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Manisha Ghaghat
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World Regional Geography South Asia

Index
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 – Relief
Chapter 3 – Drainage
Chapter 4 – Climate
Chapter 5 – Natural Vegetation
Chapter 6 – Soils
Chapter 7 – Demography
Chapter 8 – Agriculture
Chapter 9 – Mineral Resources
Chapter 10 – Power Resources
Chapter 11 – Manufacturing Industries

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Introduction
▪ South Asia refers to a major region of Asia which is popularly
known as “Indian Subcontinent”.
▪ The region includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
o Countries and their Capitals :
• India – New Delhi
• Pakistan – Islamabad
• Nepal – Kathmandu
• Bhutan – Thimphu
• Bangladesh – Dhaka
• Sri Lanka – Colombo and Sri
Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Maldives – Male

▪ It lies in Tropical zone in Northern and Eastern hemispheres.

▪ Latitudinally, it extends from 3°N to 37°6’N.
▪ Longitudinally, it extends from 61°E to 97°25’E.
▪ Climate – Tropical Monsoon.
▪ The region covers an area of 4483.3 thousand square km.
(10% of total area of Asia).
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South Asia

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Relief
❖ South Asia is a well defined region is terms of its physical
landscape.
❖ Formidable mountainous barriers of north separate the
region from the rest of Eurasian landmass.
❖ Its lowland areas are amongst the most fertile lands of the
world.
❖ The Deccan Plateau is home to various minerals and power
resources.
❖ Thus, South Asia has a large variety in relief due to vast size
and differences in geological history.
❖ South Asia’s physiography can be divided into 4 major
physiographic divisions :

The Himalayas and the associated Hills :

On the north, west and east, the region is girdled by the mountains.
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The Himalayas :
➢ The Himalayas form the highest and the most rugged
mountain barrier of the world.
➢ They run in an E-W arcuate curve for about 2400 km
between the gorges of Indus in the N-W and Brahmaputra in
the E.
➢ Three parallel ranges run in the Himalayas :
▪ The Greater Himalayas
▪ The Lesser Himalayas
▪ The Outer Himalayas
The Greater Himalayas
✓ They form the innermost range of the Himalayas.
✓ These are the highest and most continuous Himalayas
range with average height of 6000m.
✓ They have granatic core flanked by metamorphosed
sediments.
✓ Mt. Everest (8848m) is the highest peak.
✓ These are also known as Himadri because they remain
snow bound throughout the year.

The Lesser Himalayas

✓ They form the most intricate and ruggged mountain
system.
✓ These are 60-80 km wide and 1000-4500 m high.
✓ These are called Pir Panjal (in Kashmir) and are aslo
called Himachal.
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✓ There are various hill stations such as Shimla, Dalhousie

etc.

The Outer Himalayas

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✓ They form the outer most and lower most hill ranges of
the Himalayas with average height of 600-1500 m and
width varying between 15-50 km.
✓ They run from Potwar plateau in Pakistan to
Brahmaputra valley in Assam.
✓ These are made up of tertiary sediments brought by the
Himalayan rivers.
✓ These are also known as Shiwaliks.

The Western Himalayas and Hills

➢ This region is guarded by fold mountains of low height
called Sulaiman and Kirthar mountains.
➢ The average height is 1800-2100 m
➢ There runs Hindukush mountains originating from the
Pamir Knot
➢ They have many passes between them.
➢ These are also known as Makran range near the Makran
coast.

The Eastern Hills

➢ Beyond Dihang Gorge, the Himalayas take a U-turn and runs
South-Westward.
➢ They are arcuate with convex side facing the west.
➢ They have steep western slope and are highly dissected and
forested.
➢ These mountains are known by different names in different
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regions such as Patkai Bum, Naga Hills, Manipur Hills and

Mizo Hills.

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The Indus–Ganga–Brahmaputra Plains

➢ These are known as the Great North Indian Plains.
➢ It is a lowland plain with monotonously flat topography
stretching from the delta of Indus in Pakistan to the
Sunderban delta in Bangladesh.
➢ It is a great aggradational plain resulted from the filling of a
trough between the rising Himalayas and the ancient block
of Peninsular India.
➢ It is a crescent form alluvial plain with alluvium depth of
1300-1400 m.
➢ Due two erosion and deposition by rivers uplands and
lowlands with marshes, lakes etc. have been formed.
➢ The upland plains formed of old alluvium is called Bhangar.
➢ The lowland flat plain formed of new alluvium is called
Khadar.
➢ Three Components of the Plains are :-
▪ The Indus Plains
▪ The Ganga Plains
▪ The Brahmaputra Valley Plains

The Peninsular Plateau and the Coastal

Plains
➢ The southern ancient landmass comprised of a rigid block of
senile topography in the Indian Peninsula is called
Peninsular Plateau.
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➢ It is comprised of various plateaus, hill ranges, basins and

river valleys.
➢ The reason is an irregular triangle in shape with general
elevation of 600-900 m, and tapers southward with arcuate
basin in the north.

