South Asia Flashcards
Within ___,____,_____, and ______ are 24 mountains that soar above 25,000 feet (7620 meters) high.
India
Nepal
Pakistan
Kashmir
Of all the continents, Asia alone has mountains of this ____.
height
World’s highest peak; 29,028 feet
Mt. Everest
meet the Himalayas in the northern most part of South Asia
Karakoram Mountains
Mountain Kingdoms in ___ and ___ were isolated from the outside world until the 20th century.
Bhutan and Nepal
Most of Asia forms a peninsula surrounded by:
The Arabian Sea
The Indian Ocean
The Bay of Bengal
South Asia is cut off from the rest of Asia by ____.
Mountains
South Asia also includes _____ and other smaller islands.
Sri Lanka
-also called “resplendent island.”
Sri Lanka
-means having great beauty and splendor
Resplendent
Scientists believe that about ____ years ago, the _____ was part of the same large landmass as Africa.
60 million years ago
Indian Subcontinent
After breaking away, the subcontinent drifted and smashed into the ______.
Southern edge of Asia
The collisions force created the ______, the ranges that contain the world’s highest mountains.
Himalayas
Other Northern Landforms:
form a mountainous barrier between the subcontinent and the rest of Asia
The Himalaya
The Karakoram
The Hindu Kush
Invaders, however, used crossing places, such as ______, to enter the region.
The Khyber Pass
-lies at the foot of the Himalayas
Ganges Plain
South Asia has the world’s _______.
Tallest mountains
The fertile Ganges plain is home to _____ of the world’s population.
One tenth
What three River water the plain?
The Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra
What are the central landforms?
The vidhya range
What divides India into northern and southern regions, each of which developed a distinct culture?
The vindhya range
In southern India, two chains of eroded mountains
The eastern ghats
The western ghats
The eastern and western ghats form a triangle that holds the dry
Deccan Plateau
-(Land of Black Soil) receives plenty of precipitation
the Karnataka plateau
____ and ____ are island countries south of India.
Maldives
Sri Lanka
-once part of the subcontinent
Sri Lanka
-a chain of coral atolls and volcanic outcroppings
Maldives
-flows through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea, serves as an important waterway and water source
The Indus River
-was the cradle of India, one of the world’s earliest civilizations
The Indus River valley
-a major inland waterway and provides Bangladesh with hydroelectric power
The Brahmaputra
Most important River of Ganges River fed year round by water from the Himalayas. Therefore, it retains its size even during the dry season.
The Brahmaputra
Flows east through the Himalayas and then west into India and Bangladesh where it meets the Ganges River
The Brahmaputra
Flows through the Ganges Plain, India’s most agriculturally productive area and the world’s largest plain.
Ganges River
-one of India’s most populated areas
Ganges Plain
-South Asia’s rivers provide the region with hydroelectric power, transportation, drinking water, and fish
Water
- South Asia has some oil and natural gas reserves but most of the region depends on hydroelectricity, wood, coal, and imported oil as sources of fuel
Energy Resources
-a leading exporter of iron ore and supplies 90% of the world’s mica
India
-a major producer of graphite and also mines, rubies, sapphires, and other valuable gems and stones
Sri Lanka
-threatens Nepal’s forests and the government has begun conservation measures
Timber overcutting
- in 1977 this country banned exports of timber to protect its rainforest
Sri Lanka
Exports sandalwood, teak, and sal from its _____
India
Rain forests
South Asia has what kinds of climates?
Highlands climates
Tropical climates
Desert climates
-a seasonal change in wind direction that brings heavy rainfall to much of South Asia from June to September
The monsoon
What is South Asia’s vegetation affected by?
Elevation
Rainfall
Human activity
South Asia’s population of ____ billion is about ___% of the world’s population.
1.671 billion
23%
India has __% of the region’s population with ______ billion.
76%
1.252 billion
India has 6 main religion groups.
1) Hindu
2) Muslim
3) Buddhist
4) Sikh
5) Jain
6) Christian
-social groups that define one’s occupation and social standing in the Hindu religion
Jati
In Pakistan and Bangladesh, more than __% of the people are Muslims.
90%
Sri Lanka has two main ethnic groups:
Sinhalese
Tamils
-Buddhists who control the government
Sinhalese
-Hindus who want an independent state in Sri Lanka
Tamils
-militant terrorist group fighting for independence
Tamil Tigers
-Nepal ethnic group known for their mountain climbing skills
Sherpas
Most people of Bhutan and Nepal originally came from ______.
Mongolia
The population density of South Asia is _____.
756/square mile
Most dense population is found on:
Indo Gangentic Plain
Coast of Indian peninsula
-most important food source; most live where this crop is grown
Rice
-has large tea and rubber plantations and most people live in rural villages
Sri Lanka
-most densely populated country in the region- 2,320/square mile
Bangladesh
-India’s largest city
Calcutta
-India’s main western port
Bombay
-India’s capital
New Delhi
-capital of Bangladesh
Dhaka
-3rd largest city
Delhi
Indus Valley Civilization
2500 bc
The Indus Valley Civilization developed a ____,_____ and ______.
Writing system
Central government
Overseas trade
It declined because the Indus River _______ around 1500 BC flooding some cities.
Changed its course
-controlled the region after the Indus civilization
Aryans
-4 books of Aryan religious beliefs and lifestyles
Vedas
Aryan society was divided into 3 classes
Nobles
Priests
Ordinary People
-divided people according to social status; you could not change classes
Caste system
-grew out of the Aryan culture
Hinduism
-moral duty
Dharma
-all good deeds are rewarded, all bad deeds are punished
Karma
-reborn
Reincarnated
-“Awakened One” Siddhartha Gautama
Buddha
Gautama was a ____ who gave up his riches to experience the sufferings of people.
Nepalese prince
Why did Buddha believe people suffer?
Because they crave material things
-state of great calm insight and happiness
Nirvana
(320 BC TO 180 BC) covered nearly the entire region; spread Buddhism
Maurya Empire
(320 AD TO 550 AD) an advanced culture
Gupta Empire
What did the Gupta Empire develop?
The number system that we still use today
-final invaders of the region in 1500s
Europeans
____ set up East India Company and dominated region.
England
How did the East India Company change the region?
Reorganizing education
Introducing english language
Developing civil service
-led the Indian movement for independence from Great Britian
Mohandas Ghandi
What did Ghandi believe in?
Nonviolent disobedience to persuade the British to leave
-known as Mahatma or “Great Soul”
Gandhi
Gandhi was often ____ or on _____.
Imprisoned
Hunger strikes
The region got independence in ____.
1947
The region was divided into two countries:
Pakistan
India
India’s main religion is
Hinduism
Pakistan’s main religion is
Islam
Pakistan was divided into
East and West Pakistan
East Pakistan later became
Bangladesh
In ____, Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka
1972
India has a ____ government.
Democracy
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have a ____ government
Parliamentary
Bhutan and Nepal have _____ as governments
Monarchies
There are ___ major languages and ___ of dialects
14
Hundreds
-spoken mainly in government and business
English
-official language of India
Hindi
-offical language of Sri Lanka
Sinhalese
