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The Indian subcontinent, which is also known as South Asia, is part of the Asian (and, in turn, the Eurasian)continent lying mainly on

the Indian tectonic plate to the south of theHimalayas, forming a land mass which extends southward into the Indian Ocean. According

to some academicians, while the term was more prevalent in the past it is being replaced by the term South Asia.

Contents

[hide] 

1 Definition 

2 Scope 

o  2.1 Physical geography 

o  2.2 Human geography 

3 References 

[edit]Definition

Further information: South Asia 

The terms "Indian subcontinent" and "South Asia" are used interchangeably.[1][2][3][4]

Due to political sensiti vities, some prefer to use the

terms "South Asian Subcontinent",[5][5][6]

the "Indo-Pak Subcontinent",[7]

"the Subcontinent", or s imply "South Asia"[8]

over the term

"Indian subcontinent". According to historians Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal, the Indian Subcontinent has come to be known as South

 Asia "in more recent and neutral parlance."[8]

 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;[9]

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".[10][11]

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".[12]

 

[edit]Scope

The definition of the geographical extent of the Indian subcontinent varies.

[edit]Physical geography 

It generally comprises the countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh;[13]

it often also includes Nepal, Bhutan, and offshore Sri

Lanka[14][15]

and may include Afghanistan, theMaldives[16]

and occasionally the British Indian Ocean Territory.[1][17]

In general, these

countries historically formed the whole of greater India or the territories of the British Raj.[18]

The region also includes 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.[19]

When the term Indian Subcontinent is used to mean South Asia, the islands countries of 

Sri Lanka and the Maldives are sometimes not included,[1]

while Tibet and Nepal are included[20]

and excluded[21]

intermittently,

depending on the context.

Further information: Greater India and Partition of India 

[edit]Human geography 

See also: Geography of India, Geography of Pakistan, Geography of Bangladesh,Geography of Bhutan, Geography of Sri 

Lanka, Geography of Nepal , and Monsoon of Indian subcontinent  

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, theHindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east,[22]

and which extends southward into the Indian

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Ocean with the Arabian Sea to the southwest and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast.[1][13]

With all seven countries included, the area

covers about 4.4 million km² (1.7 mil lion mi²), which is 10% of the Asian continent or 2.4% of the world's land surface

area.[23][24][25]

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.[23][24][25]

 

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.[26][27]

It was once a small continent before colliding with the Eurasian Plateabout 50-55 million

years ago and giving birth to the Himalayan range and the Tibetan plateau.