Asia
Asia
Asia
Units 9, 10, 11
South Asia: Unit 9
The Indian
Subcontinent
Formation of the Subcontinent
● According to continental drift theory, India was a
land mass on its own that merged with the Eurasian
plate 10 million years ago
○ Formed the Himalayas
● Himalayas are rising by more than 1cm/year
○ Minor earthquakes around the region
○ Erosion and weathering are lowering them at
about the same rate
● Mount Everest is part of the Himalayas
○ Highest point on Earth
Climate and Monsoons
● Monsoon: the distinct seasonal change of wind direction; in
South Asia
○ From an Arabic word meaning seasonal reversal of winds
○ Summer monsoon brings rain
○ Winter monsoon is dry
● “To know India and her people, one has to know the monsoon.”
○ To the people of India the monsoons are a source of life
● Monsoons are essential but also deadly
○ Makes rice production possible
○ Creates deadly flooding to Bangladesh
Four Subregions of South Asia
● Mountains of the North
○ Collision of Indian Subcontinent with Asian landmass
■ Himalayas, Karakoram Range, Arakan Yoma Mountains
● Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Lowlands
○ Lowlands created by three major river systems
■ Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers
● Peninsular India
○ Deccan Plateau covers most of India, is bordered by Eastern and Western
Ghats (mountains)
● The Southern Islands
○ Sri Lanka (1 island) and Maldives (1,200 small islands)
Mountains of the North
Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Lowlands
Peninsular India