Question | Answer |
Himalaya Mountains | n. A mountain range in South Asia that includes Mount Everest, the worlds tallest mountain peak. |
Subcontinent | n. Landmass that is like a continent, only smaller, such as South Asia , which is called the indian subcontinent. |
Alluvial Plain | n. Land that is rich farmland, composed of clay, silt, sand, or gravel deposited by running water. |
Archipelago | n. A set of closely grouped islands. |
Atoll | n. a Ring like coral island or string of small islands surrounding a lagoon. |
Monsoon | n. A seasonal wind, especially in South Asia. |
Cyclone | n. A violent storm with fierce winds and heavy rain; trhe most extreme weather pattern of South Asia. |
Hinduism | n. The dominant religion of India. |
Ganges River | n. A river in South Asia. an important water recource flowing more than 1,500 miles from its source in a himalayan glacier to the bay of Benegal. |
Storm Surge | n. High water level brought by a cyclone that swamps low-lying areas. |
Estuary | n. A broaden seaward end of a river where the river's currents meetthe oceans tide. |
Mughal Empire | n. The muslim empire established by the early 1500s over much of India. which brought with it new customs that sometimes conflicted with those of native Hindus. |
Raj | n.The period of british rule in India. which lasted nearly 200 years from 1857 to 947. |
Nonviolent Resistance | n. A movement that issues all means of protest except violence. |
Land Reform | n. The process of breaking up large land holdings to attain a more balanced land distribution among farmers. |
Green Revolution | n. An agricultural program launched by scientist in the 1960's to develop higher yeilding grain varities and improve food production by incorporating new farming techniques. |
Caste System | n. The Aryan system of social classes in India and one of the cornerstones of hinduism in which each person is born into a caste and can only move into a different caste through reincarnation. |
Indus Valley Civilization | n. The largest of the worlds civilizations in what is now Pakistan; this was a highly developed urban civilization lasting from 2500 b.c. to about 1500 b.c. |
Partition | seperation; division in two or more territorial units having seperate political status. |
Kashmir | n. A region of northern India and Pakistan over which several destructive wars have been fought. |
Microcredit | n. a small loan available to poor entrepenuers , to help small businesses grow and raise living standards. |
Entrepreneur | n. A person who starts and builds a business . |
Ramadan | n. An Islamic practice of month long fasting from sun up to sun down. |
Constitutional Monarchy | n. A government in which the rulers powers are limited by a constitution and the laws of a nation. |
Sherpa | n. A person of tibetan ancestry in Nepal,who serves as the traditional mountain guide of the mount Everest region. |
Siddhartha Guatama | n. The founder of Bhuddism and known as the buddha, born in southern Nepal in 6th century B.C. |
Mandala | n. In Tibetan bhuddism, a geometric design that symbolizes the universe and aids in meditation. |
Sinhalese | n. An Indo-Aryan people who crossed the strait seperating India and Sri Lanka in the sixth century B.C. and who created an advanced civilization there, adopting Buddhism. |
Tamils | n. A Dravidian Hindu, who arrived in Sri Lanka in the forth century settling in the north while the sinhalese moved further south. |
Sultan | n. a ruler of a muslim country. |
Basic Necessities | n. food, clothing, and shelter. |
Illiteracy | n. The inability to read or write. |
Summer Monsoon | n. The season when winds blow from the southwest across the Indian ocean toward South Asia, from June to September, with winds stirring up powerful storms and causing severe flooding. |
Winter Monsoon | n. The season when dry winds blow from the northeast across the Himalayan Mountains towards the sea from October through February, causing drought. |