Geographic features of South Asia

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GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH ASIA
Asia is a vast continent, covering about one third of the world’s land area. Geographers have
divided this enormous landmass into regions. The region located nearest the Mediterranean Sea
is known as Southwest Asia.
Ancient lands of Mesopotamia and Canaan were located in Southwest Asia. To the east of
Mesopotamia lay South Asia. On a modern map, South looks like a Huge Triangle jutting into
the Indian Ocean. We will first study the land and climate of South Asia and how its physical
setting affected life in the region.
The Indian Subcontinent
South Asia is also known as the Indian Subcontinent. A subcontinent is a large landmass that is
smaller than a continent. The Indian Subcontinent stretches almost 2,000 miles from east to west.
Today this region is made up of India , Pakistan, Bangladesh , Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Natural Barriers
The geography of South Asia had a strong impact on its civilization. For thousands of years,
natural barriers limited contact between inhabitants of the region and other people. Natural
Barriers are geographic features that make travel and communication difficult or dangerous.
Mountain ranges form a natural barrier on the northern edge of the subcontinent. To the northeast
stand the mighty Himalayas. Snow and ice cover many of these peaks year-round. In fact, the
name Himalaya comes from an Indian word meaning “ House of Snow” A second range, the
SOTH ASIAN HISTORY 2ND SEMESTER LL.B. PART I,
TOPIC: Indian Civilization DATED 29th ,Sep,2016
Presented by: SM Zarkoon, Lecturer,
B.Sc. LL.B. LL.M. {Criminology & Law of Evidence}
University Law College Khojjak Road Quetta.
Email: lawyer.21st@yahoo.com Ph.# 081-2843053

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Hindu Kush, rises to the northwest. A few high mountain passes cut through this range. In
ancient times, these rugged passes offered the best routes to South Asia from the North.
The rest of the subcontinent is mostly surrounded by water. To the west, the Arabian Sea
separates South Asia from West Asia. The Indian Ocean lies to the South and the Bay of Bengal
to the east.

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Major River Systems
As it had in Egypt, civilization in South Asia first arose in a river valley. The subcontinent has
several large river systems. A river system consist of a main river and all of its branches”. The
Indus and Ganges river systems have played a major role in South Asian history. Both rivers
flow from the Himalayas and drain large areas of the subcontinent.
The Indus river flows down the western side of the subcontinent into the Arabian Sea. Near the
end of its route, the Indus passes through a hot desert land. Civilization in South Asia first arose
at this location. Today this region is part of the Country Pakistan.

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