The Physical Geography of South Asia

1
The Physical Geography of South Asia

• The Land

2
Introduction

• Separated from the rest of Asia by mountains to
  the north, South Asia is often referred to as a
  subcontinent.
• A landmass like a continent only smaller.
• It is surrounded on three sides by water
• Arabian Sea to the west
• Indian Ocean to the south
• Bay of Bengal to the east
• India makes up nearly 75 of South Asias total
  land area.

3
Mountains and Plateaus

• The Himalayas
• Created by shifting plates over 60 million years
  ago.
• More than 1000 miles long and hundreds of miles
  wide.
• Contains some of the highest peaks in the world .
  . . Mount Everest 29,028 feet above sea level.

4
Mountains and Plateaus

• Three Mountain Ranges separate South Asia from
  the rest of the continent
• Himalayas
• Karakoram
• Hindu Kush
• The mountain kingdoms of this region have
  remained isolated throughout much of the 20th
  Century.

5
Mountains and Plateaus

• Vindhya Mountains
• Lie across the center of India
• These mountains have separated much of north and
  south India and have contributed to the
  development of two separate cultures.

6
Mountains and Plateaus

• The Ghats and the Deccan Plateau
• Forming a triangle at the base of the Indian
  Peninsula are the Eastern and Western Ghats . . .
  sandwiched between the Ghats is the Deccan
  Plateau.
• The Ghats are eroded, hilly mountains
• The Deccan Plateau is flat-topped and
  steep-sided.
• Lava once flowed over this land creating the
  rich, black soil.
• Because the Ghats block much of the rain-laden
  clouds, the Deccan Plateau remain relatively arid.

7
Major River Systems

• Three Great River Systems
• Indus
• Flows mostly through Pakistan until reaching the
  Arabia Sea
• Brahmaputra
• Ganges
• Flows east through India until joining the
  Brahmaputra and forming a large delta at the Bay
  of Bengal.
• The rivers carry fertile silt from the mountains
  . . . When they flood the silt in deposited in
  the flood plains.

8
Natural Resources

• The rivers provide drinking water and
  transportation for this regions enormous
  population
• Today a number of dam building projects are
  underway in South Asias river valleys . . . The
  goals are to harness the rivers potential for
  hydroelectric power and to create a source of
  water to irrigate more farmland.

9
The Physical Geography of South Asia

• The Climate and Vegetation

10
Climate Regions

• Five Major Climate Regions
• Highland
• Desert
• Steppe
• Tropical Rain Forest
• Tropical Savanna

11
Climate Regions

• Highland Climate
• Coldest region of South Asia
• Located at the northern edge of the subcontinent
• At the lower elevations, the climate is mild, and
  temperate . . . At the foothills of the
  Himalayas, the climate is quite warm.

12
Climate Regions

• Desert and Steppe Climates
• A desert climate is found along the Indus River,
  called the Thar Desert, or Great Indian Desert.
• The steppe region surrounds this desert and is
  made up of semi-arid grasslands

13
Climate Regions

• Tropical Rainforest and Savanna
• Rainforests are found along the western coast of
  the subcontinent, near the Ganges Delta and in
  the southwestern part of Sri Lanka.
• Savanna is found between the Ghats and in the
  remainder of Sri Lanka.

14
Monsoons

• Monsoonsseasonal winds
• Between October and May, the winter winds blow
  from the north and northeast and are dry.
• As summer nears, temperature rise, triggering a
  shift in wind direction . . . Now, winds blow
  from the Indian Ocean in the south and southwest,
  carrying warm, moist air.
• This is when the region receives the majority of
  its precipitation.

15
Vegetation

• The rainforests are filled with large ebony trees
  and orchids.
• The northwestern part of the subcontinent is
  covered in low lying trees and grasses . . . some
  parts of the region is used for livestock as the
  grasses are used to graze livestock.
• As you approach the Himalayas you see forests of
  bamboo . . . However, at the higher elevations,
  there is little vegetation.