1. Geography and
Indian Life
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2. Physical
Geography
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3.  a large landmass that is part of a continent, but considered a
separate region
 It includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and most of
Pakistan
 Used to be separate, but “crashed” into Asia, creating the
mountains
India is a Subcontinent

4.  This collision created the Hindu Kush mountains and the
Himalayas
 They are the highest mountains in the world
 The Ganges and Indus rivers are large rivers that provide silt
for fertile land
 The Saraswati River was important in ancient times, but it
dried up
 India is surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and
Bay of Bengal
Mountains and Waterways

5.  Tall mountains protect India from cold northern winds
 Temperatures are generally warm
 Monsoons occur in summer, bringing heavy rainfall
Climate

6. Cities on the Indus
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7.  Settlement was similar to that of Sumer and Egypt
 They settled along the Indus and Saraswati River
 They grew crops, raised animals and made tools
 They traded with other areas and became so wealthy, they
were able to build a great culture
Early Inhabitants

9.  By 2500 BC great cities grew up
 At least 35,000 people lived in Mohenjo-Daro and Harrapa
 We call this civilization “Harrapan Civilization”
 It had planned cities that were built by architects
 Most homes had bathrooms and toilets
 They had underground sewers
Great Cities

10. Harrapan Culture
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11.  No temples have been identified, but they have found baths
used for rituals
 Religious objects found link them to Hindu beliefs
 The god Shiva’s likeness has been found among artifacts
 They have found a mother deity and that of a bull
Religion

12.  Pictograph writing evidence found
 Area they settled was twice as big as Texas
 Used weights and measures
 Made statues from bronze and clay
 Gained wealth from agriculture and trade
 They traded ivory, beads and wood
 They believe trade began around 2370 BC
Culture

13. The End of Indus
Valley Culture
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14.  A decline in building quality signaled a change in Indus Valley
culture
 Scholars believe that: yearly floods and monsoons were
unpredictable and rivers sometimes changed course
 Theses changes made it hard to grow crops
 In 1970 it was discovered that an earthquake changed the
course of the Indus River and the drying of the Saraswati
Environmental Change

15.  Cities broke up and changed locations
 Around 1500 BC nomads from the north Hindu Kush came
into the valley and began to influence the culture
Impacts and Influence