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.