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The Northern Plateau Region

✓ It lies between Aravallis on the west and Raj Mahal hills on
the east.
✓ The region is characterized by remnants of the old mountain
ranges, scarped plateaus and faulted troughs.
✓ The Aravallis form the western flank on the region.
✓ The Central Plateaus consists of Mewar upland,
Bundelkhand upland, Malwa Plateau.
✓ The Vindhya range forms an escarpment.
✓ Chhota Nagpur Plateau is the North Eastern apex of
Peninsular plateau region made up of Gondwana rocks. It
consists of Hazaribagh plateau, Ranchi plateau and Raj
Mahal Hills.
✓ Shillong plateau is the northern section of the Peninsular
plateau which is highly dissected and forested. It’s important
components are Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Mikir Hills.

The Southern Plateau Region

✓ It refers to the Deccan Plateau, also called Maharashtra
plateau that is surrounded by Western Ghats on Sahyadri on
its Western edge while its Eastern side is bounded by
Eastern Ghats.
✓ It is a lava plateau with stepped topography and rich mineral
resources.
✓ Important pics in this region are Nilgiri Hills, Anaimalai hills,
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Mahabaleshwar and Kudremukh in Western Ghats; and

Nallamalai, Palakonda, Javadi and Shevroy hills in the
Eastern Ghats.

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The Coastal Plains

✓ The coastal plains in India are along the west and east of the
Peninsular India extending up to 7516 km.

The Islands
➢ There are two groups of islands in the Indian Ocean that are
part of territory of India.
➢ Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal
➢ Lakshadweep Islands in Arabian Sea.
➢ While there are two Island countries that are part of Indian
Subcontinent (South Asia region). These are :
➢ Sri Lanka
➢ Maldives
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South Asia : Physiography

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Drainage System
South Asia has Two major River Systems :-

The Himalayan Rivers

❖ The Himalayan Rivers are perennial in nature and have large
basins and many of them pass through giant gorges.

The Indus Drainage System

✓ The Indus Drainage System is one of the largest river basins
in the world.
✓ It flows between Ladakh and Zaskar range and is shared by
India and Pakistan.
✓ The master stream Indus is an antecedent river.
✓ Origin – Bokhar Chu glacier in Kailash mountains.
✓ Tributaries – Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum.
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✓ The Indus forms deep gorges and flows south-westwards

accross Pakistan to reach the Arabian Sea.
✓ It has a total length of 2880 km.

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The Ganga Drainage System

✓ The Ganga River system is the largest river system of India
as well as of South Asia.
✓ Origin – Gangotri glacier in Uttarkashi district of
Uttarakhand. There it is known as Bhagirathi. At Devprayag,
the Bhagirathi merges with another river i.e the Alaknanda,
and from here, it is known as the Ganga.
✓ Major Tributaries – Yamuna, Son, Ramganga, Gomati,
Ghaggar, Kosi, Gandak and Mahananda.
✓ Total length of the Ganga is 2525 km.
✓ It flows south-westwards to Bangladesh where it is known
as Padma and then drain into Bay of Bengal forming the
Sunderban delta along with river Brahmaputra.

The Brahmaputra Drainage System

✓ The Brahmaputra is the north-eastern antecedent river
system of South Asia.
✓ Origin - Chemayungdung Glacier of Kailash range near
Mansarovar lake.
✓ It is known by different names at different places :

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✓ Major Tributaries – Buri Dihang, Dhansiri, Kopali,

Subansiri, Kameg and Tista.

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✓ The river drains into Bay of Bengal forming the world’s

largest delta i.e the Sunderban Delta along with R. Ganga
(Padma) on the mouth.

