea producing contries

false

T/F: as a result of the war in sri lanka, tourism increased

false

T/F: in the fourth century a.d., the sinhalese arrived in sri lanka,
bringing with them a new culture and language.