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Bangladesh (BAHNG gluh DEHSH)
Bhutan (boo THAN)
India (IHN dee uh)
Maldives (MAL dyvz)
Nepal (nuh PAWL)
Pakistan (PAK ih STAN)
Sri Lanka (sree LAHNG kuh)
Student eEdition  |  Unit 9: South Asia


Find answers to your questions about myNGconnect World Cultures and Geography components and technical issues
Jama Masjid in Delhi, India
Unit 9 South Asia, Chapter 17
© Jane Sweeney/JAI/Corbis
The Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi was built in 1656 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal. This was the first mosque in India to include minarets. Minarets are the towers attached to mosques from which the call to prayer is broadcast five times each day.
Mumbai, India at night, 1997
Unit 9 South Asia, Chapter 17
© Steve McMurray/National Geographic Stock
Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is India's main port on the Arabian Sea. It is located partly on Mumbai Island and is also bordered by a harbor. This location limits its ability to expand. With an area of only 239 square miles and a population of more than 16 million people, Mumbai has one of the highest population densities of any city in the world.
People in the Ganges River in Varanasi, India
Unit 9 South Asia, Chapter 17
© John Stanmeyer, National Geographic Stock
The Ganges River, considered sacred by Hindus, is the most important river in India. Varanasi, a city of about one million on the west bank of the river in Uttar Pradesh state, draws nearly 2 million pilgrims each year to its many temples and shrines. The shore is lined for miles with ghats or stairways that people use to enter the river for ritual bathing.
Villagers in flooded rice paddies during monsoon season, Bangladesh
Unit 9 South Asia, Chapter 17
© James P. Blair/National Geographic Stock
Bangladesh receives large amounts of rainfall during the monsoon season from June to late September or early October. Most of the country receives at least 60 inches of rain per year, with some areas receiving 100 or even 200 inches. Because most fields flood during the monsoon season, people build houses on higher ground.
Investigate Geography
Unit 9 South Asia, Chapter 17, Section 1.3 Living with Monsoons
© Coming Soon
The snow leopards' closest relatives are tigers. Genetic experts estimate that snow leopards became distinct from tigers about 3.2 million years ago, but still group them together under the genus Panthera. Other authorities, however, believe snow leopards are distinct enough to be in their own genus, Uncia.