The Peninsular Rivers

Rivers of Peninsular India can be divided into the following two
categories :-

Rivers Origin Tot States through Tributa Major

al which river ries Hydel
leng flows Power
th Projec
ts
Narma Amarkant 131 Madhya Pradesh Hiran, Sardar
da ak plateau 2 and Gujarat Shakkar Sarova
in M.P. km , Sher, r
Dudhi Project
Tapi Multai in 724 M.P., Vaki, Ukai
Betul km Maharashtra and Gomai, Dam
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district of Gujarat Arunava

M.P. ti
Mahan Sihawa in 900 Maharashtra,Cha Seonath Hiraku
adi Raipu-r km ttisgarh, , Ong, d Dam
district of Tel

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Chhat- Jharkhand, Odis-

tisgarh ha
Godav Western 146 Maharashtra, Ch- Pengan Polava
ari Ghats 5 attisgarh, M.P, O- ga, ram
km disha, A.P Indra- project
vati,
Pra-
nhita,
Manjra
Krishn Near 140 Maharashtra, Ka- Koyana, Lal
a Mahabales 1 rnataka, A.P, GhatpraBahad
hwar in km Tela-ngana bha, ur
Sahyadri Shastri
dam
Kaveri Brahmagir 805 Tamil Nadu, Hemava Bhava
i range km Kerala, ti, ni
Karnataka, Kapila, Kattala
Pudducherry Bhavani i
project

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South Asia : Rivers

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Major Rivers of Sri Lanka

Most of the rivers of Sri Lanka has origin in south-central
highlands.

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Climate
❖ South Asia is broadly characterized by Tropical Monsoon
Climate.
❖ Although, there are regional variations in the climate of
South Asia :
✓ Hot and Humid climate in Sri Lanka.
✓ Cool Temperate climate in Bhutan.
✓ Continental Warm Temperate climate in N-W India and
Pakistan.
✓ Monsoon imprint is felt everywhere.

Seasonal Classification

Hot And Dry Summer Season {April To

June} :
✓ Days are longer and hot.
✓ Average temperature 32°C.
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✓ June is the hottest month and temperature rises above 45°C

in N-W and Central India.
✓ During May and June, Indo-Gangetic Plains experience hot
and dry winds called ‘Loo’.

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Hot And Wet Summer Season {June To

August} :
✓ It is the season of S-W Monsoons characterized by moist
equatorial winds and heavy rainfall.
✓ Days are longer while the while the temperature is uncertain
because sometimes it is hot to warm and sometimes it is
comparatively cold weather.

Cool And Dry Winter Season {December

To February} :
✓ This season is characterized by low temperature, light and
dry north easterly winds, clear skies and low humidity.
✓ January is the coldest month.
✓ The average temperature in Northern mountainous region is
below 0°C, and it increases towards the south reaching upto
25°C in Peninsular India.

Climatic Regions
Tropical Wet Climate :
➢ The Tropical Wet, or equatorial climate has annual rainfall
exceeding 150 cm.
➢ The region is hot and humid throughout the year and is
typically home to rainforests.
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➢ This type of climate is found in Western Ghats of India and

Sunderban Delta region.

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Tropical Wet and Dry Climate :

➢ The Tropical Wet and Dry Climate, also called the tropical
Savannah, has intense wet and dry seasons.
➢ The dry seasons are typically ended by tropical monsoons
which bring water and revitalise the region.
➢ It is found in western and eastern coasts of India and
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Desert Climate :
➢ The arid or desert climates receive very little annual rainfall
somewhere between 10 and 30 cm.
➢ This climates are some of the hottest in the world in which
temperatures reach upto 50°C.
➢ It is found in Thar desert and some parts of border areas of
India and Pakistan.

Semi-Arid Climate :
➢ The semi arid climate is similar to the arid climate, except
that it receives enough rainfall annually to support
grasslands, typically around 20 to 50 cm.
➢ It is found in western end of the plains and some parts of
Deccan plateau.

Humid Sub Tropical Climate :

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➢ It is a mild climate in which summers are hot and humid and

winters are extremely cold.
➢ These regions recieve plenty of rainfall, around 76-165 cm
per year.
➢ It stretches across the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra Plains.

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Highland Climate :
➢ It refers to a high elevation climate that is characterized by
cold temperatures in the mountainous regions of the the
Himalayas and the other northern mountains where snow
exists year round.

South Asia : Climatic Regions

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Natural Vegetation
Tropical Rainforest :
➢ The Tropical rainforests, also called equatorial evergreen
forests are found in areas having rainfall of more than 200
cm.
➢ Important species are mahogany, jamun, bamboos and
palms.
➢ These are found in the rainy tracts of Western ghats, Sri
Lanka and Shillong plateau.

Tropical Grasslands :
➢ It refers to the Savannah Grasslands vegetation that is found
in most of the South Asia due to a clear cut dry period
followed by seasonal rainfall which supports only grasses to
grow over large expanses.

Desert and Dry Shrubs :

➢ The driest areas with very little rainfall like the Thar desert
have little plant life in South Asia with only desert shrubs
and thorny bushes.

