3.1 Cities of the Indus Valley

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 * The Indus Valley is located on the Indian subcontinent,a large landmass that juts out from a continent.
 * Today the Indian subcontinent contains 3 of the world's 10 most populated countries!
 * The people who live on the coastal plains of India depend on the monsoon, seasonal wind, for their survival.
 * The monsoon first brings hot air down from the northeast, destroying crops. In the rainy season, however, the monsoon blows up from the southwest in from the Indian Ocean, bringing with it daily downpours of rain.
 * Early Civilization
 * Archealogists have only recently discovered the cities of the Indus River Valley civilization. Their cities were impressive and very well planned.
 * Grid-like blocks
 * Standardized weights and measures for trade
 * Plumbing systems
 * Houses were made from uniform oven-fried clay bricks
 * The people of the Indus Valley were farmers, growing a wide variety of crops. They were also the first people to weave cotton fiber into cloth.
 * The people of the Indus Valley suddenly disappeared from history. A volcanoe or earthquake could have caused the Indus River to flood. The people could have destroyed their environment by cutting down too many trees for their ovens. The Aryan people also invaded and destroyed the Indus people in 1500 B.C.