Himalaya Mountains A mountain range that borders India and Pakistan. The mountains were created by tectonic plate movement when two land masses (India and Asia) pushed together. This movement still causes earthquakes in the region today.

Mount EverestThe highest mountain in the world. It is located in Nepal and is a part of the Himalayan Mountain Range.

Indus RiverThe largest river in Pakistan. This river is the major source

Ganges River This river is in and flows down from the Himalaya Mountains This river is a sacred place for people of the Hindi religion.

Brahmaputra River The river starts in the Himalayas and joins the Ganges River to create a huge delta in Bangladesh. The river is important for irrigation (watering crops) and for transportation. During the monsoon season, this river is responsible for some of the major flooding that occurs.

Indian OceanThe third largest ocean in the world. This river is a major trade route that connects South Asia, the Middle East and Africa to the rest of the world.

Deccan Plateau A plateau (a high, flat area of land) that makes up most of India’s peninsula. It lies south of the Gangetic Plain. The climate varies from semi-arid in the north to tropical in most of the region with separate wet and dry seasons.

Gangetic Plain A low flat region that is south of the Himalayas. It is the largest alluvial plain in the world, formed by soil carried down the mountains by the Ganges River. The area has one of the largest populations on earth. The land is used mainly for farming.

Pakistan A country in the Middle East that was created in 1947, when it was divided from India. Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country. Pakistan is the only Islamic nation to have nuclear weapons.

IslamabadThe capital of Pakistan. Islamabad is a modern city with over 4.5 million people.

India A democratic country in South Asia with the second highest population in the world. India is very diverse with many languages, religions and social differences.

New DelhiThe capital city of the Republic of India. New Delhi is the center of government for India, and an important focus for the economy, particularly in the information technology industry.

Mumbai Mumbai is the most populated city in India. Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India.

Kashmir A region of northwest South Asia that both Pakistan and India claim. Pakistan and India have fought 3 wars over this territory since 1947

Bangladesh A country located next to the Bay of Bengal and bordered by India and Myanmar (Burma.) Bangladesh experiences many problems including poverty, political corruption and overpopulation. It was recently in the news because of a clothing factory collapse that killed over 1, 100 people.

Nepal A country in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. Nepal is the home of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.

Sri Lanka An island country southeast of India in the Indian Ocean. This country is very diverse in both its people (many ethnicities, religions and languages) and geography (plains, mountains, and rain forests.)

Afghanistan A landlocked country surrounded by Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan. Afghanistan has been at war for nearly 30 years. It is the site of a war between the United States and the Taliban that lasted for the last 10 years.

Tropic Humid A climate region with year round warm and rainy patterns. This climate is found around the equator and supports rain forests.

Tropical Wet-Dry A climate region with alternating patterns of wet and dry. This climate supports areas of tropical grasslands scattered trees and shrubs.

AridA climate region with little or no rain. Plants and animals that live in arid regions must be strong. Soils are thin and rocky and not usually good for growing things.

Semi-arid A climate region that lies between an arid climate and more humid regions. This kind of area receives more rain than an arid region, but not as much as more humid areas. Where rainfall is heavy enough, grasses make up most of the plant life.

Highland Highland areas can have changing climates depending on their elevation (how high they are.) Wind patterns can affect rainfall on the windward (towards the wind) or leeward sides (away from the wind) of highland areas. India’s highlands cover the Himalayan Mountains.

Subcontinent A large, rather independent area, forming a division of a continent. Indian is an example of a sub-continent.

Orographic Effect A cooling effect that happens when air is forced to rise over a mountain. The effect results in wetter windward side (where the wind comes from) and a drier leeward side (the protected side that is away from the wind.) The orographic effect has a large impact on the climate of South Asia, including the monsoon seasons.

Monsoon A wind system in which winds reverse direction and cause seasons of extremely wet and dry weather. Over 70% of the total rainfall in India comes from the monsoons.

