What term do geographers use to refer to the landmass that includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh?
Indian subcontinent
What geographic barriers separate India from the rest of the continent?
mountains
What seasonal winds dominate India’s climate?
Monsoons
What environmental challenges do these winds provide? (list 3)
- flooding
- unpredictable drought
- changes course
What is another term for Indus Valley civilizations? How did it get that name?
-Harappan civilization; many archaeological discoveries were made at that site
What are some examples of the sophisticated city planning of the Indus Valley people?
plumbing/sewage systems
Why has it been impossible for linguists to decipher the Harrapan language?
They have not found anything like it, it was letter stones
List three characteristics of Harappan culture.
- few weapons (less conflict)
- animals
- prosperous city: toys, jewelries
- close ties to religion
- social division were emphasized
What items did Harappans trade with peoples in the region?
- gold
- silver
- semiprecious stones
- cotton cloth
What is the probable cause of the end of Indus Valley culture?
- earthquakes
- river change drastically
Define subcontinent.
India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh which is referred to Indian subcontinent
-an area is separated from rest of Asia by wall of high mountains (Hindu, Kush, and Himalayas)
Define monsoon.
- seasonal winds, dominate climate
- winter monsoons: Oct.-Feb.: from northeast. blow westward
- summer monsoons: June-Oct.: from southwest, blow eastward, bring more moisture-leads to flooding, drought when fail to develop
Define Harappan culture.
-around 2500B.C. - same time as Egyptian climate; several ancient cities in area of Indus Valley (today Pakistan)
What are some characteristics of the Indus’ geography? (list 4).
- mountains (hindu, kusk, karakorum, himalayan ranges)
- Ganges plain(flat, low elevation) and Deccan plateau(southern,flat, high elevation)
- monsoon(seasonal wind)
- desert in the West
What are some characteristics of the Indus’ settlements/buildings? List 3.
- plumbing/sewage system
- cities made out of oven-baked bricks(fortification)
- A human island
What are some characteristics of the Indus’ religious beliefs? List 2.
- theocracy (god, power)
- major Hindu god - Shiva
What are some characteristics of the Indus’ economic life?
- farming
- written language (400 symbols)
- had a prosperous life (toys, gold, silver, clothes, semiprecious stones)
Explain how monsoons affect the climate and in turn the people of the Indus Valley.
- Winter monsoons would blow dry air
- Summer monsoons would cause drought if it fail to develop resulting in crop disasters
- too little rain: plants withered, more people starved
- too much rain: flood
