Geographical map of the Indian subcontinent
The
Indian subcontinent, also
Indian Subcontinent and
other terms, is a region of the
Asian (and, in turn, the
Eurasian)
continent on the
Indian tectonic plate south of the
Himalayas, forming a
peninsula which extends southward into the
Indian Ocean. Historically forming the whole of
greater India, the region now comprises the countries of
India,
Pakistan, and
Bangladesh;
["Indian subcontinent". New Oxford Dictionary of English (ISBN 0-19-860441-6) New York: Oxford University Press, 2001; p. 929: "the part of Asia south of the Himalayas which forms a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Historically forming the whole territory of greater India, the region is now divided between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh."] it often also includes
Nepal,
Bhutan, and offshore
Sri Lanka.
Physical geography
Geographically, the Indian subcontinent is a
peninsular region in
south-central Asia, rather resembling a diamond which is delineated by the Himalayas on the north, the
Hindu Kush in the west, and the
Arakanese in the east, and which extends southward into the Indian Ocean with the
Arabian Sea to the southwest and the
Bay of Bengal to the southeast.
The area covers about 4.4 million km² (1.7 million mi²), which is 10% of the Asian continent or 2.4% of the world's land surface area.
[Desai, Praful B. 2002. . Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology. 32 (Supplement 1): S13-S16. "The Indian subcontinent in South Asia occupies 2.4% of the world land mass and is home to 16.5% of the world population...."][. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2009: "The Indian subcontinent is home to a vast diversity of peoples, most of whom speak languages from the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European family."]["". Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Macmillan Reference USA (Gale Group), 2006: "The total area can be estimated at 4.4 million square kilometers, or exactly 10 percent of the land surface of Asia.... In 2000, the total population was about 22 percent of the world's population and 34 percent of the population of Asia."]Most of this region rests on a distinct
tectonic plate, the
Indian Plate (the northerly portion of the
Indo-Australian Plate), and is isolated from the rest of Asia by mountain barriers. It was once a small
continent before colliding with the
Eurasian Plate about 50-55 million years ago and giving birth to the
Himalayan range and the
Tibetan plateau. In addition, it is also home to a variety of geographical features, such as
glaciers,
rainforests,
valleys,
deserts, and
grasslands.
Human geography
The Indian subcontinent generally comprises the countries of
India,
Pakistan, and
Bangladesh;
["Indian subcontinent". New Oxford Dictionary of English (ISBN 0-19-860441-6) New York: Oxford University Press, 2001; p. 929: "the part of Asia south of the Himalayas which forms a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Historically forming the whole territory of greater India, the region is now divided between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh."] it often also includes
Nepal,
Bhutan, and offshore
Sri Lanka and may include the
Maldives.
Overall, it accounts for about 34% of Asia's population (or over 16.5% of the world's population) and is home to a vast array of peoples.
[Desai, Praful B. 2002. . Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology. 32 (Supplement 1): S13-S16. "The Indian subcontinent in South Asia occupies 2.4% of the world land mass and is home to 16.5% of the world population...."][. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2009: "The Indian subcontinent is home to a vast diversity of peoples, most of whom speak languages from the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European family."]["". Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Macmillan Reference USA (Gale Group), 2006: "The total area can be estimated at 4.4 million square kilometers, or exactly 10 percent of the land surface of Asia.... In 2000, the total population was about 22 percent of the world's population and 34 percent of the population of Asia."]Historically, the region comprised the whole of
greater India or the territories of the
British Raj. This would also include the disputed territory of
Aksai Chin, which was part of the British Indian princely state of
Jammu and Kashmir, but is now administered as a part of the
Chinese autonomous region of
Xinjiang. A booklet published by the
United States Department of State in 1959 includes Afghanistan, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, Nepal, and Pakistan as part of the "Subcontinent of South Asia". When the term Indian Subcontinent is used to mean South Asia, the islands countries of Sri Lanka and the Maldives are sometimes not included, while Tibet and Nepal are included and excluded intermittently, depending on the context.
Usage
Due to similar scope, the terms "Indian subcontinent" and "
South Asia" are used by some academics interchangeably.
[ Due to political sensitivities, some prefer to use the terms "South Asian Subcontinent", the "Indo-Pak Subcontinent", or simply "South Asia" or "the Subcontinent" over the term "Indian subcontinent". According to some academics, the term "South Asia" is in more common use in Europe and North America, rather than the terms "Subcontinent" or the "Indian Subcontinent". Indologist Ronald B. Inden argues that the usage of the term "South Asia" is getting more widespread since it clearly distinguishes the region from East Asia; however, opinion on this is divided.]See also