Exports Something that is shipped or brought to another country to be sold or traded. The East India Trade Company British enacted sizable taxes on both imports and exports during their Briti in order to disrupt the foreign trade relations of India with the other countries.

Natural Resources Natural resources are materials found in a natural environment that can be used in some way. Natural resources give a country geopolitical power.

ScarcityA shortage or lack of something An example of scarcity is a dry area that has a shortage of water.

Outsourcing The purchase of goods from an outside source or supply. When a U.S. company hires an independently-operated call center in India to handle telephone customer service, this is an example of outsourcing customer service.

Developed Countries A country that has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure when compared to other less developed nations Most of the money in developed countries comes from service businesses. Examples of developed countries include the United States, Japan and Australia.

Developing Countries A nation with a lower living standard, still developing manufacturing production, and a lower Human Development Index (based on life expectancy, education and income levels) when compared to other countries. Examples of developing countries include: India, Pakistan and China.

Infrastructure Basic facilities and installations that help a government or community run. Some examples of infrastructure include: roads, schools, phone lines, sewage treatment plants and power generation

RuralRelated to farming or country life. Many nations have a rural or agricultural economy based on farming.

UrbanAreas with cities or larger towns. Some countries have many urban areas with large cities and towns.

Distribution of Wealth A comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in society. In India, for example, very few people control most of the money, while the rest of the country is very poor.

Standard of Living The definition of a standard of living is how well or how poorly people live in terms of having their needs and wants met. Countries that have a higher standard of living (more money to spend) are considered more developed.

Imperialism The definition of imperialism is the practice of a larger country or government growing stronger by taking over poorer or weaker countries that have important resources. Many countries were interested in taking over areas of South Asia to take advantage of trade routes and valuable exports like coffee, tea and spices.

Colonialism The act of one nation controlling another for financial gain. Many European countries colonized areas in Africa and Asia to take advantage of the natural resources there.

Democracy A form of government in which the people rule, either directly or through elected representatives. The United States and India are examples of democracies.

Partition of India India was divided into Pakistan and India in 1947 to avoid a civil war between the Muslims and the Hindus. The region of Kashmir was divided to avoid a civil war between the Muslims and the Hindus.

Gandhi A peaceful leader for Indian Independence. He used hunger strikes, boycotts and non- violent methods to convince the British to let India rule itself.

Non-violent Civil DisobedienceA form of protest that is not violent. Gandhi’s Salt March is an example of non- violent civil disobedience. Non violent protests include things such as sit-ins, marches or hunger strikes.

Separatism When people support separating (splitting apart) from a culture, tribe, religious group, government or other group. There are several separatist groups in Kashmir. Some want independence from both India and Pakistan. Some want to be a part of Pakistan and some want greater independence from the Indian government.

Ethnicity A group that shares a common culture or race. Pakistan and India have a large number of different ethnic groups, which sometimes conflict with each other.

Diversity Differences, usually in ethnicity, race or religion, languages or culture. India has many languages, religions, architecture, cultures and customs within the country.

Hinduism The oldest religion in the world and India’s main religion. Some of its ideas were influenced by the Aryan people who invaded India long ago. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion (one main god and several small gods.)

Caste System A rigid system that defines a person’s place in society. The group a person belongs to restricts or limits the occupations and associations of its members. It is most strongly associated with Hinduism.

Dalit/Untouchables The Hindus in India, who are the lowest level of the caste system. Although discrimination against people based on their caste is illegal, prejudice against Dalits in South Asia still exists.

Dharma The religious and moral (honorable) duties of an individual, according to his or her caste. Hindus believe that this is the law that orders the universe.

Karma All of the actions of a person’s life that together affect their fate. God does not make one suffer for no reason nor does He make one happy for no reason. God is very fair and gives you exactly what you deserve.

Reincarnation The Hindu idea that a person is reborn until he or she is reunited with the universal soul (Moksha.) A person’s soul begins a new life in a new body that may be human, animal or spiritual depending on the previous life's actions.