INDIA
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Video Intro
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/discovery-atlas-indiageography.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
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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.mrdowl
ing.com/612india.htm
l>
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?
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 Flood
 Tsunami
 Drought
 Earthquake
 Invasion