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The Indus Valley Civilization, also called Harappan, was the biggest ancient cizilisation we’ve found in India and nearby countries. It probably existed from about 2500 to 1700 years before Jesus was born and maybe even longer in some southern areas. It was one of the very first three big civilizations in the world, along with Egypt and Mesopotamia. What’s really special about the Harappan Civilization is how huge the area it covered was. Let’s take a look at where it stretched, the cool places within it, and how advanced this early group of people was.
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Geographical Extent of Indus Valley Civilization
This civilization was bigger than Pakistan today, which was reaching two parts of India and Afghanistan. That’s how big this Indus Valley civilization was. It can be seen that this was roughly triangle-shaped and covered an area of about 1.3 million square kilometres. That makes it one of the biggest old civilizations, even larger than ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia put together when they were at their strongest. To have a clear view, let’s explore cardinal directions and the regions.
- North: We’ve found the northernmost places where these people lived in two main spots. One is Shortugai in Afghanistan, near a river called the Amu Darya. It was likely a place where they traded things like a beautiful blue stone called lapis lazuli. The other important northern location is Manda in Jammu and Kashmir, India, which sits right next to the Chenab River.
- South: In the southern part, researchers have found Daimabad in Maharashtra, India, on the Pravara River, which flows into the Godavari River. That is also a sign that they went quite far south into India.
- East: The main eastern spot is Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh, India, by the Yamuna River. They might have reached a bit further east, but Alamgirpur is still a key eastern location.
- West: The westernmost point of where they lived was Sutkagan Dor in Balochistan, Pakistan. It’s near the Dasht River and the Arabian Sea coast. Being by the sea suggests they traded using ships.
Key Regions and Their Significance:
The Indus Valley Civilization covered a large area, and some specific areas played a very important role.
Sindh (Pakistan): The area of Sindh is of immense importance because the Indus Valley Civilization city of Mohenjo-daro is located here and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Mohenjo-daro is basically recognised for its well-planned buildings and roads, such as the great bath and the granaries of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Punjab (Pakistan and India): The first Indus Valley city encountered through digging was Harappa, in the Punjab region of what is now Pakistan. Other significant sites in the vicinity are in Rakhigarhi, Haryana, India. Which people now think was the biggest Indus Valley city, and Ropar in Punjab, India.
Balochistan (Pakistan): The Indus Valley Civilization had important places in the west, such as Mehrgarh (which was there first), Nausharo, and Sutkagan Dor, a place for sea trade. The uneven land likely influenced where people made their homes and how they found the things they needed.
Gujarat (India): The region of Gujarat also had a lot of Indus Valley Civilization settlements. One key city was Lothal, which had a dock for boats. Another was Dholavira, known for its unique system of controlling water and its distinct way of planning the city. Other notable places in Gujarat include Surkotada and Rangpur.
Haryana and Rajasthan (India): These areas also have important Indus Valley sites. Bhirrana, in Haryana, is thought to be one of the oldest settlements. Kalibangan, in Rajasthan, is well-known for its farmed fields and structures used for fire rituals.
Afghanistan: The settlement in Shortugai tells us they had links to Central Asia, most likely for trading valuable goods.
Also Read:
Historical Facts About Harappan Civilization
Art and Craft of Harappan Civilization: Facts & Short Notes
Stats that Speak Volumes:
We are still not sure exactly how many Indus Valley Civilization sites there were because researchers keep finding new ones. But we think there are over 1,500 that we know about so far. Most of these are in Pakistan, and then a lot are in India.
| Estimated Total Area | 1.3 million sq km (500,000 sq miles) |
| Number of Discovered Sites | Over 1,500 |
| Major Urban Centres | Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Rakhigarhi, Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan |
| Northernmost Site | Shortugai (Afghanistan) |
| Southernmost Sit | Daimabad (Maharashtra, India) |
| Easternmost Site | Alamgirpur (Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Westernmost Site | Sutkagan Dor (Balochistan, Pakistan) |
Why Does the Geographical Extent of the Indus Valley Civilization Matter?
The huge area covered by the Indus Valley Civilization tells us a lot about this ancient society.
- Complex Administration and Trade Networks: A society that is situated in a big area definitely needs organised ways of governing and a good system to communicate and trade. Some similar things have been found across all the civilizations, like their writing style, weights, and measurements, which suggests this.
- Resource Management: As we have seen, they ruled over different types of land, and they could get many different things they needed. This included good land for growing crops near the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra rivers, minerals from Balochistan, and goods from the coast in Gujarat.
- Cultural Exchange and Interaction: Finding Indus Valley Civilization places in areas like Afghanistan suggests they interacted and maybe even shared some culture with other civilizations that existed at the same time in Central Asia and the Middle East.
- Environmental Adaptation: The fact that their civilization did well in different kinds of places, from dry areas to good farming lands and the coast, shows they were good at adapting and had impressive engineering skills.
The size of the Indus Valley Civilization’s land is truly amazing. It covered a huge and diverse area with many different settlements, from busy cities to smaller towns and trading spots. This massive territory shows how well they were organised, how skilled they were at managing resources, and how connected they were. As we keep digging and learning, we’ll definitely understand this big and mysterious civilization even better, highlighting its important role in human history. Just how large their territory was reminds us of the cleverness and ambition of the people who once lived in that vast land.
FAQs
This civilization is also known as the largest civilization in human history, which covered around 1.3 million square kilometres.
The Indus Valley Civilization was geographically covered in a large area that is today known as Northeast Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India.
Daimabad was located close to the Pravara River, which eventually flows into the larger Godavari River.
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