Temperate Grasslands :
➢ This vegetation is similar to the desert vegetation but there
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is some growth of grasses and trees also because of a little

higher rainfall varying between 20 to 50 cm per year.
➢ It is found in semi arid regions of South Asia mainly in
Pakistan India border and in some parts of Deccan Plateau.

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Deciduous and Mixed Forests :

➢ These refer to monsoon forests which mainly grow in great
Northern Northern Plains of Pakistan India and some parts
of Nepal and Bhutan.

Highland Vegetation :
➢ This vegetation includes coniferous forests of pine, fir, teak,
etc. in the mountainous region of Himalayas where the cool
temperature prevails throughout the year.

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South Asia : Natural Vegetation

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Soils
❖ Major Soil groups of South Asia are :

Alluvial Soil :
➢ These are highly fertile, fine grained soils brought down and
deposited by rivers. These support intensive cropping and
are found in river valley basins and coastal plains.

Black Soil :
➢ These are black coloured soil developed over volcanic rocks.
The soil is rich in clay, iron and aluminium. These are
concentrated over Deccan Lava tract of Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Red Soil :
➢ These soils are red in colour due to presence of iron oxide.
These are found Peninsular plateau region in India, Eastern
parts of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Laterite Soil :
➢ These are highly infertile soil marked by barren areas
without vegetation. They have stony gravels and are
generally found on summits of the plateaus and hills of the
Deccan and Eastern and Western Ghats.
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Desert Soils :
➢ These are coarse grained dry soils which are rich in soluble
salts and poor in humus. These are found in arid regions of

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the subcontinent i.e western Rajasthan and Sindh province

of Pakistan.

Forest and Mountain Soil :

➢ These are stony and acidic soils that are found in the
Himalayas and it’s eastern and western off shoots.

Salinee and Alkaline Soil :

➢ These are another infertile soils found in the arid and semi
arid regions of N-Wn parts of the subcontinent.

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South Asia : Soils

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Demography
❖ South Asia has a large and dense population.
❖ The region has 3 of the 10 most populous countries in the
world.
✓ India – 2nd
✓ Pakistan – 5th
✓ Bangladesh – 6th
❖ Large population are a product of large family sizes and a
high fertility rate traditionally in the rural areas of South
Asia.
✓ As per UN World Population Prospects 2015, estimated
total population of South Asia was 1711.34 million with
average density of population of 416 persons per km².

Distribution Of Population In South Asia

❖ Population is unevenly distributed in South Asia.
❖ India has the largest population concentration in the region
and Maldives has the smallest population in South Asia.
❖ This population distribution is affected by many factors such
as drainage pattern, physiography, climate, economy and
culture etc.

Regions of High Concentration of Population

➢ River Valley Plains such as Satluj-Ganga-Brahmaputra
Valleys.
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➢ Western and Eastern Coastal Plains of India.

➢ Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.
➢ South Western plain and Jaffna valley in Sri Lanka.

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➢ These areas have high agricultural production due to

irrigation facilities and fertile soil, good commercial and
industrial sites and dense network of transportation.

Regions of Moderate Concentration of

Population
➢ Interior Peninsular India.
➢ Sindh province in Pakistan.
➢ Sylhet and Chittagong districts of Bangladesh.
➢ Tarai region of Nepal.
➢ Here the soils are better, climate is less arid and harsh with
subsistence agriculture and small commerce.

Regions of Low Distribution of Population

➢ Himalayan Mountainous region of India, Nepal and Bhutan.
➢ North Western Hill region and Baluchistan plateau area of
Pakistan.
➢ Central Hill region of Sri Lanka.
➢ These regions are those which have infertile soil and
unproductive agriculture, little or no commerce, harsh
climate, high altitude and difficult transportation.

Density of Population in South Asia

❖ There are 4 sub-divisions of the region according to density
of population.
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❖ Overall the average density of the region is fairly high i.e 416
persons per square (in 2015).
❖ Bangladesh ranks first in terms of population density.

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The Very High Density Region (Average

density of more than 400 persons per square
km)
➢ It extends over Great Northern Plains of Indus-Ganga-
Brahmaputra valleys and deltas, Western coastal plains of
Kerala and Gujarat in India and S-Wn coast of Sri Lanka.

The High Density Region (Average density

between 200-400 persons per square km)
➢ This region includes S-W Punjab, Haryana, UP, Jharkhand,
Brahmaputra valley, eastern and northern hilly Bangladesh,
S-En Gujarat and middle Maharashtra and Southern Tamil
Nadu in India; Kathmandu Valley in Nepal; North Central Sri
Lanka and North Western Frontier presence of Pakistan.

