Physical Features and Natural Resources of South Asia

South Asia is an area of vast diversity, from mountains to deserts to tropical

islands.
-occupies 1.73 million sq m of the Asian continent.
SOUTH ASIA IS COMPRISED OF THE COUNTRIES:
-India
-Pakistan
-Bangladesh
-Bhutan
-Nepal
-Sri Lanka
-Maldives
2 ASPECTS OF SOUTH ASIAS PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY ARE CONSIDERED TO BE
THE UNIFYING FACTORS TO ITS EVOLUTION AS A WORLD REGION:
-

(1st aspect) mountain ranges to the north- these mountains protected the
people of South Asia. They create a natural setting in which distinctive human
geographies have evolved.
(2nd aspect) extent of the surrounding seas. Historically, the Arabian Sea
provided a crucial route to South Asia from West Asia and the Meditteranean.

The seas, with the broader Indian Ocean, produce the moisture for the summer
monsoons and the seasonal torrents of rain. The precipitation from these monsoons
is important for the livelihood of the people.
Pakistan- the western border of India
Bangladesh- on the eastern border
THE NORTHERN BOUNDARIES OF THE COUNTRY:
-

Bhutan
Nepal
Tibet
Sinkiang region of China

INDIA
It is the 7th largest country by area, the 2nd most populous country (with over 1.2
billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world.
The mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas separate India from
the northern regions of Asia.
The Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for
much of its long history.
4 RELIGIONS THAT ORIGINATED IN INDIA ARE:
-

Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
Sikhism

ARRIVED IN THE 1ST MILLENIUM CE AND ALSO SHAPED THE REGIONS

DIVERSE CULTURE:
-

Zoroastrianism
Judaism
Christianity
Islam

3 RIVER SYSTEMS:
-

Indus
Ganges
Brahmaputra

Its fertile plain is a farming region, which makes it the heartland of India.
on the south of the subcontinent is the Indian peninsula. The Deccan Plateau is its
central feature.
India is one of the major producers of iron in the world.
A major portion of the energy in India is generated from coal. It is estimated that
India has around
120 billion tons of coal in reserve (enough to last for 120 years).
ELECTRICAL ENERGY IS GENERATED BY:
-

Hydroelectric power
Coal
Nuclear energy

Half of the hydroelectric power is generated by snowfield reservoirs in the

Himalayas.
PAKISTAN
It is the 6th most populous country with a population exceeding 199 million people.
It is also the 36th largest country in the world in terms of area, covering 881, 913
km2
-

Has a diverse topography.

It measures 796, 095 sq mi

IT IS DIVIDED INTO 4 REGIONS:

-

Arid stony plateau of Baluchistan

The mountainous north
Lowlands along the Indus in the south and east

RIVERS OF PAKISTAN THAT ORIGINATED FROM INDIA:

-

Sindhu
Ravi
Chenab
Jhelam
Satlaj

The mountain areas are cold because of the over 300 glaciers that never melt.
BANGLADESH
-

Bordered by India and Myanmar and is separated from Nepal and Bhutan by
the narrow Siliguri Corridor.
Bangladesh is the worlds 8th most populous country, 5th most populous in
Asia, and the 3rd most populous among Muslim-majority countries.
Has a tropical monsoon type climate.
It has a hot and rainy summer and dry winter.
Its climate is one of the wettest on the world. Most places receive more than
1,525 mm of rain a year and areas near the hills receive 5,080 mm.
Rain is mostly brought by the monsoon.
The country is often devastated by cyclones that originate from the Bay of
Bengal.
The Chittagong Hill tracts and the Sundarbans comprised of a great tidal
mangrove forest are the principal vegetation in the country.

NEPAL
-

A federal republic and landlocked country of over 26.4 million people in

South Asia.

Bordered by China to the north and India to the south, east and west.
Nepal is located in the Himalayas and is home to 8 of the worlds tallest
mountains, including Mount Everest.
Below the mountain ranges are plains irrigated by the Ganges River.
Though only 10 percent of its land area is under cultivation, farming is still
the countrys major source of income.

SRI LANKA
-

Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, and languages.

It is a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system.
Sri Lankas terrain is largely flat and rolling with distinguishing cluster of
mountains.
It is made up of about 100 rivers, and most of these are just wet season
rivulets.
The country experiences high temperature because it is located at the
tropical zone.
Rainfall is very important to the countrys farmers. And, it is also located in
the wet zone where the southwest and the northeast monsoons are
experienced. Because of this location, many crops can be grown.

MALDIVES
-

Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean.

The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to the
Addu atool in the south. The centrally located capital Mal is traditionally
called the Kings Island.
Maldives is an archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls.
200 islands are inhabited and 80 islands have tourist resorts.
The country experiences hot and humid climate.
Maldives is not blessed with many natural resources; however, it has its own
beauty and has the riches of the sea.
Fishing and tourism are the major industries of the country.

BHUTAN
-

Bhutan is a sovereign state in South Asia.

The state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism. The national language is Dzongkha.
It is a small kingdom in the eastern Himalayas.
Said to be a country less affected by the changes and progress of the 20 th
century. This is because of the Bhutanese decision to still follow their
centuries-old way of life. This way of life centered on the Buddhist traditions
and doctrines.
Because of the thunderstorms and lightning in the area, Bhutan is known to
be the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
Most of the mountains and hills of Bhutan are fortified mountain monasteries
known as dzongs.
These are the homes of Buddhist priests called lamas.

The lives of the Bhutanese are centered in agriculture.

They tend their crops along the mountain slopes on the south plains known
as daurs.

5 DISTINCTIVE SEASONS OF BHUTAN:

-

Summer
Autumn
Winter
Monsoon
Spring