Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
Chapter 7 - Lesson 1 "Geography and Indian Life"- p.218 - 224
MAIN IDEAS
• Geography: In India, mountains & seasonal winds shaped the climate & affect agriculture.
• Government: The Earliest Indian civilization built well-organized cities near the Indus
River.
• Culture: Harappan civilization produced writing, a prosperous way of life, and a widely
shared culture.
WORD
Definition
Picture / other
representation
Connection to
Learning
Target # - WHY?
subcontinent
p. 219
Hindu Kush
p. 220
Himalayas
p. 220
monsoon
p. 220
Harappan
civilization
p. 221
planned city
p. 221
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Physical Geography of India p. 219 – 221
Physical
Geography
of India
1. Why is India considered to be a subcontinent?
2. List the 5 present day countries that use to be part of ancient India.
3. What are the two mountain ranges that are part of the Indian
subcontinent AND where are each of these mountain ranges located?
•
•
4. What were the THREE rivers in ancient India AND where are/ were they
located in India?
•
•
•
5. Describe India's climate. What factors influence the climate in India?
6. How do India's rivers and climate affect agriculture?
p.220
Geography:
7. Summer and Winter Monsoons – page 220 inset
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Monsoons
Direction
of wind
What kind of
landform do
the monsoon
winds pass
over?
Explain what happens as the
monsoon winds move.
Summer
monsoon
Winter
monsoon
Cities in the Indus Valley p. 221 – 222
Cities in the
8. What was the name of the first civilization in the Indus River Valley?
Indus Valley
Why do you think the earliest Indian civilization located near the Indus
River?
9. What were three important crops raised by farmers? What did they do
with these crops?
Cities in the
10. What animals were domesticated in the Indus Valley?
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Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
Indus Valley
11. What materials were used to make tools that was more effective than
stone?
12. What were the two largest and best known cites in the Indus and
Saraswati valleys?
•
•
13. Harappa was a well planned city, it was built according to a design and
the cities had strong leaders. Describe various aspects of the early
cities in the Indus Valley.
- walls:
- streets:
- types of buildings in the city / what was the building used for?
- bathrooms:
14. How was Harappan civilization similar to other ancient civilizations?
Harappan Culture p. 222-224
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Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
Harappan
Culture
15. Writing in Harappa
• A mysterious form of writing covered the stone seals that were
found
in ruined cities. What were the seals used for?
• What do scholars think the writing stood for?
16. Religion in Harappa
Describe Harappan religion:
17, Spread of Harappan Culture
Harappan cities spread across an area that was 500,000 square miles
(an area TWICE as big as Texas) in size. What made Harappan
culture so successful?
18. Challenges for the Harappan Life
What do historians think happened to Harappa & other civilizations on
the Saraswati?
19. How long did the Harappan culture last?
Lesson Summary (p. 224)
• The rivers of India and the seasonal monsoons helped make agriculture possible.
• Agricultural wealth led to the rise of a complex civilization in the Indus Valley
• The prosperous Harappan culture lasted for about 800 years.
Why it matters now (p. 224)
Ancient Indians developed products that are still important today. They were the first people
to domesticate chickens and the first Asians to produce cotton cloth.
Geography Practice - Physical Features of India
Across the northern part of India rise high mountain ranges.
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Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
These mountains separate most of India from the rest of Asia. Just to
the south of these mountains stretches a broad area of plains. The
Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers run through these plains in the
northern and eastern parts of the country, helping to make the land
fertile. These river valleys are among the most heavily populated
regions of India.
The southern part of India is a triangle-shaped peninsula that
extends into the Indian Ocean. A section of hilly country separates the
peninsula from the plains to the north. The peninsula itself has two
distinct areas. Covering most of the center of the peninsula is a high
plateau. Along the edges of the peninsula are lowlands that run along
the coast in a narrow strip.
Use the map on the next page to answer the following questions.
1. Color each of the five physical regions of India a different color.
2. What two bodies of water do the Coastal Lowlands border?
3. Which region is higher in elevation—the Northern Plains or the
Peninsular Plateaus?
4. Would you expect the Himalayan Mountain System or the Coastal
Lowlands to be more heavily populated / have more people living
in their region? Explain your reasoning.
5. Some scientists believe India was once a separate landmass that
moved northward and collided with Asia. How do the physical
features of India shown on this map support that theory?
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