The Moderate Density Region (Average

density between 100-200 persons per square
km)
➢ It spreads over Nepal and Bhutan, Western Bangladesh,
Peninsular India and Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka.

The Low Density Region (Average density

below 100 persons per square km)
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➢ This region includes Himalayan states of Jammu and

Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh and North
Eastern states and western Rajasthan in India, northern
Nepal, and Baluchistan plateau in Pakistan.

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South Asia : Population Density

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Racial Structure
✓ Pakistanis, North Indians and Bangladeshis are primarily of
Aryan race.
✓ South Indians and Sinhalese and Tamils of Sri Lanka are
Dravidians.
✓ Bhutanis and Nepalis are Sino-Tibetans.

Religious Structure
✓ Hinduism and Islam form the majority religions of this
region.
✓ Pakistan and Bangladesh are predominantly Muslim
countries.
✓ Nepal has majority Hindu.
✓ India is a secular country with Hinduism as majority.

Languages
✓ The subcontinent has great diversity in the spoken
languages. English is spoken by the elite and officers in all
the South Asian countries. In fact it is a British legacy.
✓ In India English is the official language, majority people
speak Hindi. But there are myriad languages in in myriad
regions of India.
✓ Urdu is the chief and official language of Pakistan.
✓ Bengali is primarily spoken in Bangladesh.
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✓ Nepali or Gurkhali is the main language of Nepal.

✓ Sinhalese is chiefly spoken in Sri Lanka.
✓ Bhotiya is the chief language of Bhutan.
✓ Maldivian is the chief and official language of Maldives.

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Agriculture
❖ Agriculture is the chief occupation of South Asian countries. A
large proportion of the population of South Asia is engaged in
agriculture activities.

Chief Characteristics Of The Agriculture

Of South Asia :
Subsistence Agriculture – Most of the farmers own
small land holdings and produce for their subsistence only
with little surplus to sell in the market.
Pressure of population – the population in South Asia
is increasing at a rapid pace and exerts heavy pressure on
agriculture.
Importance of Animals – Animal force has always
played a significant role in agricultural operations such as
ploughing, irrigation, threshing and transporting the
agricultural produce.
Dependence upon monsoons – South Asian
agriculture is mainly dependent upon monsoon which is
uncertain, unreliable and irregular.
Variety of crops – Both tropical and temperate crops are
successfully grown in South Asia.
Predominance of food crops – To feed a large
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population food crops is the first priority of the farmers.

Labour intensive – there is lack of mechanization and
abundance of labour to work in fields.

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Small and fragmented land holdings – it is due to

the inheritance law that distributes the land among children
into so many subdivisions.
Mixed cropping – four to five crops are grown
simultaneously in the same field.

Cropping Seasons
▪ Kharif – these are summer crops such as rice, maize, bajra
and jowar.
▪ Rabi – these are winter crops such as wheat, barley, jowar,
gram, mustard etc.
▪ Zaid – these are short maturing crops grown in between the
Rabi and Kharif crops when the land is vacant, for example,
watermelon, bitter gourd, cucumber, muskmelon etc.

Major Crops
❖ South Asian countries have mainly tropical and subtropical
climates. Nepal and Bhutan and northern parts of India and
Pakistan have temperate climate also.
❖ So a variety of tropical, subtropical and temperate crops are
cultivated in South Asian countries.
❖ Rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, cotton, tea, jute, rubber and a
variety of fruits and vegetables are cultivated.
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Rice
➢ Rice is a crop of warm, humid areas with temperature of 20-
35°C and rainfall of more than 100 cm. It is cultivated in fertile
clayey deltaic soil with a lot of mapower.

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➢ Rice is the most important staple food crop of South Asia. It

occupies about 27% of the agricultural area of the region.
➢ India is the 1st largest in South Asia and 2nd largest producer
of Rice in the world.
o Major rice producing regions are : the Satluj-Ganga
plain, the Brahmaputra valley and the eastern coastal
plains.
➢ Bangladesh is the 2nd largest producer of Rice in South Asia.
o It is mainly cultivated in Sunderban Delta Region and
the lower valleys of Ganga and Brahmaputra.
➢ Pakistan is the 3rd major producer of rice in the region.
o It is primarily produced in Sindh province.
➢ Sri Lanka also produces rice in it’s coastal areas.
➢ Nepal produces rice in Terai region.

