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UN Subregion of Southern Asia.
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Indian-Subcontinental border as defined by Indian plate
This article is about the geopolitical region in Asia. For geophysical treatments, see Indian subcontinent.
South Asia, also known as 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 (from west to east) Western Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Asia, and Southeastern Asia.
Definitions and usage
South Asia consists of the following countries and territories, these countries are also currrent members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (except British Indian Ocean Territory):-
British Indian Ocean Territory
-
- India
Maldives
-
- Pakistan
-
Also sometimes included (for assumed cultural and/or historical reasons):
Afghanistan[1][2][3][4][5][6]
- , because it was part of the British Raj
The United Nations further includes Iran as part of Southern Asia:[13]
The term Indian subcontinent aptly describes those regions which geophysically lie on the Indian Plate, bordered on the north by the Eurasian Plate. Geopolitically Southern Asia subsumes the Indian subcontinent: it also includes territories found internal to the Indian Plate and in proximity to it. Afghanistan, for instance, is sometimes grouped in this region due to sociopolitical and ethnic (Pashtun) ties to neighbouring Pakistan, whilst Pakistani regions west of the Indus are sometimes described as being in Central Asia, due to historical connections. A good proportion of the Pakistani land mass is not on the Indian plate, but on the fringes of the Iranian plateau. As in the case of the Hindukush mountains, everything to the south-east of the Iranian Plateau is considered South Asia.
Controversy over the definition
The definition of South Asia can vary greatly from person to person. Most sources commonly accept Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Chagos Islands, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as South Asian. The controversy originates over Afghanistan, Iran, and Tibet. Afghanistan and Tibet are often considered South Asian by many universities' departments of South Asian studies[1][2][3][10][11], especially those referenced above, but this definition is not universal. Another controversy grows over Iran, as Iran is considered South Asian only by the UN. Controversial race researcher Richard Lynn has defined Southern Asia as "from Bangladesh in the east through India, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, the Gulf states, the near East, and Turkey"[19]. Adding to this debate is the Middle East's definition of G8 which includes both Pakistan and Afghanistan as part of Middle East and not South Asia. See: Middle East and Greater Middle East.Demography and history
- Further information: 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 particularly in the north west region of South Asia encompassing the modern states of Pakistan and Afghanistan. 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 e.g. pilgrimage to dargahs.
Map of South Asia in native languages.
South Asia ranks among the world's most densely-populated regions. About 1.6 billion people live here – about one-fourth 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 far more prosperous before the 18th century, when the Mughal Empire held sway in the north and the Maratha Empire held sway in the south and central; 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 by the late 1940s.Religion
Afghanistan[20]Sunni Muslim (80%), Shi'a Muslim (19%), other (1%) [21] Muslim (83%), Hindu (16%), Other (1.0%) British Indian Ocean Territory[22]Christian (45.55%), Hindu (38.55%), Muslim (9.25%), Non-Religious (6.50%), Atheist (0.10%), Other (0.05%) [23] Buddhist (75%), Hindu (25%) India[24] Hindu (80.5%), Muslim (13.4%), Christian (2.3%), Sikh (1.9%), Buddhist (0.8%), Jain (0.4%), Others (0.6%) 
Iran[25]Shi'a Muslim (89%), Sunni Muslim (9%), Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i (2%) Maldives[26]Sunni Muslim (100%) Theravada Buddhism (89%), Muslim (4%), Christian (4%), Animist (1%), others (including Hinduism) (2%)) [27] Hindu (80.6%), Buddhist (10.7%), Muslim (4.2%), Kirat (3.6%) Pakistan[28] Muslim (96.28%), Christian (1.59%), Hindu (0.25%), Qadiani (0.22%) [29] Buddhist (69.1%), Muslim (7.6%), Hindu (7.1%), Christian (6.2%), Unspecified (10.0%) Tibet Buddhist, Bön, Muslim, and others... (Data Unknown) References
1. ^ Center for South Asia Studies: University of California, Berkeley [1]
2. ^ Center for South Asia Outreach UW-Madison [2]
3. ^ Department of South Asia Studies: University of Pennsylvania [3]
4. ^ South Asia: Data, Projects, and Research [4]
5. ^ MAPS SHOWING GEOLOGY, OIL AND GAS FIELDS AND GEOLOGICAL PROVINCES OF SOUTH ASIA [5] Includes Afghanistan
6. ^ Afghanistan-Tajikistan Bridge Links Central, South Asia [6] Refers to Afghanistan as South Asian and Tajikistan as Central Asian
7. ^ Center for South Asia Studies: University of California, Berkeley [7]
8. ^ Center for South Asia Outreach UW-Madison [8]
9. ^ Department of South Asia Studies: University of Pennsylvania [9]
10. ^ South Asia Language Resource Center: The University of Chicago [10]
11. ^ AIIS Advanced Language Programs in India [11]
12. ^ Tibet is located on the Tibetan Plateau which is in Central Asia.[12]
13. ^ Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings, United Nations website
14. ^ Center for South Asia Studies: University of California, Berkeley [13]
15. ^ Center for South Asia Outreach UW-Madison [14]
16. ^ Department of South Asia Studies: University of Pennsylvania [15]
17. ^ South Asia Language Resource Center: The University of Chicago [16]
18. ^ AIIS Advanced Language Programs in India [17]
19. ^ Race Differences in Intelligence by Richard Lynn pg 79, 2006
20. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html#People
21. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bg.html
22. ^ [18]
23. ^ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bt.html#People
24. ^ [19]
25. ^ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.html#People
26. ^ [20]
27. ^ [21]
28. ^ [22]
29. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html
See also
- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
- South Asian Economic Union
- Overseas Pakistani
- Indosphere
- Greater India
- Indology
- History of South Asia
- India (disambiguation)
- Islamic conquest of South Asia
- List of South Asian stock exchanges
- South Asian cuisine
Other subregions in Asia
External links
- BBC News South Asia
- Himal Southasian magazine
- South Asian Note
- Birding in South Asia
- South Asian Awareness Network Conference Website
- Global Media Publications Website
Countries of South AsiaBangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
Sometimes included: Afghanistan • Iran • Myanmar • British Indian Ocean Territory • TibetCountries and Territories of the IndosphereSouth Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan British Indian Ocean Territory India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Tibet Southeast Asia Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Thailand East Timor Others Baluchistan Yunan Indian subcontinent 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 and parts of Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan, island countries
..... Click the link for more information.South is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of North and at right angles to East and West.
