Geographical Features And Terms Flashcards
The Indian Subcontinent
A landmass that is part of the larger subcontinent of Asia and most of the countries in this region are located on it
The Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, and the Himalaya Mountains
The mountains that form South Asia’s northern edge and separate the Indian Subcontinent from the rest of Asia
The Himalaya Mountain Range
One of the mountain ranges that separates the India Subcontinent from the rest of Asia and is the highest mountain system in the world and includes the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, which is in Nepal, and with their rough terrain and harsh climate, the Himalayas protected Nepal and Bhutan from outside influences until the 1900s
Hindu Kush
One of the mountain ranges that separates the India Subcontinent from the rest of Asia and people from the north entered other parts of South Asia through narrow mountain passes in the Hindu Kush and the most famous pass is the Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan and was a passageway to India for caravans and armies
Khyber Pass
The most famous pass in the Hindu Kush, it goes between Afghanistan and Pakistan and was a passageway to India for caravans and armies
The Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra
The region’s three great rivers that water wide, fertile plains south of South Asia’s mountains, and people of this region have long depended on these rivers for farming, transportation, and trade
The Indus River
One of the region’s three great rivers begins in Tibet and China and flows southwest through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea
The Ganges River
One of the region’s three great rivers that flows from the Himalayas through India’s Ganges Plain, a vast lowland with some of the country’s richest soil and is home to about 40% of India’s population and it runs through Bangladesh, where it combines with the Brahmaputra River to form the world’s largest delta, or soil deposit at the mouth of a river
India’s Ganges Plain
A vast lowland with some of India’s richest soil and it is home to about 40% of India’s population and the Ganges River flows through India’s Ganges Plain from the Himalayas
Delta
A soil deposit at the end of a river, the Ganges River flows through Bangladesh, where it combines with the Brahmaputra River to form the world’s largest delta
The Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats
Two chains of eroded coastal mountains at the base of the subcontinent that have a highland area called the Deccan Plateau between them
Deccan Plateau
A highland area that is between the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats and the Western Ghats blocks seasonal rains from reaching this plateau, leaving it very dry
The Western Ghats
A chain of eroded coastal mountains at the base of the region that blocks the seasonal rains from getting to the Deccan Plateau, which leaves it very dry
Karnataka Plateau
A plateau south of the Deccan Plateau that receives the rains that are blocked by the Western Ghats from getting to the Deccan Plateau, which leaves the Deccan Plateau dry, but the Karnataka Plateau lush and green
Atolls
Circular shaped islands made of coral, a rock-like material made from skeletons of tiny sea creatures and the coral deposits build up, many of them get covered in soil and sand to make islands and atolls have shallow bodies of water in the center, called a lagoon, which is protected from the sea by the outer ring of the island
Coral
A rock-like material made from skeletons of tiny sea creatures, and as deposits of coral build up, many of them eventually become covered in sand and soil to make islands
Lagoon
A shallow body of water in the middle of atolls that are protected from the sea by the outer ring of the island
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
South Asia’s first cities that appeared in the Indus River Valley by 2500 BCE and had structures made of brick, carefully laid out streets, plumbing, sewers and the Indus Valley civilization declined between 1700 BCE to 1500 BCE, possibly because of earthquakes, floods, or the Indus River changing its course, and now, the Indus River is in Pakistan
Aryans
Nomadic herders who settled in South Asia in 1500 BCE
Sanskrit
A spoken language made by Aryans through which they passed on hymns and religious teachings and when it became a written language, these traditions were recorded in sacred writings called the Vedas
Vedas
Sacred writings in which Aryans recorded traditions in the Sanskrit language
Varnas
Four broad social groups made by the Aryans, and in these groups, priests had the highest status, followed by warriors, farmers, and servants and eventually, people were separated by caste, or social group that someone is born into and cannot change, and castes still exist, but people mostly have changed their ways to be more modern
Hinduism
One of the world’s oldest religions
Brahman
Hindus believe that every living being has a soul that wants to be reunited with Brahman
Caste
A social group that someone is born into and can’t change and these still exist, but many people have changed their ways to be more modern and this system was very rigid, you couldn’t marry someone out of your caste, personal contact with someone from another caste was restricted, and occupation choices were restricted, but members of a caste relied on each other for support so the system was fine, and there was an acceptance of a fixed place in society
Reincarnation
The process of being born into a new body after dying in order to achieve reunion with Brahman in Hinduism
Dharma
The duty that Hindus must perform to earn good karma, or the consequences of how a person lives, to grow closer to Brahman in the next life
Karma
The consequences of how a person lives, a person must perform their duty, or dharma, to get good karma so that they will move closer to Brahman in the next life
Buddhism
A religion founded by a young prince named Siddarhartha Guatama who gave up wealth and family in search of truth to eventually become known as Buddha, or “Enlightened One” in 500 BCE
Siddarhartha Guatama
The young prince who founded Buddhism in 500 BCE who gave up wealth and family in search of truth and eventually became known as Buddha, or “Enlightened One”
Buddha
Siddarhartha Guatama, who founded Buddhism in 500 BCE, gave up wealth and family in search of truth and eventually became known as this, which also means, “Enlightened One”
The Eightfold Path
The path that Buddha told people to follow to reach a state of endless peace and joy called Nirvana, Buddha taught that people suffer because they are too attached to material things, so they should follow this path
Nirvana
A state of endless peace and joy that Buddha taught could be reached by following his Eightfold Path and he said taught that people suffer because they are too attached to material things
Chandragupta Maurya
A prince who conquered a large area in the Ganges River called the Mauryan Empire in 300 BCE and had a grandson named Aśoka, who gained power in 274 BCE and expanded the empire to include almost the entire Indian Subcontinent
Aśoka
The grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, who conquered a large area of land in the Ganges River called the Mauryan Empire in 300 BCE, Aśoka gained power in 274 BCE and expanded the empire to include almost the entire Indian Subcontinent
Moguls
Muslim warriors who created an empire in South Asia in the early 1500s, and one of their emperors was named Emperor Akbar
Emperor Akbar
A mogul emperor who added new lands to the empire, reduced taxes, improved the lives of ordinary people, and brought peace and order to his empire by treating all people fairly and the majority of Hindus were allowed to worship freely and work in the government, but later, mogul rulers weakened the empire, and by the 1700s the empire had collapsed into many different kingdoms
Jawaharlal Nehru
The first prime minister, he was elected in 1947 and he had executive power and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, was also prime minister for many years until she was assassinated in 1984