Wheat
➢ Wheat is an important winter season food crop of South Asia.
➢ Wheat is grown as a Rabi crop in South Asia in regions of
moderate rainfall and temperature ranging between 15-20°C.
➢ India is the largest producer of wheat in South Asia and 2nd
largest in the world after China.
o It is cultivated in North-Western parts of India in the
Satluj-Ganga plains spreading over Uttar Pradesh,
Punjab, Haryana and Bihar.

➢ Bangladesh is the 2nd major wheat producer of the region.

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o Most of the production comes from North Western

Frontier Province and Sindh province.
➢ Nepal produces wheat in Kathmandu valley.

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Tea
➢ Tea is an important beverage crop of South Asia.
➢ It is a crop of warm and moist hill areas of South Asia.
➢ India is the largest tea producer in the world.
o Main tea producing regions are Brahmaputra valley in
Assam, Cooch Bihar, Dooars, Terai and Darjeeling in
West Bengal, and Soorma valley in Tripura, Niligiri Hill
region in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Kangra hill region
of Himachal Pradesh and Ranchi plateau of Jharkhand.
➢ Sri Lanka is the 2nd major producer and exporter of tea in
South Asia.
o There, Kandi is the main tea producing district in
mountainous land in South central Sri Lanka.
➢ Bangladesh produces tea in the north eastern hill district of
Sylhet.

Cotton
➢ Cotton is the fibre crop of tropical and subtropical crop.
➢ Cotton is the chief crop of South Asia.
➢ India is the leading producer of cotton in the world.
o Important cotton producing regions in India are Black
cotton soil region of Peninsular India; and North
Western India.
➢ Pakistan is the 2nd largest producer of cotton in South Asia.
o Most of it’s cotton production comes from Lahore,
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Multan, Montgomery, Lyallpur, Shahpur Shekhpur

areas.

Jute
➢ Jute is another important fibre crop of South Asia.

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➢ The Indian Subcontinent had monopoly in Jute cultivation in

the world because Jute is indigenous to Ganga Brahmaputra
lower valleys and delta areas.
➢ South Asia is the largest producer of Jute in the world and
produces nearly 71% of Asia’s total jute.
➢ India is the largest producer of Jute in South Asia.
o It is produced mostly in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar,
Odisha, UP and Tripura states.
➢ Bangladesh is the second major producer of jute in South
Asia.
o The important jute regions are Mymen Singh Region,
Serajganj, Uttarya and Dewarh region.

Rubber
➢ Rubber is an important industrial crop of South Asia.
➢ It is a plantation crop of hot and humid regions of South Asia
➢ India is the largest producer of rubber in South Asia.
o Mainly it is produced in three southern states namely,
Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
➢ Sri Lanka is also an important producer of rubber.
o Most of the rubber is produced in south-western coastal
districts.
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South Asia : Agriculture

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World Regional Geography South Asia

Mineral Resources
❖ South Asia is endowed with a rich variety of mineral
resources due to its varied geological structure.
❖ The mineral resources provide the region with the necessary
base for industrial development.
❖ They are mainly associated with metamorphic and igneous
rocks of the Peninsular India.
Major Minerals Of South Asia
o Iron ore, copper, manganese, bauxite, mica, etc are the
important minerals found in South Asia.

Iron Ore
➢ It is the chief mineral of South Asia.
➢ India is the 4th largest producer of iron ore in the world and
the only important producer in the region South Asia.

➢ Pakistan produces some iron ore in Mianwali, Sargodha,

Attack, Chhagai and Chitral.
➢ Sri Lanka has small but good quality iron ore in Bolangoda,
Kosgoda, Kalawana, etc.
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Manganese
➢ It is a hard and brittle metal that is added to steel to increase
its strength.

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➢ In South Asia, India is the major producer of manganese

which ranks 6th largest in the world’s total manganese
production.

➢ Pakistan produces small qualities of manganese in southern

Baluchistan.

Mica
➢ Mica is a naturally occurring non metallic mineral that has a
unique combination of elasticity, toughness, flexibility and
transparency.
➢ It is a very good insulator due to which it has a white range
of applications in electrical industry.
➢ India is a major producer of mica in South Asia.

Bauxite
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➢ Bauxite is an ore of aluminium which makes up 8% of the

earth’s crust.
➢ India is the largest producer of bauxite in South Asia as well
as in the world.

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➢ Pakistan produces bauxite in Hazara and Sibi areas.

Copper
➢ Copper is a non ferrous metal that is found in metamorphic
and igneous rocks in forms of sulphide and oxides.
➢ South Asia has very low production of copper.

