Map of South Asia (see note)

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This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. For geopolitical treatments, see South Asia.

The Indian subcontinent (also known as South Asia) is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of countries lying substantially on the Indian tectonic plate. These include countries on the continental crust (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal), an island country on the continental shelf (Sri Lanka), and another island country rising above the oceanic crust (the Maldives). The term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, Oxford English Dictionary 2nd edition. 1989. Oxford University Press. or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision of a continent."Webster\'s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. 2002. Merriam-Webster. retrieved 11 March 2007. See "Geography" below for definition of "subcontinent".

Nomenclature and usage

Although the term Indian subcontinent is often used geographically, it is not entirely a geographical term. The approximately equivalent but more geopolitical term is, South Asia or Southern Asia, however, sometimes includes territories found external (but proximal) to the Indian Plate—including Tibet and Myanmar (formerly Burma). The subcontinent is surrounded by three water bodies: the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.

Geography

See also: Geography of India, Geography of Pakistan, and Geography of Bangladesh

Geographically, the Indian subcontinent is a peninsular region south of the Himalayas and Kuen Lun mountain ranges and east of the Hindu Kush mountain range and Balochistan region, extending southward into the Indian Ocean between the Arabian Sea (to the southwest) and the Bay of Bengal (to the southeast). It covers about 4,480,000 km² (1,729,738 mi²) or 10 percent of the Asian continent; however, it accounts for about 40 percent of Asia\'s population.

The Indian and Eurasian land plates run through Pakistan and Kashmir and often cause earthquakes in the region such as the October 2005 Kashmir Quake.

Climate

The climate of South Asia is called the Monsoon climate. It is quite opposite of the Mediterranean climate. For the monsoon climate, the weather in this region remains humid during summer and dry during winter. Instead of four seasons, it basically has two main seasons, the wet and dry. The monsoon climate favors the cultivation of jute, tea, rice, and various vegetables in this region. South Asia\'s climate varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north.

Geological history

In the Eocene period the Indian subcontinent was an island continent in the Indian Ocean. It was originally part of Gondwanaland. See Continental drift.

Politics

India is the dominant political power in the region^{[citation needed]}. It is by far the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent. India is also the largest democracy in the world and is a nuclear power^{[citation needed]}. Pakistan is the second largest country in the subcontinent and is also a nuclear power^{[citation needed]}. Much of the political aspect of the subcontinent is dominated by the rivalry between Pakistan and India.

See also

SAARC Portal

• South Asia
• History of South Asia
• History of India
• Indology
• Etymology of the names of India
• India (disambiguation)
• Plate tectonics
• Continental drift

References

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia