India: Geogrpahy Tutorial Materials

INDIA    Video Intro http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/discovery-atlas-indiageography.htm EQ: What are the geographic features of India and how did they influence the development of a civilization? SUBCONTINENT India is called a subcontinent of Asia  A subcontinent is a distinct landmass that is smaller than a continent  When we talk about Ancient India we are talking about the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Nepal, and Afghanistan  WHERE IS THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT? Major Geographic Features THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER THE GANGA (GANGES) RIVER THE INDUS RIVER THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS THE HINDU KUSH MOUNTAINS THE EASTERN AND WESTERN GHATS THE DECCAN PLATEAU THE THAR DESERT MONSOONS •INTERACTIVE QUIZ •DOWNLOAD LESSONS •E-MAIL •HOME •India and the Himalayas LessonsSubcontinent •Monsoons •Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro •The Caste System •Hinduism •Buddhism •A History of Conquerors •Gandhi •The Subcontinent Since Independence •Learn even moreTime and Space •Prehistory •Mesopotamia •Ancient Egypt •African History •India and the Himalayas •Chinese History •Ancient Greece •Ancient Rome •The Middle Ages •The Renaissance •The World Wars •Western East and North Africa •Conflicts in the Middle East •The Cariean Monsoons India’s climate is dominated by monsoons. Monsoons are strong, often violent winds that change direction with the season. Mosoon winds blow from cold to warm regions because cold air takes up more space than warm air. This means that monsoon winds blow from the land toward the sea in winter and from the sea toward land in the summer. India’s winters are hot and dry. The monsoon winds blow from the northeast and carry little moisture. India’s winters are hot because the Himalayas form a barrier that prevents cold air from passing onto the subcontinent. Additionally, most of India lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, so the sun’s rays shine directly on the land. The temperature can reach as high as 110oF during the Indian winter. The summer monsoons roar onto the subcontinent from the southwest. The winds carry moisture from the Indian Ocean and bring heavy rains from June to September. The torrential rainstorms often cause violent landslides. Entire villages have been swept away during monsoon rains. Despite the potential for destruction, the summer monsoons are welcomed in India. Farmers depend on the rain to irrigate their land. Irrigated land has enough water to grow crops. Additionally, a great deal of India’s electricity is generated by water power provided by the monsoon rains. Pakistan is much drier than India. The summer monsoon winds in India bring moisture from the Indian Ocean in the west, but Pakistan is north of the ocean, so it receives much less rain. The Thar Desert is on the border between India and Pakistan. Desert land receives very little precipitation. The Thar Desert covers more than 77,000 square miles, about the size of Nebraska. Resources Download this lesson as Microsoft Word file or as an Adobe Acrobat file. Download a Powerpoint Presentation of this lesson. Listen as Mr. Dowling reads this lesson. NEXT: Mohenjo Daro and Harappa To cite this page (MLA): Dowling, Mike. "Monsoons at mrdowling.com". www.mrdowling.com. Updated November 2, 2013. Web. Date of Access. MOVEMENT As we go through this unit, we will see people move (migrate) and cultures change because of this movement.  There are many factors that contribute to this movement. Can you think of any?   Flood  Tsunami  Drought  Earthquake  Invasion