South Asia: Where do people live?
We have been using 5 physical criteria [phpeowhy.htm] to help us understand where people live in each geographic realm [wwecumen]. By applying these criteria to each realm we not only learn where people live, but we also gain a better understanding of the realm's physical geography.
Student's must understand that each criterion may not apply to all realms. We learn just as much when we discover that a criterion does not apply as when it does.
The 5 criteria are:
Use the maps provided to apply these criteria to South Asia which help explain the location of the realm's ecumene ("the portion of the earth's land surface that is permanently settled by human beings"). Pay close attention to which criteria HELP explain where people live and to any EXCEPTIONS to the criteria.
The population of peninsular India is large [sspopden], but not as densely populated as the Ganges River Basin, reflecting drier conditions [ssprecip] which give rise to crops adapted to this climate such as wheat and millet [ssagric]. The regions of western India are the least populated [sspopden] reflecting desert conditions there[ssprecip] [ssphys].
Our lecture on population growth [ssepopfr.htm] will expand on the population and population growth of this realm.