Vocabulary WordsChapter 20 – Southern Asia

Subcontinent

A large landmass that is part of a continent but that has its own geographic identity.

Himalayas

A mountain range that stretches about 1,500 miles across South Asia.

Northern Plains

Plains that lie between the Himalaya Mountains and South Asia.

Delta

A triangular deposit of soil at the mouth of a river.

Sediment

Small fragments of rock that are moved around by wind, water, or ice.

Deccan Plateau

A plateau that makes up most of southern India.

Archipelago

A group of islands.

Monsoon

A seasonal wind that brings great amounts of rain.

Mohenjo-Daro

A large ancient city in the Indus River Valley.

Aryans

An ethnic group who migrated from southern Russia through central Asia and settled in India.

Sanskrit

A language of India.

Hinduism

A religion developed in ancient India.

Vedas

The Books of Knowledge of the ancient Aryans, which were the basis of Hinduism.

Caste

An inherited social class that separates people from other classes by birth, occupation, or wealth.

Ashoka

The emperor of ancient India from 269 to 232 B.C.

Buddhism

A religion based on achieving happiness and peace by living life free of desires and pain.

Siddhartha Gautama

A wealthy Indian prince who founded Buddhism in 500 B.C.

Four Noble Truths

The basic teachings of Buddhism.

Eightfold Path

In Buddhism, a set of guidelines for how to escape suffering.

Khmer

An ancient ethnic group in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat

A Hindu temple in India built by the Khmer people.