South Asia geography
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52 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Himalaya Mountains | mountain range in South Asia that includes Mount Everest the world's tallest peak |
| subcontinent | large landmass that is smaller than a continent |
| alluvial plain | land that is rich farmland, composed of clay, silt, sand, or gravel deposited by running water |
| archipelago | group of islands |
| atoll | ringlike coral island or string of small islands surrounding a lagoon |
| monsoon | a seasonal wind |
| cyclone | violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rain |
| Hinduism | the dominant religion of India |
| Ganges River | river in South Asia; an important water resource flowing more than 1500 miles from its source in a Himalayan glacier to the Bay of Bengal |
| storm surge | high water level brought by a cyclone that swamps loy-lying areas |
| estuary | an arm of the sea at the lower end of a river |
| Mughal empire | the Muslim Empire established by the early 1500s over much of India, which brought with it new customs that sometimes conflicted with those of native Hindus |
| raj | the period of direct British control |
| nonviolent resistance | protest movement that does not use violence to achieve its goals |
| land reform | the process of breaking up large landholdings to attain a more balanced land distribution among farmers |
| Green Revolution | an agricultural program launched by scientists in the 1960s to develop higher-yielding grain varieties and improce food production by incorporating new farming techniques |
| caste system | Aryan system of social classes |
| Indus Valley civilzation | the largest of the world's first civilzations in what is now Pakistan; this was a highly developed urban civilization, lasting from 2500 b.c. to about 1500 b.c. |
| partition | separation; division into two or more territiorial units having separate political status |
| Kashmir | a region of northern India and Pakistan over which several destructive wars have been fought |
| microcredit | a small loan available to poor entrepreneurs, to help small businesses grow and raise living standards |
| entrepreneurs | people who start and build a business |
| Ramadan | a month long period of fasting from sunrise to sunset |
| Sinhalese | an Indo-Aryan people who crossed the strait separating India and Sri Lanka in the sixth century b.c. and who created an advanced civilization there, adopting Buddism |
| Tamil | a Dravidian Hindu, who arrived in Sri Lanka in the fourth century, settling int he north while the Sinhalese moved further south |
| sultan | ruler of a Muslim country |
| Islamabad | Pakistan |
| New Delhi | India |
| Colombo | Sri Lanka |
| Dhaka | Bangladesh |
| Thimphu | Bhutan |
| Kathmandu | Nepal |
| Male | Maldives |
| 50 million years ago when a part of East Africa split off, drifted northward, and collided into Central Asia | how and when was south asia formed? |
| Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra | what are the three largest rivers in South Asia? |
| Himalayas | where is the source of the threee largest rivers in south asia? |
| constitutional monarchies | kingdoms in which the ruler's powers are limited by a consitution |
| Sherpa | what is a person of Tibetan ancestry in Nepal, who serves as the traditional mountain guide of the Mount Everest region called? |
| Siddhartha Gautama | the founder of Buddhism and known as the Budda, born in southern Nepal in the sixth century |
| mandala | geometric designs that are symbols of the universe and aid in meditation |
| basic necessities | food, clothing, shelter |
| illiteracy | the inability to read |
| summer monsoon | a wind system that blows from the southwest across the Indian Ocean toward South Asia from June through September, carry a lot of moisture |
| winter monsoon | a wind system that blows from the northeast across the Himalayas toward the sea from October to February, carry little moisture |
| britain | what is the only european country that held claim over the Kashmir Valley |
| Bangladesh | 159 million. 90% Muslim, Resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal. Huge delta formed by five rivers, including sacred Ganges & Brahmaputra. One of the rainiest countries in the world. East Pakistan seceded in 1971; West Pakistan attacked; India helped ____ nation and _____was eventually created. Cyclone-driven tidal wave killed 250,000 |
| Bhutan | Land of the dragons. Buddhism 70%. Resources: hydropower, gypsum. Language: Dzongkha (Tibetan dialect). Many monasteries located in the country. Border issues with northern neighbor China. Geography and architecture resemble fabled Shangri-la. |
| India | Population: 1,270,000,000 (second-largest); 1/3 the size of the US); Hindus: 83%. Muslim 11% 850 dialects, Indus Valley Civilization one of world's oldest; gained independence from British in 1947; the world's largest democracy; three main rivers: Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganges; Himalaya Mountains dominate Resources: coal (fourth largest) and opium (illegal) |
| Nepal | Hinduism: 80%; Buddhism 10%. Himalayas cover 90% of ____-includes eight of the tallest peaks in the world. Believed to be birthplace of Buddha in 50 B.C.; Resources: quartz, copper, cobalt, cannabis and hashish (illegal); border issues with India; only country in the world without a rectangle flag |
| Pakistan | 95% Muslim; Language: Urdu; Largest industry is cotton and cotton goods; created by Jinnah as a homeland for Muslim minorities living in India; Bhutto elected as Prime Minister in 1988, the first woman ever chosen to lead a Muslim state; assassinated in 2007; has engaged in three wars with India over disputed Kashmir territory; controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, the traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and India |
| Sri Lanka | Island off the southeast coast of India; called Ceylon until 1972; Buddhism 69%; Resources: limestone and graphite; Hindu Tamil minority waging guerilla warfare for independence from majority Sinhalese Buddhist majority; Adams Bridge: twenty islands in eighteen-mile-long chain that used to link with India |
| Maldives | Tiny island nation (group of atolls about 1.7 times the size of Washington D.C.) off southwestern coast of India; Muslim official religion; became a republic in 1968; officials of this country play prominent role in international climate change discussions; Resources: fish and tourism; human trafficking a major problem |
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