Indusdalen

Indusdalen, or the Indus Valley, is a geographical region along the Indus River in South Asia. The river originates on the Tibetan Plateau, traverses the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, and flows through the Punjab and Sindh provinces of present-day Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. The valley forms a broad alluvial plain that supports extensive agriculture and dense settlement.

Historically, the Indus Valley is best known as the cradle of the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world’s earliest urban cultures, dating roughly to 2600–1900 BCE. Major cities such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro illustrate planned street grids, advanced drainage systems, and standardized weights and measures. The decline of this civilization is a subject of ongoing research, with hypotheses including climate change, shifts in river courses, and ecological stress.

In modern times, the Indus sustains large-scale irrigation and hydroelectric infrastructure. The Indus Basin Irrigation System distributes water for agriculture across Punjab and Sindh, while the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 governs water sharing between India and Pakistan. The valley faces environmental pressures such as sedimentation, pollution, and biodiversity loss, including the endangered Indus River dolphin.

Today the Indus valley is a region of agricultural economy, archaeological significance, and cross-border water management. It includes culturally diverse communities and languages, with Karachi lying near the delta and Mohenjo-daro serving as a prominent UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Indusdalen name appears in Scandinavian languages to denote this region.