South Asia L1 - Physical Geography

South Asia consists of

Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh

related countries on the periphery but not part of the region include Afghanistan and Burma(Myanmar)

Topography

literally, “description of a place”

today, it is used to describe the shape and features of the land like mountains, etc.

The Subcontinent

historical name for South Asia

called this because it was once a separate small continent that was smashed into Asia by tectonic convergence

Himalaya

from Sanskrit, “the dwelling place of snow”

the tallest mountains in the world, Mt. Everest is 30,000 ft tall

Ghats

coastal mountains ranges are a result of this convergence

Monsoon

a seasonal shift in wind direction that occurs twice a year (winter and summer)

in the summer, the land heats up quickly, creating localized low pressure

the surrounding oceans are colder because they absorb much more heat and heat up more slowly as a result

this results in localized high pressure over the water

this makes the wind blow from ocean to land (high to low pressure)

the result is several months of intense rain

in the Winter, the land cools quickly while the oceans retain heat

the pressure systems reverse and the wind direction reverses

now dry air blows from the land out to sea

the result is a months long dry season

Orographic Rainfall

as moist ocean air comes onto land, it must rise over windward sides of mountains

as it does, it cools, condenses, the relative humidity reaches 100% and rain occurs

literallly, this means “mountain-caused” rain

Rain Shadow

large dry regions on leeward sides of mountains

Wet Climates (A)

includes tropical monsoon, the wettest climate on earth

Dry Climates (B)

Pakistan experiences this climate because it is in the substropics and monsoon moisture cannot reach it

Highland Climates (H)

in the Himalayas

you will find vertical zonation here just like in Latin America

Ganges River

largest river in South Asia, it runs parallel to the Himalayas and is filled by mountain snow melt and monsoon rain

it is a sacred river to the Hindus

worshiped as a goddess

Delta

where a river exists into the sea

a common site of high population density

agriculturally fertile and offers defensive characteristics

Iowan Norman Borlaug

introduced agricultural techniques in South Asia, created the Green Revolution

he was a professor at the University of Minnesota

Green Revolution

the use of modern farming techniques, dwarf wheat strains that were high yielding

food insecurity was minimized as a result

Borlaug was the Nobel Peace Price and is called “The man who saved a billion lives”