The Indian subcontinent is a southerly region of Asia, mostly situated on the Indian Plate
and projecting southward into the Indian Ocean. Definitions of the extent of the Indian subcontinent
differ but it usually includes the core lands of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Nomenclature
The region has been variously labelled as India, Greater India, the Indian Subcontinent
and South Asia. "Indian Subcontinent" is a term adopted and used by the British Empire.
The terms "Indian subcontinent" and "South Asia" are used interchangeably. According
to historians Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal, Indian Subcontinent has come to be known as
South Asia "in more recent and neutral parlance." 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. Some academics hold that the term "South Asia" is in more
common use in Europe and North America, rather than the terms "Subcontinent" or the "Indian
Subcontinent". The BBC, as well as some academic sources,
refers to the region as the "Asian Subcontinent". Some academics prefer to use the term South
Asian Subcontinent. A booklet published by the United States Department of State in 1959
includes Afghanistan, Ceylon, India, Nepal, and Pakistan as part of the "Subcontinent
of South Asia". Of all the variations the most recent – South Asia – has become
the most widely used after being adopted by modern governments as the administrative classification.
Many scholars have also prefer the term. Scope
By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or
political independence" from the rest of the continent,or "a vast and more or less self-contained
subdivision of a continent." Physiographically, it is a peninsular region in south-central
Asia, rather resembling a diamond which is delineated by the Himalayas in the north,
the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east, and extending southward into
the Indian Ocean with the Arabian Sea to the southwest and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast.
Most of this region rests on the Indian Plate and is isolated from the rest of Asia by mountain
barriers. The Indian Plate, while including most of
region, forms a land mass which extends from the Himalayas into a portion of the basin
under the Indian Ocean, including parts of South China and Eastern Indonesia, as well
as Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, and extending up to but not including Ladakh, Kohistan,
the Hindu Kush range and Balochistan. Definition
The definition of the geographical extent of the Indian subcontinent or South Asia varies.
Geopolitically, it had formed the whole territory of Greater India, and now it generally comprises
the countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Prior to 1947, the three nations were historically
combined and constituted British India. It almost always also includes Nepal, Bhutan,
and the island country of Sri Lanka and may also include Afghanistan and the island country
of Maldives. According to anthropologist John R. Lukacs, "The Indian Subcontinent occupies
the major landmass of South Asia." while according to political science professor Tatu Vanhanen,
"The seven countries of South Asia constitute geographically a compact region around the
Indian Subcontinent". Using a more expansive definition – counting
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives as the constituent countries –
the Indian subcontinent covers about 4.4 million km², which is 10% of the Asian continent
or 3.3% of the world's land surface area. Overall, it accounts for about 45% of Asia's
population and is home to a vast array of peoples.
References