In this section of the assignment, you will observe spatial patterns of monsoon rainfall in South Asia and analyze the relationship of those patterns to the region’s physical features and agriculture. By the end of this assignment, you should be able to:

• Describe the spatial patterns of monsoon rainfall in South Asia.
• Explain the influence of landforms on spatial patterns of precipitation.

What are the rainfall patterns in South Asia’s coastal cities?

Step 1: Go to the ArcGIS Online map, Seasonal Differences, and explore the map.

Step 2: With the Details button underlined, click the button, Show Contents.

Step 3: In the map, click the city of Mumbai, and then in the pop-up, scroll down and view the list of monthly and annual rainfall by millimeters.

Step 4: Close the Identify pop-up window and click the coastal city of Mangalore, directly to the south of Mumbai.

How does precipitation compare between coastal and inland cities in South Asia?

Step 5: Click the city of Bangalore, directly east of Mangalore?

Step 6: Click the Measure tool and measure the distance in kilometers between the two cities?

What does the physical geography look like between coastal and inland South Asian cities?

Step 7: In the Contents pane, check the Physical Features layer box to turn on the layer, and then click the Show Legend button.

Step 8: Turn off the Physical Features layer and collapse the legend.

Step 9: Investigate the precipitation of Kabul in Afghanistan and the eastern cities of Kolkata, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, using the previously learned methods.

What is the monsoon’s impact on agriculture in South Asia?

Step 10: Turn on the Yearly Rain South Asia and Sout Asian Agriculture layers and click the Show Legend buttons.

Step 11: Toggle between the two layers and observe which crops are grown in the areas with the most and least precipitation.