South Asia

________________ has 170 million people. They speak Bengali. 90% of Bengalis are Muslims.

Bangladesh

The ___________ is considered sacred to Hindus, and numerous shrines and holy sites line its banks.

Ganges

The ___________ and ___________ join in Bangladesh to form the world's largest delta.

Ganges and the Brahmaputra

In recent years many South Asians have moved to cities in hopes of finding better jobs. This results in overpopulation that causes shortages in housing, healthcare, and educational facilities.

Growing Urbanization

Mt. Everest

the world's tallest mountain, is on the border between Nepal and China.

____________ are found along the coast of India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Tropical wet and dry climates

The Himalayas

World's tallest mountains. Created by the collision of the Indian landmass with the Asian continental plate about 50 million years ago.

The Himalayan area has a ___________ climate. Snow never melts in the Himalayan highlands.

Highlands

grew out of Aryan culture. This religion expects everyone to recognize and carry out his or her dharma, or moral duty. Hindus believe in reincarnation until the soul achieves perfection. They worship many gods and goddesses. Their sacred texts are called vedas. The roots of Hinduism stretch back several thousand years.

Hinduism

_________________ are seasonal winds in South Asia. These winds cause three seasons: rainy, dry, and hot.

Monsoons

The _____________________ dominated the subcontinent from 1525 t0 1850 and converted many South Asians to Islam.

Muslim Mughal Empire

has 31.5 million people from numerous ethnic groups. 80% are Hindus. Nepali is the official language.

Nepal

_________________ are found along the Western Ghats.

Rainforests

Kashmir,

a region claimed by all 3 countries, lies at the foot of these mountains

The Hindu Kush

are west of the Karakoram Range. They form part of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and between South Asia and Central Asia.

The ______________ is from October to February. Cool, dry air from the Himalaya flows south towards the sea.

dry season

Indus River

flows through central Pakistan. This river valley was home to early human civilizations (just like the Nile and the Tigris and Euphrates)

Brahmaputra River

forms in Tibet (China), north of the Himalaya. It flows through eastern India and Bangladesh before it forms a huge delta with the Ganges River.

The ___________ is from March to June. Winds are calm, humidity is high, but there is little rain.

hot season

for natural resources, India produces a lot of _____________________________________________

iron ore and other metals, including copper, bauxite, zinc, lead, gold, and silver. India also has extensive timber resources.

Ganges River

is South Asia's most important river; it is fed year-round by water from the Himalayas, so it retains its size even during the dry season. During the rainy season it often floods.

The Khyber Pass

is an important route through the hindu kush mountains.

The Karakoram Range

is west of the Himalaya. They form the border between India, China, and Pakistan.

Northeastern India and Bangladesh feature _______________

marshes, mangrove forests, and wetlands.

The _____________ is from June to September. Moist, hot air from the Indian Ocean flows north towards the Himalaya.

rainy season

____________ occur along the lower Indus River in Pakistan and western India. This produces the Thar Desert.

Arid and Semi-Arid climates

official language of Bangladesh.

Bengali

Bhutan has 740,000 people. 75% of the country is Buddhist and 25% are Hindus. They speak several languages, and the official language is Dzongkha.

Bhutan

based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived during the 500s B.C. and left his wealthy family to seek the true nature of human existence. Known as Buddha (enlightened one), Siddhartha urged people to achieve contentment by working diligently, thinking clearly, showing compassion, and avoiding attachment to material things.

Buddhism

n southern India, two chains of mountains - the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats - form a triangle that holds the _____________

Deccan Plateau

In the Ganges Plain, the climate is ___________ and there are deciduous and coniferous forests.

Humid Subtropical

________________ has 1.25 Billion people. They speak 15 official languages; Hindi is the most popular, but English is the common language for trade and government. Many Indians identify themselves by their religions. 80% are Hindus and 15% are Muslims.

India

Ganges Plain

India's most agriculturally- productive area and most densely-populated area, as well as the world's largest alluvial plain.

In addition to Hinduism and Buddhism, _______ is a major religion in the South Asia.

Islam

The __________ have 400,000 people; they are mostly Muslims. They use English for government purposes, but the official language is Dhivehi.

Maldives Islands

The _________ and _________ are island countries south of India.

Maldives and Sri Lanka

________________ has 200 million people. They speak several languages, but Urdu and English are the official languages of the government. 96% of Pakistanis are Muslims.

Pakistan

People farm, live in villages, and struggle to grow enough crops to feed their families. Nomadic groups also live in South Asia and they herd camels, goats, and yaks for a living

Rural Life

the ancient language of the Aryans, is still used for religious, literary, and musical purposes, especially in India.

Sanskrit

Several other religions are also practiced by minority populations, including ______________-_____________

Sikhism, Jainism, and Christianity.

_______ was once a part of the subcontinent.

Sri Lanka

has 22 million people. 75% are Sinhalese Buddhists; they control the government. The largest minority group is the Hindu Tamils, who comprise 15% of the population. English is the language of government and trade.

Sri Lanka

_________________ are found in the Deccan Plateau and surrounding the Thar Desert.

Steppe

____________ are found around the Thar Desert and in the Deccan Plateau.

Steppes

The __________________ (ca. 1650) was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Taj Mahal

official language of Pakistan.

Urdu