Download South Asia

The Land
• South Asia consists of a large peninsula
with Sri Lanka a large island near its
southern tip.
• The peninsula that India is located on is also
known as a subcontinent – a large
landmass smaller than a continent which is
bordered on three sides by oceans.
• South Asia is bordered by the Himalayas to
the north, the Arabian sea to the west, the
Indian Ocean to the south, and the Bay of
Bengal to the east.
• Six countries
make up South
Asia.
– India
– Pakistan
– Nepal
– Bhutan
– Bangladesh
– Sri Lanka
Physical Geography
India is a huge peninsula separated from
the Asian mainland by the Himalayan
Mountains.
• India is the largest country in South Asia by
landmass and population. India has the
second largest population in the world with
just over a billion people, but by 2025 will
be the largest.
• India is the largest democracy in the
world.
• The Deccan Plateau in the south of India
covers 2/3 of the country.
• Most of the population lives in the
northern plains, which are rich
agriculturally.
Maldives
consists of 1,200
coral islands, none of
which covers more
than 5 square miles
Bangladesh
Bangladesh has
the largest river
delta in the world,
where the Ganges
River and the
Brahmaputra River
empty into the
Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka
• large island off the southeastern coast of
India
• Largest exporter of tea in the world
Nepal and Bhutan
• small countries are tucked away high in
the Himalayas.
• Three Great River Systems and the
world’s largest alluvial plain are located in
South Asia.
• The sources of the major rivers are found in
the Himalayan Mountains.
– The Indus River
– The Ganges River
– The Brahmaputra River
• South Asia has little oil reserves, natural
gas, uranium, or coal. They do have
mineral deposits, including iron ore and
mica. Mineral wealth is greater than
oil reserves or natural gas.
The Indus River
• the site of some of the
earliest civilizations in
South Asia.
• It flows mainly
through Pakistan and
empties into the
Arabian Sea.
The Ganges River
considered a sacred river to the people in
South Asia.
carries fertile soil from the mountains
into the floodplains of the great river.
The Indo-Gangetic Plain is the huge
alluvial plain created by the flooding of the
Indus and Ganges rivers. It is the largest
continuous alluvial plain in the world.
The Brahmaputra River
flows out of the
mountains near
Nepal and joins
the Ganges to
create the broad
delta along the
Bay of Bengal
Brahmaputra
Ganges at Varanasi
Mountains and Plateaus of South
Asia
The Himalayas
• -system of parallel
mountain ranges
extending across
southern Asia.
The Himalayas
-created by the collision
of tectonic plates.
-Mount Everest is the
tallest peak in the
world at 29,029 feet
above sea level.
The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station looking
south-south-east over the Tibetan Plateau. Four of the world's fourteen eight-thousanders, mountains higher
than 8000 meters, can be seen. The South Col Route is Mount Everest's most often used climbing route .
The Hindu Kush Mountains
The Hindu Kush
Mountains form
the northern
border between
Pakistan and the
Eurasian
countries.
Karakorum Mountains
This range meets the
Himalayan range in the
northernmost part of
South Asia.
The combination of these
ranges create a
formidable barrier
between the Indian
subcontinent and the rest
of Asia.
Vindhya Mountains
This range lies across the center of the
Indian subcontinent. These mountains
have created a barrier between the people
in the northern part of India and those in
the south.
The Ghats and the Deccan
Plateau
The Deccan
Plateau, Western
Ghats and the
Eastern Ghats
form a triangle
at the southern
tip of the
subcontinent.
Natural Resources
•
•
•
•
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Fertile soil
hydroelectricity
Fish and other seafood
Oil and Natural gas
Minerals: iron ore, manganese, chromite, coal,
gypsum, copper, gold, and mica.
• Graphite (Sri Lanka)
• Precious and semi-precious stones (sri Lanka)
• Timber