INDIA

Video Intro http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/discovery-atlas-india-

geography.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

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To cite this page (MLA): Dowling, Mike. "Monsoons at mrdowling.com". www.mrdowling.com. Updated November 2, 2013. Web. Date of Access. <http://www.mrdowling.com/612india.html>

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