South Asia

INDIAAlthough only about one-third the size of the United States, India has a wide spectrum of geographical features, from deserts to lush forests to majestic mountain ranges to broad deltas.

Landscape

The Indian subcontinent consists of five primary regions:•Coastal Plains—on the east side of the continent, these fertile broad plains consist of river deltas. The west coast is home to lengthy, narrow plains.•Central Highlands—three plateaus make up this region, with the Deccan Plateau being the most prominent. It dominates much of India and receives little rainfall, compared to the monsoon rains of the east coast.

Landscape

•Thar Desert—located in western India and eastern Pakistan, this region receives very little rain and consists mostly of rocks and sand;•Indo-Gangetic Plain—vast plain located roughly between the Indus and Ganges Rivers. The Indus River is located in Pakistan, flowing north to south. The Ganges River runs along the Himalayas before veering south to the Indian Ocean. A

series of tributaries flow into each of these rivers creating a very fertile region that is prone to much flooding.

Landscape

•Himalaya Mountains—run a from the •north to the eastern borders of India and are home to the world's tallest mountains. Mount Everest (29,028 ft), K-2 (28,251 ft), and Kangchenjunga (28,209) are all located here. Heavy snow and numerous glaciers provide the water to India's river systems.

• India also owns two small island chains located in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The largest island is off the Indian coast, Sri Lanka.

Natural

Resources

India's natural resources include fertile farm lands, the fourth largest coal reserves in the world, iron ore, oil, natural gas, and manganese.

Climate

As might be expected, India's climate varies greatly, depending on the region. The coastal areas receive the brunt of monsoon season when great amounts of rain and winds create havoc with flooding. From the Central Highlands northward, the climate tends to be temperate due to the fact that the Himalayas deflect cold, arctic fronts. Temperatures can reach more than one hundred degrees Fahrenheit in the Thar Desert and will fall below freezing in other locations.

Video Clip

Click here for a short video about India’s climate and geography.

PAKISTAN

To the west of India lies the nation of Pakistan, a nation about three times the size of Arizona. Like its neighbor, it consists of broad geographical features.

Landscape

Pakistan can be broken down into three primary regions:•Baluchistan Plateau—located along the western edge of Pakistan and consisting of rugged mountains and little water.•Indus Plain—located along the eastern edge of the country, the Indus Plain is a broad fertile valley. A number of tributaries flow into the Indus River providing ample water for growing crops. Along the eastern edge of this plain lies the Tharparker Desert, an extension of the Thar Desert in India.

Landscape

•Northern Highland—There are two main features in this region, one geographical and one historical. The geographic feature is the Himalaya Mountains. The historical feature is the Khyber Pass. This route has been used over history for numerous invasions of Pakistan and India.

Natural

Resources

Pakistan's natural resources include natural gas and oil reserves, salt, coal, gypsum, and limestone. In addition, the land provides ample crops around the Indus River such as wheat, rice, cotton, and maize. It also exports carpets and rugs, and wool.

Climate

There is a wide variation in temperatures for most of Pakistan with winters averaging near freezing and summers averaging more than one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The country is quite arid, with little rainfall during the year.

SMALLER

STATES

There are a number of smaller South Asian states in this region. Their geographic and climatic characteristics vary immensely.

BANGLADESH

This nation of 150 million is slightly smaller than the state of Illinois. It consists mainly of broad alluvial plains. These were formed by the convergence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. Since much of the land is composed of river deltas, it is very flat with an elevation barely above sea level. Consequently, much of the country is prone to devastating floods during monsoon rains or when cyclones strike.

BANGLADESH

There are no mountains of consequence in Bangladesh. Along the coastline can be found the Sundarbans, which is one of the world's biggest mangrove forests. With few natural resources, most people rely on agriculture, which is often damaged by flooding made worse by deforestation.

BANGLADESH

Bangladesh's climate can best be described as tropical with mild, cool winters and hot, sticky summers.

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is a small tear-shaped island just thirty miles off the southeast coast of India. It is an island with rugged mountains of around 7,000 feet with the tallest being Pidurutalagala (8280 ft). Located near the south central part of the island, these mountains fade away to broad plains that can be found on the outer edges. Rivers and streams supply ample water throughout.

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka's climate is tropical, with little variation in temperatures other than in the mountains. Ample rainfall provides for its main crops of rice, sugarcane, and its famous tea.

MALDIVES

The Maldives Islands can be found about 450 miles southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Sitting atop a lengthy submarine ridge, Maldives consists of nearly 1,200 islands grouped into more than twenty-five atolls. These islands stretch across the ocean for 600 miles. Many of the tiny islands are surrounded by a single atoll.

MALDIVES

While most of the islands are uninhabited, those that do support human life key on fishing and tourism. In some instances, resorts consist of one or two buildings located on a tiny island. Tourism accounts for most of the Maldives Islands' income.

MALDIVES

The great tsunami of 2004 swept through the islands, temporarily flooding all but nine islands. Fortunately, there was no continental shelf to add to the size of the waves and damage was minimal, considering the circumstances.

NEPALNepal is located along the northeastern border of India and western border of China. Much of it lies within the Himalaya Mountains. Here, Mount Everest (29,028 ft) and seven others have the distinction of being in the top-ten list of the world's tallest mountains. With several rivers bisecting its rectangular shape, Nepal can be divided into roughly three geographical sections…

NEPAL•Terai Plain—running along the country's southern border, this plain is the northernmost extension of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Here, the principal crops are wheat, rice, and corn. This also is home to a semi-tropical climate.•Hill Region—as might be expected, this region lies sandwiched between the Terai Plain and the Himalayas. Most of Nepal's people live here and subsist on a combination of farming, ranching, and migrant work. Typically, this region lies between 3,000 and 12,000 feet above sea level.•Mountain Region—This area consists of the Himalaya Mountains and is made up of a subarctic and arctic climate.

BHUTANBhutan is located just to the east of Nepal and is also bordered by India and China to the south and north. Like Nepal, the southern border tends to be semi-tropical, with the Himalayas dominating the north. Only about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, this tiny nation has little opportunity for economic growth and depends heavily on Indian assistance. As a result, it is one of the world's poorest nations.

BHUTANMost of its people live in valleys carved by rivers between the mountains and hills of the central highlands. Here, some farming is done, although most people depend on raising livestock.