THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

 SUBCONTINENT- is a large area of land that is separated from a larger

continent by either geography, politics , culture. The term was originally used to
describe North and South America before the two were classified as separate
continents.
 Geographers often refer to the landmass that includes Pakistan, India, and
Bangladesh as Indian Subcontinent.

RIVERS, MOUNTAINS

 Himalayan Mountains- is a mountain range in Asia that create border

between India , Pakistan and Nepal.
 Hindu Kush- a mountain range ,separating Pakistan from Afghanistan. This
mountain range is the dividing line between the Indus river valley and the
Amu Darya River. The Arakan Mountains are located along the eastern
border.
 This mountains guard an enormous flat and fertile plain formed by two
rivers – the Indus and Ganges . Each river is an important link from the
interior of the subcontinent to the sea.
 Indus River- flows southwest from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Indus
Valley is occupied by Thar Desert.
 Ganges- drop down from Himalayas and flows eastward across northern
India.It joins the Bhramaputra River as it flows to the Bay of Bengal.

MOONSOONS

-seasonal winds called monsoons dominate India climate. From October –

February, winter monsoons from the northeast blow dry air westward across the
country. Then, from the middle of June-October , the winds shift and blow
eastward from the southwest,carrying moisture from ocean in great rain clouds.

FLORA AND FAUNA

- The area was a home to a wide variety of plants and animals. From Asia
came descendants of elephants,monkeys, and wild pigs.
- Today, it is a home for mangroves, orchids ,bamboo as well asbats, king
cobras, and camel spiders.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
-Yearly floods spread deposits of rich soil over a wide area. However, the
floods along the Indus were unpredictable.
-The rivers sometimes changed course.
- the cycle of wet and dry seasons brought by the monsoon winds was
unpredictable. If there was too little rain, plants withered in the fields and
people went hungry. If there was too much rain,floods swept away whole
villages.