South Asia
South Asia, also Southern Asia, is a
southern geopolitical region of the
Asian
continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the
Indian subcontinent. It is surrounded by
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.
Encyclopedia
South Asia, also
Southern Asia, is a
southern geopolitical region of the
Asian
continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the
Indian subcontinent. It is surrounded by
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.
Definitions and usage
South Asia consists of the following territories:
The
United Nations subregion of
Southern Asia includes the above plus:
Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic [i] importance because of its centr ...
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 .
Demography and history
- See History of South Asia, Ethnic Groups of South Asia
The 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.
See also
External links
