South Asia

From TheBestLinks.com

Map of South Asia

South Asia is a subregion of Asia comprising the modern states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. It covers about 4,480,000 km², or 10 percent of the continent and is also known as the Indian subcontinent. Parts or the whole of Afghanistan is sometimes considered part of South Asia

Subregions of South Asia include:

Himalayan States - Northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh
Indian Ocean Island Nations - Sri Lanka, the Maldives
Southern India, Pakistan

South Asia ranks among the world's most crowded places. About 1 1/3 billion people live there—about a third of all Asians and a fifth of all the people in the world. The region's population density of 305 persons per km² is more than seven times the world average.

The region has a long history. Ancient civilisations developed in the Indus River Valley. The region was at its most prosperous before the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire held sway in the north; European colonialism lead to a new conquering of 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.

The concept of "South Asia" is useful in helping refer to the countries of the region as a group. Together with the term ("The Subcontinent"), the descriptor can be useful when discussing issues that affect the common history, culture, etc. of the countries. Citizens of South Asian countries besides India can sometimes be offended by the use of "India" or "Indian" in relation to them or their national, and some times even historial and cultural, origins.

See also: History of South Asia

Southern Asia sometimes refers to all of Asia that was not part of the Soviet Union.