1. CHAPTER 21~THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
Please take notes, your own style is fine and try to abbreviate information

2. MAIN IDEAS
1. Towering mountains, large rivers, and broad plains are the key physical features of the Indian Subcontinent.
2. The Indian Subcontinent has a great variety of climate regions and resources.

3. Key Terms and Places
subcontinent a large landmass that is smaller than a continent
Mount Everest world’s highest mountain, located between Nepal and China
Ganges River India’s most important river, flows across northern India into Bangladesh

4. delta a landform at the mouth of a river created by sediment deposits
Indus River river in Pakistan that creates a fertile plain known as the Indus River Valley
monsoons seasonal winds that bring either moist or dry air to an area

5. Section One Summary
The Indian Subcontinent is made up of the countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This subcontinent is also known as South Asia.

6. Huge mountains separate the Indian Subcontinent from the rest of Asia—the Hindu Kush in the northwest and the Himalayas along the north.

7. Lower mountains, called the Ghats, run along India’s eastern and western coasts.
The Himalayas stretch about 1,500 miles across and are the highest mountains in the world.
The highest peak, Mount Everest, rises 29,035 feet above sea level.
Pakistan’s K2 is the world’s second tallest peak.

8. Two major river systems originate in the Himalayas
Two major river systems originate in the Himalayas. (They have flooded the surrounding land, creating fertile plains.)
The Ganges River flows across northern India.
Pakistan’s Indus River also forms a fertile plain, the Indus River Valley. This region was once home to the earliest Indian civilizations. Now, it is the most heavily populated area in Pakistan.

9. CLIMATES AND RESOURCES
Nepal and Bhutan, located in the Himalayas, have a highland climate which brings cool temperatures.
In the plains south of the Himalayas, the climate is humid subtropical. The rest of the subcontinent has mainly tropical climates.

10. The subcontinent’s fertile soil is a vital resource for the region
The subcontinent’s fertile soil is a vital resource for the region. It allows farmers to produce tea, rice, nuts, and jute. Other important resources are timber,livestock, iron ore, coal, natural gas, and gemstones.

11. Questions?? What are the seven countries of the Indian Subcontinent?
What the main geographic features?
What are the world’s two highest mountain peaks?
Which river forms a fertile plain in Pakistan?
What is the climate like in Nepal and Bhutan?

12. Section 2 Notes
Advanced civilizations and powerful empires shaped the early history of India.
Powerful empires controlled India for hundreds of years.
Independence from Great Britain led to the division of India into several countries.
Religion and the caste system are two important parts of Indian culture.

13. Delhi site of former Muslim kingdom in northern India
colony territory inhabited and controlled by people from a foreign land
partition division
Hinduism one of the world’s oldest religions, the dominant religion of India
Buddhism religion based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
caste system divides Indian society into groups based on birth or occupation

14. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS AND EMPIRES
The Indian Subcontinent’s first urban civilization—the Harappan—was in the Indus Valley. Later the Aryans moved from Central Asia into the Indian Subcontinent. They settled along the Indus and Ganges rivers. An Aryan language, Sanskrit, became the basis for many languages, including Hindi. Aryan customs mixed with those of other people, forming much of India’s culture.

15. The Mauryan people then conquered most of the subcontinent by about 320 BC. However, after the death of Asoka, one of the greatest Mauryan rulers, the empire split up. In the AD 300s the Gupta Empire united most of northern India. Trade and culture thrived under Gupta rulers until around 550.

16. Powerful Empires
In the late 600s Muslim armies invaded India. They set up a kingdom at Delhi in northern India and formed the Mughal Empire. Trade and culture flourished during this period, especially under Akbar, one of India’s greatest and peaceful rulers. (known for religious tolerance)

17. In the 1600s, as the Mughal Empire declined, the British East India Company gained valuable trading rights. India eventually became a British colony.

18. Many Indians were upset at British rule.
Gandhi led nonviolent protests to gain Indian independence.
To avoid civil war, the British agreed to the partition, or division of India.
India and Pakistan, were formed in 1947
Later Sri Lanka and Maldives gained independence. Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan to form a new nation in 1971.

19. Questions What Aryan language is the basis for Hindi?
What was the name of the greatest Mauryan emporer?
Why was India divided into two independent countries?
What were those countries?
What are the two religions that began in India?