2. Lesson One: Geography of South Asia
I. Subcontinent
a. a large region separated
from the rest of the
continent by natural features
b. The region is called a
subcontinent because it is so
large and separated by water
from other land areas.
3. II. Plate Tectonics
a. According to the theory
called plate tectonics, the
Earth’s surface is made of
several slowly moving
plates.
b. The movement of the
plates may cause changes
such as the development
of mountain ranges,
basins, and bodies of
water.
4. II. Plate Tectonics -continued-
i. The subcontinent of South Asia may have formed when
a plate broke off a large landmass and moved northward.
ii. This smaller plate may have collided with a larger plate
that contained Europe and Asia, pushed up under the
larger plate and then formed mountains.
5.
6. III. Himalayas
a. South Asia is home to the world’s tallest
mountains, the Himalayas.
b. The Himalayas were formed when the smaller
plate pushed up under the larger plate.
c. The Himalayas are still rising.
d. Mount Everest is its highest peak.
7. IV. South Asia Landforms
a. Eight Countries make up South Asia:
i. India
ii. Pakistan
iii. Nepal
iv. Bhutan
v. Afghanistan
vi. Bangladesh
vii. Sri Lanka
viii. Maldives Islands
8. IV. South Asia Landforms cont.
b. These countries have
different landforms.
c. The Hindu Kush
mountains are in the
northwest and the
Himalayas are in the
northeast.
d. These mountain ranges
separate South Asia from
the rest of the continent.
9. IV. South Asia Landforms cont.
e. Pakistan is home to the world’s second tallest
mountain, the K2.
f. In the south is India, which makes up three-
fourths of the subcontinent.
g. South of the Himalayas, the land is a lush, green
plain.
h. In the middle and toward the tip of India, the land
is a dry plateau.
10.
11.
12. V. Seasons
a. There are three seasons in South Asia.
b. Temperatures are mild to cool from October
through February.
c. Temperatures are very hot from March through
May.
d. Monsoon season, or the rainy season, is from
June through September.
13.
14. VI. Monsoon Season
a. Monsoon season, or the rainy season, is from
June through September.
b. Nearly all of the yearly precipitation, or rain and
snowfall, falls during the monsoon season.
c. After the monsoon season, the land is refreshed
and full of life again (fertile).
d. The monsoon season is very important to
farmers, who depend on the rains for their crops.
e. The region’s economy is closely tied to the
monsoon season.
15.
16. VII. Rivers
a. Three great rivers flow through the subcontinent:
the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra.
b. The rivers fan out across a flat plain called the
Indo-Ganges Plain.
c. Monsoon season rains cause flooding, which
spreads out more silt to the fields.
17. VIII. Subsistence farming
a. Def.: When many families grow food just for
themselves; they live on the food they grow and
they do not sell much of their crops.
b. Sometimes they trade with small groups of
people in their village.
18. IX. Indus River Valley
a. Much of the population
in India lives in crowded
farming villages on the
Indo-Ganges Plain.
b. The Indus River Valley is
on a plain in Pakistan.
c. It is the site of the
world’s oldest civilizations.
19. X. Deccan Plateau
a. Lies between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal.
b. The climate is dry, so therefore irrigation is
needed for farming.
c. Has rich volcanic soil from lava flows.
20. XI. Jobs
a. Most people work as farmers in India.
b. People fish and farm along southern India’s
heavily populated coasts.
c. Many people work in the clothing and textile
industries as well.
21. Lesson Two – India and Persia
I. Harappa
a. People farmed and stored
grain, worked with metal crafts
and pottery, wove cotton, and
traded and sold goods.
b. Harappan culture had
spread through much of the
Indus Valley.
c. This civilization disappeared
suddenly around 1700 B.C.,
possibly due to a natural
disaster such as a monsoon,
flood, or earthquake.
22. II. Mohenjo-Daro
a. Mohenjo-Daro had complex
architecture (buildings) and city
planning.
People constructed buildings and roads.
b. Brick homes were laid out in a grid
system (complex organization of streets).
c. People enjoyed a large public bath and
even had a system of garbage removal.
23. III. Aryans
a. The Aryans migrated to the Indus River Valley
from the north.
b. They spoke the Sanskrit language.
c. They soon developed villages and towns where
they farmed and traded.