Other Important Minerals

➢ Apart from these minerals gold, chromite, graphite, zinc etc
are also found in South Asia, especially in Peninsular India.
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Major Mineral Rich Regions of South

Asia

Northern Belt :
✓ Chota Nagpur plateau – Kynite, iron, chromium, mica, coal,
manganese, copper, limestone etc.
✓ Assam Petroleum Reserve – Lignite coal.

Central Belt :-
✓ Chattisgarh region – Iron and Limestone.
✓ Godavari-Wardha Valley – coal field.

South-West region :-
✓ Karnataka : Dharwad, Shimoga, Chitradurg, Tumkur,
Chikmaglur – Iron, manganese, limestone.
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✓ Goa – iron ores.

✓ Maharashtra : Ratnagiri – iron.

South-East Region :-
✓ East Karnataka : Bellary-Hospet region – iron.

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✓ Andhra Pradesh : Cudappah, Kurnool, Nellore – Mica,

manganese, lignite coal.
✓ Telangana – bauxite.
✓ Tamil Nadu : Neyveli – lignite coal.

North-West Region :-
✓ Gujarat and Rajasthan – petroleum, salt, gypsum, borax.

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South Asia : Mineral Resources

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Power Resources
❖ Energy is one of the major parts of the economic
infrastructure, being the basic needed to sustain economic
growth.
Major Energy Sources of South Asia :
o South Asia’s energy mix is dominated by coal followed
by oil, biomass, renewable energy and nuclear energy.

Coal
➢ Coal is the most important and abundant fossil fuel in South
Asia used for thermal power generation, smelting of iron
ore, production of steel and domestic heating.
➢ It is also called black gold which is found in sedimentary
stratas.
➢ India has the 5th largest coal reserves in the world, thus, a
major coal producer in South Asia as well as in the world.

➢ Pakistan is a minor producer of coal. Most of the deposits are

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found N-W Frontier Province, Baluchistan and Kohistan

region.

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Petroleum
➢ Petroleum or mineral oil (commonly known as crude oil) us
a fossil fuel mined from sedimentary rocks of the earth.
➢ South Asia is a major importer of petroleum. Although there
are some petroleum reserves but these are not sufficient for
the large population of the region.
➢ Bombay High, the Khambhat Gulf and the Assam are the
most productive areas for petroleum in india.
➢ Pakistan’s petroleum mines lie in Potwar plateau.
➢ Bangladesh has Sylhet region important for petroleum
production.

Natural Gas
➢ Natural Gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons primarily Ethane
and Methane.
➢ It is formed during the formation of petroleum so it is often
dissolved in crude oil.
➢ Distribution of natural gas in India – Reserves found in
Krishna-Godavari basin, Brahmaputra valley, gulf of
Khambhat and Barmer district of Rajasthan.
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South Asia : Power Resources

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Manufacturing Industries
❖ South Asia has set up various agro based and mineral
resources based Industries due to ample availability of raw
material as well market and other factors.

Iron and Steel Industry

✓ It is the basic Industry which is the backbone of all
industrialisation and development. This is because all other
industries have two depend on iron and steel out of which
machinery of any kind is manufactured.
✓ Iron and steel industry uses large quantities of heavy and
weight lossing raw materials and its localisation is primarily
controlled by the availability of raw material.
✓ It is an important industry in South Asia as it generates a
huge employment and boosts the growth of research and
development sector in the region.
✓ India is the only important producer of iron and steel in
South Asia and ranks 2nd largest in the world.
✓ Important iron and steel industrial centres in India are :
Jamshedpur ; Mysore Iron and Steel Co. at Bhadravati ;
Burnpur, Hirapur and Durgapur in West Bengal ; Bhilai in
Chattisgarh ; Rourkela and Daitari in Odisha ; Vijayanagar in
Karnataka ; Salem in Tamil Nadu ; and Vishakhapatnam in
Andhra Pradesh.
✓ Pakistan has a small industry of iron and steel mainly
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located in Karachi and Lahore.

Cotton Textile Industry

✓ It is the traditional cottage industry of the region for which
is the most important industry of South Asia.

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✓ The region has enough raw material, cheap and abundant

labour supply and a large consuming market are available.
✓ As per the statistics of 2019, India is the largest producer of
cotton yarn and fabrics in the world.
✓ Important cotton producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat,
West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
✓ Pakistan is the 2nd major producer of cotton textiles in
South Asia.
✓ Karachi and Hyderabad are its main producers.