..... Click the link for more information.Geopolitics is the study that analyzes geography, history and social science with reference to spatial politics and patterns at various scales (ranging from home, city, region, state to international and cosmopolitics).
..... Click the link for more information.Region is a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, region medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest (which could be, for example, the world, a nation, a river basin, mountain range,
..... Click the link for more information.Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.4% of its land area) and, with almost 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population.
..... Click the link for more information.continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, but seven areas are commonly regarded as continents – they are (from largest in size to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America,
..... Click the link for more information.Indian subcontinent 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 and parts of Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan, island countries
..... Click the link for more information.WEST can refer to:- Western European Summer Time
- WEST (AM), an AM radio station located in Easton, Pennsylvania
- ''This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation).
..... Click the link for more information.East is a direction in geography. It is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points, opposite of west and at right angles to north and south. East is the direction toward which the Earth rotates about its axis, and therefore the general direction from which the
..... Click the link for more information.Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. The term Western Asia is sometimes used in writings about the archeology and the late prehistory of the region, and in the United States subregion
..... Click the link for more information.Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. Though various definitions of its exact composition exist, no one definition is universally accepted. Despite this uncertainty in defining borders, it does have some important overall characteristics.
..... Click the link for more information.East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically, it covers about 12,000,000 km², or about 28% of the Asian continent and about 15% bigger than the area of Europe. More than 1.
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Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, and north of Australia.
..... Click the link for more information.Members • Observers
Headquarters
(and largest city)
Membership 8 member states
6 observers
Leaders
- Secretary General Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji
..... Click the link for more information.Motto
"In tutela nostra Limuria" (Latin)
"Limuria is in our charge"
Anthem
God Save the Queen
..... Click the link for more information.This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
..... Click the link for more information.Motto
None
Anthem
Gavmii mi ekuverikan matii tibegen kuriime salaam
"In National Unity Do We Salute Our Nation"
..... Click the link for more information.Motto
اتحاد، تنظيم، يقين محکم
Ittehad, Tanzim, Yaqeen-e-Muhkam (Urdu)
..... Click the link for more information.This page has been semi-protected from editing to deal with vandalism.
Semi-protection is not an endorsement of the current version. To see other versions, view the [ page history].
..... Click the link for more information.British Raj (rāj, lit. "rule" in Hindi) or British India, officially the British Indian Empire, and internationally and contemporaneously, India
..... Click the link for more information.Tibet (see Name section below for other spellings) is a Plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World.
..... Click the link for more information.Headquarters
(and largest city)
Official languages Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Membership 192 member states
Leaders
- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Establishment
-
..... Click the link for more information.Anthem
Sorūd-e Mellī-e Īrān ²
Capital
(and largest city) Tehran
..... Click the link for more information.Indian subcontinent 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 and parts of Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan, island countries
..... Click the link for more information.India or Indian Plate is a minor tectonic plate. It was originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwanaland from which it split off, eventually becoming a major plate. About 50 to 55 million years ago, it fused with the adjacent Indo-Australian Plate.
..... Click the link for more information.Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate covering Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia) except that it does not cover the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent, and the area east of the Verkhoyansk Range in East Siberia.
..... Click the link for more information.This page has been semi-protected from editing to deal with vandalism.
Semi-protection is not an endorsement of the current version. To see other versions, view the [ page history].
..... Click the link for more information.Motto
اتحاد، تنظيم، يقين محکم
Ittehad, Tanzim, Yaqeen-e-Muhkam (Urdu)
..... Click the link for more information.Iranian plateau can refer to either a geological formation in Eurasia or a historical region in western Asia home of ancient civilizations.[1]In Geology
The Persian plateau, and most recently known as the Iranian plateau
..... Click the link for more information.Hindu Kush
Countries | Afghanistan,Pakistan
| Northern Areas
Highest point | Tirich Mir
- coordinates
..... Click the link for more information.
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