• How do you think Afghanistan’s rainfall pattern will affect the way of life in that country?

• How does the physical features theme help you explain the differences in patterns of rainfall between inland Bangalore and coastal Mangalore?

• Which regions or countries of South Asia are suitable for agriculture and which are not? Explain.

In the second part of the lesson, students compare South Asia’s yearly precipitation patterns with those of agricultural activities and population density by adding and observing shapefiles representing those data (see Figures H.2, H.3, and H.4). One customization evident in these maps is that the added themes, derived from global data, have been clipped to the political borders of the South Asia region. Each theme’s legend is also customized to facilitate easy analysis and comparison with other themes. Again, these customizations enable the student to focus easily on the content and objectives of the lesson.

In the final part of the lesson, students are guided through a synthesis of their discoveries about the monsoon’s impact on agriculture and population patterns with questions such as the following:

FIGURE H.1 Map of South Asia with countries, rivers, and major cities named with graphs contrasting total and annual rainfall for Bombay and Mangalore. SOURCE: Personal communication from Lyn Malone, 2003.