24. IV. Vedas
a. The Vedas, or “Books of Knowledge”, contain the
Aryans’ songs and stories.
b. According to the Vedas, the Aryans waged many
wars among their groups or tribes when their society
became more prosperous from trading with one
another.
c. The Vedas also describe contests between gods
and humans.
25. V. Aryan Social Order
a. The Aryans believed that what a person did in life
had much to do with who he or she was. (class system)
HINT: Remember the
social order by thinking Priest Brahmins
of: and
Burger Teachers
King
Vanilla Kshatriyas
Sundae Warriors, kings, and other rulers
Vaisyas
Cultivators: artisans, merchants, and traders
Sudras (serfs or slaves) Sudras
26. VI. Persians Arrive
a. The Aryan culture spread east to the Ganges River
Valley.
b. News about riches in the valley encouraged people
in Persia to migrate south.
VII. Persian Empire
a. Persian culture is united with the culture of the
Babylonians, Lydians, and the Egyptians.
27. VIII. Persian Roads
a. The Persians were the ones who constructed
roads through the mountains in the north.
b. The development of roads and trade by the
Persian kings connected India with other lands in
Central Asia which helped spread the culture.
Question: This allowed for _________?
i. Zoroastrianism, a religion founded by Persian
prophet Zoroaster which identified one god as
supreme and the enemy of evil, was brought to
India by the Persians
c. India was no longer cut off by its
northern mountains.
28. How were the roads through the
Himalaya Mountains similar to the
Silk Roads?
29. IX. First Indian Empire
a. The Mauryan Empire, was
the first Indian empire; it
extended to the borders of
Persia.
b. This empire changed life in
India by controlling many
aspects of life, such as how
artisans worked and how
doctors treated their
patients.
i. Armies of spies watched to see
what was going on in the empire.
c. The Mauryan Empire ended
when the Gupta Empire took
over.
30. XI. Gupta Advancements
a. During the Gupta Empire India made great
advancements in science, such as astronomy.
b. Mathematics expanded with the development of the
number system we use today. This system includes nine
digits, zero, and the decimal.
c. Higher education became available, but only to men.
d. Sanskrit became the language of the wealthy.
e. Literature, poetry and art flourished
during this time.
Invented
Chess
31. XII. India’s Economy
a. Textiles – silk, cotton, and linen- became especially
valuable exports (goods that leave the country to be
traded).
b. The Gupta Empire ended when the Huns took over.
32. Lesson Three – Hinduism
I. Hinduism
a. Hinduism is the main religion in India, and
people in every caste are allowed to participate in
Hinduism.
33. II. The Vedas
a. The Vedas are the Holy Books for the Hindus.
i. The Vedas contained stories and songs
dedicated to the Aryan gods.
b. Rig Veda – oldest of the 4 Vedas from Aryan time.
34. III. Beliefs of Hinduism
a. The Hindus believed in the 7 Truths of Hinduism.
b. The 7 Truths of Hinduism are the seven ways to live a
good/moral life.
c. Brahman (their god) is the source and final
destination of everything.
35. Hinduism cont.
d. Hindus believe that people should respect nature and
animals.
e. Hindus also believe that good and bad actions will
affect a person's afterlife.
36. IV. The Caste System
a. You are born into your caste and cannot move up or
down in your lifetime.
i. If you are good in your life, then you can be
reincarnated into a higher caste in your next life.
b. You can only marry within your caste.
c. You can only have the jobs assigned to your caste.
d. This system is NOT supported by the Indian
government today.
39. Lesson 4 – Buddhism
I. Buddha (The Enlightened One)
a. The founder of Buddhism-Siddhartha Gautama,
better known as Buddha or “The Enlightened One.”
b. Instead of becoming king, he left his father’s palace to
explore the world.
40. II. Beliefs of Buddhism
a. Buddhists follow the Four Noble Truths and the
Eightfold Fold Path.
Most popular Buddhist symbol
is the dharma wheel
41. Beliefs cont.
b. Four Noble Truths
i. Suffering is part of everyone's life.
ii. People suffer because they want too many
things.
iii. If you stop wanting so many things then you will
not suffer.
iv. You can free yourself from wanting by following
the Eightfold Path:
42. Beliefs cont.
c. Eightfold Path states that everyone should be happy with
their life and not be jealous of anyone else.
