Unit+3-South+Aisa+and+India

= SouthAsia and India = == map of south asia <__This is a picture of the indian flag__. As was discussed in the previous lesson, South Asia is a physically ssphys] well defined realm with the Himalayan mountains to the north, the Karakoam and Hindu Kush mountains to the northwest deserts to the west, and dense forest and hills along the Burmese (Myanmar) border to the east. South Asia spans a large area and contains great physical variety. during asain moonsoons people carry things on there head. They do it alot when it get water FLAG OF AFGHANISTAN

**__ India's Geography __**

The Northern Plains
The northern plains, also known as the //Great Plains// are large floodplains of the Indus and the Ganges river systems. Extent of the Indo-Gangetic plain across South Asia. The great plains are sometimes classified into four divisions: The Thar Desert (also known as the //Great Indian Desert//) is the world's seventh largest desert, it forms a significant portion of western India and covers an area of 238,700 km². The desert continues into Pakistan as the Cholistan Desert. Most of the Thar Desert is situated in Rajasthan, covering 61% of its geographic area. About 10 percent of this ecoregion comprises sand dunes, and the remaining 90 percent consist of craggy rock forms, compacted salt-lake bottoms, and interdunal and fixed dune areas. Annual temperatures can range from 0°C in the winter to over 50°C during the summer. Most of the rainfall received in this region is associated with the short July–September southwest monsoon that brings around 100–500 mm of precipitation. Water is scarce and occurs at great depths, ranging from 30 to 120 m below the ground level. Rainfall is precarious and erratic, ranging from below 120 mm in the extreme west to 375 mm eastward. The soils of the arid region are generally sandy to sandy-loam in texture. The consistency and depth vary as per the topographical features. The low-lying loams are heavier and may have a hard pan of clay, calcium carbonate or gypsum.
 * The Bhabar belt — is adjacent to the foothills of the Himalayas and consists of boulders and pebbles which have been carried down by the river streams. As the porosity of this belt is very high, the streams flow underground. The bhabar is generally narrow with its width varying between 7 to 15 km.
 * The Terai belt — lies next to the Bhabar region and is composed of newer alluvium. The underground streams reappear in this region. The region is excessively moist and thickly forested. It also receives heavy rainfall throughout the year and is populated with a variety of wildlife.
 * The Bangar belt — consists of older alluvium and forms the alluvial terrace of the flood plains. In the Gangetic plains, it has a low upland covered by laterite deposits.
 * The Khadar belt — lies in lowland areas after the Bangar belt. It is made up of fresh newer alluvium which is deposited by the rivers flowing down the plain.
 * Thar Desert **

Highlands
The Central Highlands consist of three main plateaus — the Malwa Plateau in the west, the Deccan Plateau in the south (covering most of the Indian peninsula) and the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the east. The Malwa Plateau is spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The average elevation of the Malwa plateau is 500 meters. Most of the region is drained by the Chambal River and its tributaries; the western part is drained by the upper reaches of the Mahi River. The Deccan Plateau is a large triangular plateau, bounded by the Vindhyas to the north and to the sides, the Eastern and Western Ghats. The Deccan covers a total area of 1.9 million km². It is mostly flat, with elevations ranging from 300 to 600 m. The average elevation of the plateau is 2,000 feet above sea level. It slopes gently from west to east and gives rise to several peninsular rivers such as the Godavari, the Krishna , the Kaveri and the Narmada , which drain into the Bay of Bengal. This region is mostly semi-arid as it lies on the leeward side of both Ghats. Climate in the Deccan ranges from hot summers to mild winters. The Chota Nagpur Plateau is situated in eastern India, covering much of Jharkhand and adjacent parts of Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Its total area is approximately 65,000 km² and is made up of three smaller plateaus — the Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Kodarma plateaus. The Ranchi plateau is the largest, with an average elevation of 700 m. Much of the plateau is forested, covered by the Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests. Vast reserves of metal ores and coal have been found in the Chota Nagpur plateau. The Kathiawar peninsula in western Gujarat is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch and the Gulf of Khambat. The natural vegetation in most of the peninsula is xeric scrub, part of the Northwestern thorn scrub forests ecoregion. In western India, the Kutch region in Gujarat and Koyna in Maharashtra are classified as a Zone IV region (high risk) for earthquakes. The Kutch city of Bhuj was the epicentre of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, which claimed the lives of more than 20,000 people and injured 166,836 while destroying or damaging near a million homes. The 1993 Latur earthquake in Maharashtra killed 7,928 people and injured 30,000. Other areas have a moderate to low risk of an earthquake occurring.

Coasts
The Eastern Coastal Plain is a stretch of land lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. It stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south to West Bengal in the north. The Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri and Krishna rivers drain these plains and their deltas occupy most of the area. The region receives both the northeast and southwest monsoon rains. The southwest monsoon splits into two branches, the Bay of Bengal branch and the Arabian Sea branch. The Bay of Bengal branch moves northwards crossing northeast India in early June. The Arabian Sea branch moves northwards and discharges much of its rain on the windward side of Western Ghats. Annual rainfall in this region averages between 1,000 mm and 3,000 mm. The plains are divided into six regions — the Mahanadi delta, the southern Andhra Pradesh plain, the Krishna-Godavari deltas, the Kanyakumari coast, the Coromandel Coast and sandy coastal. The Western Coastal Plain is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, ranging from 50 to 100 km in width. It extends from Gujarat in the north and extends through Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. Numerous rivers and backwaters inundate the region. Originating in the Western Ghats, the rivers are fast-flowing and mostly perennial, leading to the formation of estuaries. Major rivers flowing into the sea are the Tapi, Narmada, Mandovi and Zuari. The coast is divided into 3 parts namely, Konkan, which is situated in Maharashtra,Goa and northern parts of Karnataka; the Kanara in Karnataka and the Malabar Coast in Kerala. Vegetation is mostly deciduous, but the Malabar Coast moist forests constitute a unique ecoregion.

Islands
The Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are India's two major island formations which are classified as union territories. The Lakshadweep Islands lie 200 to 300 km off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea with an area of 32 km². They consist of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks, with a total of about 36 islands and islets. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands consist of 572 isles, lying in the Bay of Bengal near the Myanmar coast. It is located 1255 km from Kolkata and 193 km from Cape Negrais in Myanmar. The territory consists of two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands. The Andaman Islands consists of 204 small islands with a total length of 352 km. India's only active volcano, Barren Island is situated here, having last erupted in May 2005. The Narcondum is a dormant volcano and there is a mud volcano at Baratang. Indira Point, India's southernmost land point is situated in the Nicobar islands, and lies just 189 km from the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southeast. The highest point is Mount Thullier at 642 m. Significant islands just off the Indian coast include Diu, a former Portuguese enclave; Majuli , Asia's largest freshwater island; Elephanta in the Bombay Harbour ; and Sriharikota barrier island in Andhra Pradesh. Salsette Island is India's most populous island on which the city of Mumbai is located. Forty-two islands in the Gulf of Kutch constitute the Marine National Park.