Jute Indutry
✓ It is an important textile industry of South Asia with India as
the largest producer of jute textiles in the world.
✓ The industry is primarily concentrated along river Hoogli in
India and Bangladesh.
✓ Bangladesh is the 2nd largest producer of jute textiles in the
world, with main production regions at Khulna, Chittagong
and Narayanganj.
✓ Other Important jute producing states in India are Andhra
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Assam.
✓ Pakistan and Nepal are minor producers of jute in the
region.

Sugar Industry
✓ It is an important agro-based industry of all South Asian
countries.
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✓ India is world’s largest producer of raw sugar in the world.

Country’s most of sugarcane is produced in Satluj-Ganga
plains, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Also,
most of the sugar mills of India are also found in these
regions.

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✓ Pakistan is also a major sugar producing country. Important

centres of production are North Western Frontier Province.

Paper Industry
✓ It is a forest based industry which is based upon soft wood
and very important in South Asia.
✓ India is the 5th largest paper producing country in the world
with main centres of production in West Bengal,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and Gujarat.
✓ Pakistan’s paper industry is based on straw. Important
paper manufacturing centres are Nawshera, Rahwali,
Mangarh, Lahore and Gujranwala.
✓ Bangladesh has a well developed paper industry. It is based
on bamboo as a raw material. The major centres of
production are Chandragona, Khulna, Sylhet.
✓ Nepal has small paper mills at Biratnagar and Birganj.
✓ Sri Lanka and Bhutan also produce paper on a small scale.

Other Important Industries of South Asia

✓ The majority of industries in South Asia are mainly confined
to India. Apart from the agro-based industries, there are
chemical industries, electrical and engineering industries,
automobile industries, fertilizer industry, food industry, foot
wear industry, furniture industry, etc.
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Industrial Regions of South Asia

➢ Industries in South Asia are unevenly distributed. They are
concentrated in certain areas where conditions of their
localisation (such as raw material, capital, energy, labour,

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market, water, communication, transport, land, power etc.).

Such favourable areas or pockets are called industrial
regions.

Industrial Location Important Important Industries

Regions Industrial
Centres
Hoogli Bank of Kolkata, Jute, Cotton, Silk, Rayon
Industrial river Hoogli, and Synthetic Textiles,
Region Hoogli Haora, Chemical
Shrirampur, Pharmaceuticals,
Bhatpara, Leather, Paper, Match,
Chandarnaga Engineering,
r Electronics, Plastic,
Electricals,
Shipbuilding etc.
Mumbai- Mumbai Thane, Cotton textile,
Pune and it’s Kalyan, petrochemicals, oil
Industrial suburbs Pimpri, Nasik refineries, engineering,
Region and Pune shipbuilding, electrical
goods, etc
Chhotanag Jharkhan Jamshedpur, Iron and steel, heavy
pur d Bhilai, engineering, machine
Plateau Durgapur, tools, cement,
Industrial Bokaro, fertilizers, heavy
Region Sindri, electricals, locomotives,
Ranchi, paper, etc.
Dhanbad,
Hazaribagh
Ahmedaba Along Ahmedabad, Cotton textile, rayon
d-Vadodra Gulf of Vadodra and textile, paper, oil
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Industrial Khamhat Bharuch refining

Region in Gujrat
Mumbai- Wn. Coimbatore, Cotton textile, silk
Coimbator Tamil Bangalore, Textile, sugar mills,
e- Nadu and Madurai, chemicals, leather,

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Bangalore S-En. Tiruchirapalli cement, machine tools,

Region Karnatak , Salem etc.
a
Delhi and Delhi, Gurgaon, Cotton textile, rayon,
Adjoining Haryana, Faridabad, chemical, glass, paper,
Area Uttar Ghaziabad, electronics, bicy-cles,
Industrial Pradesh Noida, machine to-ols and
Region Mathura and engin-eering industries.
Agra.
Amritsar NH-1 Jandiala, Rayon textiles,
Jala-ndhar Kart-pur, engineering, machine
Ludhia-na Phagwara, tools, furniture, paper
Ambala Goraya, board, bicycles, steel
ind-ustrial Doraha, fabrication, agricultural
Region Khanna, implements, dairy
Govin-dgarh, products, flour milling
Rajpura. etc.
Karachi Karachi Karachi and Cotton textile, ce-ment,
Industrial in Hyderabad chemical, fertilizer,
Region Pakistan leather, iron and steel,
Engineering, electricals,
food processing, carp-
et making etc.
Dhaka Dhaka in Dhaka Jute and cotton textile,
Industrial Banglade brewing, food
Region sh processing, leather,
tobacco, automobiles
and electricals.
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South Asia : Industrial Regions

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