South Asia is one of the four early places where human civilization began-similar to Egypt (Nile), China (Yellow). and Iraq (Tigris and Euphrates). Civilization in South Asia began along the Indus River. The land of South Asia is
dominated by three main types of physical features. Mountains, rivers, and the massive triangular-
shaped peninsula of India.
50 or 60 million years ago India slowly smashed into Asia and formed the Himalaya and Hindu Kush
Mountains that nearly block off India from the surrounding area. Except for the coast, there are only a few
narrow passes through the mountains such as the Khyber Pass that have allowed people to enter this tand. The
other main physical features are the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan and the Ganges River in modern-day
India. The Indus River is in a very dry area called the Thar Desert--this Arid climate is the site for another of the
World's first human civilizations
The water in the Indus River mainly comes from melting glaciers and natural
springs from the mountains that
surround it. As the water runs down the mountain it picks up fertile silt. This area would
Rood at least one time
every year and provide irrigation water for farmers. When the flood waters went away the left a thin layer of
fertile silt. Today much of South Asia experiences an annual change of wind direction called monsoon that
usually brings massive arounts of rain. Some historians claim the Indus Valley
received two annual floods.
summarize how the geography of India shapes the
development of civilization in this region.