South Asia
This article deals with the geopolitical region in Asia. For geophysical treatments, see Indian subcontinent.South Asia is a
southern
geopolitical region of the
Asian
continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the
Indian subcontinent. It is surrounded by (from
west to
east)
Western Asia,
Central Asia,
Eastern Asia, and
Southeastern Asia. The terms with
cardinal directions are often equated with the Indian subcontinent, but they are not synonymous.
South Asia consists of the following territories:
*
Bangladesh *
Bhutan*
India*
Maldives*
Nepal*
Pakistan *
Sri Lankaand sometimes
*
TibetThe
United Nations subregion of
Southern Asia (see
Subregions of Asia) includes the above plus:
*
Afghanistan*
IranThe term was also sometimes used to describe the whole of Asia south of the former
Soviet Union. Culturally and socially, the definition inclusive of Afghanistan and Iran is more correct, given that the populations of these countries are not
Arab/
Semitic and therefore far more South Asian than
Middle Eastern.
The term
Indian subcontinent aptly describe those regions which geophysically lie on the
Indian Plate, bordered on the north by the
Eurasian Plate. Geopolitically, however,
South Asia or
Southern Asia subsumes the Indian subcontinent: it also includes territories found external to the Indian Plate and in proximity to it.
Afghanistan, for instance, is sometimes grouped in this region due to sociopolitical ties to neighbouring Pakistan, whilst Pakistan especially the regions west of the Indus are sometimes described as being in the Middle East or due to historic connections, Central Asia. A good proportion of the Pakistani land mass is not on the Indian plate [
1].
See History of South Asia, Ethnic Groups of South AsiaThe peoples of the region possess several distinguishing features that set them apart anthropologically from the rest of Asia; the dominant peoples and cultures are
Indo-Aryan and
Dravidian, and have a great affinity with the
Iranian Plateau and the
Caucasus.
Persian,
Arab and
Turkish cultural traditions from the west also form an integral part of
Islamic South Asian culture, but have been radically adapted to form a
Muslim culture distinct from what is found in the
Middle East.
South Asia ranks among the
world's most densely-populated regions. About 1.6 billion people live there — about a quarter of all the people in the world. The region's
population density of 305 persons per square kilometre is more than seven times the world average.
The region has a long history. Ancient civilizations developed in the
Dwaraka region and the
Indus River Valley. The region was at its most prosperous before the 18th century, when the
Mughal Empire held sway in the north;
European colonialism led to its expansion in the region, by
Portugal and
Holland, and later
Britain and to a lesser degree
France. Most of the region gained independence from Europe in the late
1940s.
*
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation *
History of South Asia*
Indology*
Desi*
Islamic conquest of South Asia*
Birding in South Asia*
South Asian Awareness Network Conference Website*
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