South Asia Physical Geography 1India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh

Land Area

Mountains and Plateaus Northern Mountains

Collision caused plate tectonics on a huge scale, creating very large mountains (Himalayas) in the north Stretches 1500 miles, forming a natural

boundary between China and India Contains Mount Everest, the tallest peak in

the world The Hindu Cush is to the west and is a natural

boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Himalayas

Southern Plateaus Other ranges and plateaus caused by

the collision. Vindhya Range in Central India Deccan Plateau further south

Tilts towards the Bay of Bengal Flanked by the Western and Eastern Ghats

Mountain Ranges

Ranges and Plateaus of India

Rivers, Deltas, and Plains The Indo-Gangetic Plain Lies between

the northern mountains and southern plateaus.

It is formed by three rivers Indus Ganges And Brahmaputra

Great Rivers Indus flows west, then south trough

Pakistan to the Arabian Sea Ganges comes from the central

Himalayas and flows eastward across northern India

Brahmaputra winds east, then west and south through Bangladesh

Rivers

Fertile Plains The flow of these

often over flow the banks, creating alluvial plains and making the Indo-Gangetic Plains very fertile

Offshore Islands Shri Lanka: Tear

drop shaped island country off the coast of India

Maldives Archipelago: A group of over 1,200 small islands off the coast of India

Natural Resources Water and Soils: The river system

provides much of India with alluvial soil and water to grow crops.

Forests: Rain forests and Highland forests provide important industry, but it makes deforestation a problem.

Minerals: Coal, petroleum, iron-ore and mica are all important aspects of the economy, energy production, or both.