| A | B |
|---|
| SUBCONTINENT | large landmass smaller than a continent |
| MOUNT EVEREST | highest mountain in the world |
| K-2 | second highest mountain in the world |
| GENGES RIVER | most important river in India |
| DELTA | landform at the mouth of river created by sediment deposits |
| GENGES PLAIN | major farming area in India |
| INDUS RIVER | major river located in Pakistan |
| INDUS RIVER VALLEY | fertile plain and most densely poplulated area |
| DECAN PLATEAU | south of Genges Plain, large and hilly |
| THAR | Great Indian Desert located east of Indus Valley |
| TARAI | fertile farmland and tropical jungles in southern Nepal |
| MONSOONS | seasonal winds bringing moist or dry air to an area |
| HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION | early civilization to inhabit the Indus Valley |
| ARYANS | people from China settled Indus Valley ca. 1500 |
| SANSCRIT | Aryan language, influenced many languages in South Asia |
| MAURYAN EMPIRE | 320 BC controlled most of Indian subcontinent |
| ASOKA | greatest Mauryan Emperor |
| GUPTA EMPIRE | AD 300s unified much of northern India |
| MUGHAL EMPIRE | founded powerful kingdom at Dehli |
| BARBUR | great Mughal emperor conquered much of India |
| AKBAR | one of India's greatest leaders, grandson of Barbur |
| TAJ MAHAL | one of India's most spectacular buildings, by Akbur |
| COLONY | territory inhabited and controlled by people from a foreign land |
| BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY | icontrolled India as a British Colony |
| PARTITION | division, India divided into two independent countries in 1947 |
| HINDUISM | dominant religion in India |
| BUDDHISM | religion that grew out of Hinduism |
| SIDDARTHA GAUTAMA | the Buddha, founder of Buddhism |
| CASTE SYSTEM | division in Indian society based on a person's birth or occupation |
| DALITS | India's lowest class |
| MUMBAI (Bombay) | one of India's largest cities |
| KOLKATA (Calcutta) | one of India's largest cities |
| INDIAN VILLAGES | home to more than 70% of India's population |
| DIWALI | festival of lights, major Indian celebration |
| URBANIZATION | increase in the percentage of people who live in cities |
| GREEN REVOLUTION | encourages farmers to adopt modern agricultural methods |
| SHERPAS | ethnic group from the mountains of Nepal |
| PAKISTAN | established in 1947, lacks government stability |
| KASHMIR | area of Himalayas claimed by both India and Pakistan |
| DHAKA | capital and largest city of Bangladesh |
| KATHMANDU | capital and largest city of Nepal |
| BHUTAN | small isolated kingdom in Himalayas between India and China |
| SRI LANKA | large island country 20 miles southeast of India's coast |
