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Physical Geography
South Asia
What countries are considered part
of South Asia?
 India
 Pakistan
 Nepal
 Bhutan
 Bangladesh
 Sri
Lanka
 Maldives
Subcontinent

South Asia is a
subcontinent or a
large landmass
smaller than a
continent.
 Called the Indian
Subcontinent because
India dominates the
region.
What
country
dominates
South Asia?
How does the size of South Asia
compare to that of the United States?
About ½ the size
Is the population of South Asia greater
or less than the U.S.?
5x the size
What can you say about the
population density of South Asia?
½ the size of US but 5x the population
=10x the population density
Where is the highest population
density? Why?
South Asia has more than 1
billion people
– 1/6 (16.6%) of the world’s population.
South Asia is one of the most
densely populated regions in the
world.
What are
South
Asia’s
highest
mountains
The Himalayas – “Abode of
Snow”
Think
of
landforms that
would make
travel difficult
in the
mountains.
What is the world’s tallest mountain
from sea level?
Mt. Everest
Mount Everest
The land now called the Indian Subcontinent was
once part of East Africa. It split off from Africa and
drifted towards Asia. When the two land masses
collided, the land in the collision zone was forced
upward to form the Himalayas.
These mountains are still rising and scientists
predict that as the two tectonic plates continue to
push against each other, India will eventually
become one huge mountain range.
 The
Indian plate
smashed into the
Eurasian plate to
force than land
upward to form
the Himalayas.
What
island
lies off
the coast
of India?
Sri Lanka
 South
of India
 Tropical climate
and plants
 Center of the
island is
mountainous
More than 1200
islands
Only about 200
are inhabited
None of them
rise more than
6 feet above
sea level
The Maldives Archipelago
(Archipelago or island group)
What are the longest rivers in
India?
Remember question # 6, these rivers are where
people are most crowded in South Asia?
Ganges River
Flows from a glacier
in the Himalayas to
the Bay of Bengal
 The Ganges is an
important water
source and also a
sacred river.
 Hindus believe it is a
life giving river that
has healing powers

Sacred means
holy, blessed or
revered.
Raw sewage and
industrial waste
 Dead animals and
even human corpses
float in the water
 As a result the water
is poisoned with toxic
chemicals and deadly
bacteria
 Many people who
drink or bathe in the
water become ill with
stomach or intestinal
diseases

Pollution:
The Ganges
is one of the most polluted rivers
in the world
According to many Hindu believers,
the river is too holy to be harmed by
pollution.
What is
the
general
elevation
pattern in
South
Asia?
Elevation is lowest on the coasts and is
How does
the
elevation
pattern of
Sri Lanka
compare to
the rest of
South
Asia?
Very similar, except there are no high
The first great civilization of South
Asia developed along the Indus
River more than 4,000 years ago
What appear to be the natural boundaries
of the Indus River Valley civilization?
Mountain ranges,
Thar Desert,
Arabian Sea
To what physical feature does the
civilization appear to conform?
Indus River
Interesting Fact
Until about 1960, Bhutan
was a kingdom forbidden to
outsiders. At that time only
about 100 western visitors
had been to Bhutan. This
isolationism was helped by
its borders being made up
of jungles or mountains.
In which country are the most religions
practiced?
Which religion is predominant in India?
Which religion is predominant in Pakistan?
What is the predominant religion in Sri
Lanka?
What areas have the least amount
of economic activity? Why?
What is the major economic activity
in this region?
A variety of
climate zones
are found in
South Asia.
Which zone
would be the
coldest?
This is the area
of the
Himalayas
where snow
exists year
round.
The lower
elevations of the
mountain range
are much warmer
and are humid
subtropical.
The Semi arid
regions have high
temperatures and
light rainfall.
What would be
the driest area?
What areas would
receive the most
rain?
What is the main vegetation region?
Rain shadow
The land on the leeward side of
hills or mountains that gets little
rain from the descending dry air
Monsoons –”Season of winds”
Monsoons are
seasonal winds
 Winter monsoon:
October – February
dry northeast winds
blow from mountains
 Summer monsoon:
June – September
moist southwest
winds blow from
ocean
