| A | B |
|---|
| Afghanistan | Country that the U.S. is currently fighting a war in against the Taliban and that served as a buffer state between the Soviet Union and Great Britain |
| Alluvial Plain | Level or sloped surface formed of sediments by streams during flooding |
| Bangladesh | After a civil war in 1971, East Pakistan became this new country, which has the 7th largest population of any country in the world |
| Bhutan | Country in the Himalayas that is majority Buddhist and does not welcome tourists |
| Brahman | Highest level of caste system consisting of priests, judges and teachers |
| Buddhism | Majority religion in Bhutan |
| Buffer State | Country that separates two political enemies |
| Caste System | Social hierarchy that people are born into in India which gives them a rank in society |
| Everest | Highest mountain in the world that grows 2 feet every 10 years |
| Gandhi | Man who used nonviolent methods to help India gain independence from Britain |
| Ganges | Hinduism’s holy river that runs through India and Bangladesh |
| Hinduism | Majority religion in India and Nepal that believes in reincarnation and uses the caste system |
| Hindu Kush | Mountain range in Afghanistan that translates to “Hindu death” |
| India | Country that is the home of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the major cities of New Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai |
| Indo Gangetic | Plain that is 1500 miles of rich soil in north India; world’s largest alluvial plain |
| Indus | River that is a lifeline in Pakistan and provides irrigation for agriculture and hydroelectric power |
| Islam | Majority religion in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh |
| Kashmir | Pakistan and India fight over this region |
| Khyber | This mountain pass in the Himalaya range allows for movement between Pakistan and Afghanistan |
| Kshatriya | Second highest level of caste system consisting of warriors and landowners |
| Maldives | Country made up of thousands of small low-lying islands |
| Monsoon | Seasonal shifts in the winds that blow in the winter and summer |
| Nepal | Country found in the Himalaya range that is majority Hindu, welcomes tourists and is home to Mt. Everest |
| Nonviolent Resistance | The method that Gandhi used against injustice, which was his most powerful weapon |
| Pakistan | Country where Osama Bin Laden was found, fights India for Kashmir and struggles with violence today |
| Reincarnation | Belief that the souls of human beings and animals go through a series of births, deaths and rebirths |
| Sherpa | Skilled mountaineers and guides in Nepal |
| Sri Lanka | Country that is shaped like a tear drop, means “magnificent island” and produces 1/8 of the world’s tea |
| Subcontinent | Large landmass once attached to Africa that makes up South Asia today |
| Sudras | Lowest level of caste system consisting of craftworkers, laborers and musicians |
| Tarbela | Dam on the Indus River in Pakistan that is one of the world’s biggest producers of hydroelectric power |
| Untouchables | Group outside the caste system consisting of sanitary workers and garbage men |
| Vaisyas | Second lowest level of caste system consisting of farmers and merchants |
