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Map of South Asia (see note)

This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. For geopolitical treatments, see South Asia.

The 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, Nepal and Bhutan), an island country on the continental shelf (Sri Lanka), and an island country rising above the oceanic crust (the Maldives). The term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent,^[1] or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision of a continent."^[2] See "Geography" below for definition of "subcontinent". However, there is view held by some that this land formed from the Indian continental tectonic plate should be considered as a continent, owing to its geographical isolation by the Himalayas from Eurasia. ^[3]

Although the term Indian subcontinent is often used geographically, it is not entirely a geographical term. The approximately equivalent but more geopolitical term is, South Asia or Southern Asia, however, sometimes includes territories found external (but proximal) to the Indian Plate—including Tibet and Myanmar (formerly Burma). The subcontinent is surrounded by three water bodies: the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Historically, India was known as Hindustan in medieval times during the Islamic period. Nepal and Bhutan were the only two countries in the region which were not a part of British Raj.

See also: Geography of India, Geography of Pakistan, and Geography of Bangladesh

Geographically, the Indian subcontinent is a peninsular region south of the Himalayas and Kuen Lun mountain ranges and east of the Hindu Kush mountain range and Balochistan region, extending southward into the Indian Ocean between the Arabian Sea (to the southwest) and the Bay of Bengal (to the southeast). It covers about 4,480,000 km² (1,729,738 mi²) or 10 percent of the Asian continent; however, it accounts for about 40 percent of Asia's population.

The Indian and Eurasian land plates run through Pakistan and Kashmir and often cause earthquakes in the region such as the October 2005 Kashmir Quake.

Geologically, most of this region is a subcontinent: it rests on a tectonic plate of its own, the Indian Plate (the northerly portion of the Indo-Australian Plate) separate from the rest of Eurasia, and was once a small continent before colliding with the Eurasian Plate and giving birth to the Himalayan range and the Tibetan plateau. Even now the Indian Plate continues to move northward resulting in increase in height of the Himalayas by a few centimeters each decade. On its western frontier, the Indian Plate forms a conservative boundary with the Eurasian Plate. In addition, it is also home to an astounding variety of geographical features, such as glaciers, rainforests, valleys, deserts, and grasslands that are typical of much larger continents.

See also: Climate of India

The climate of South Asia is called the Monsoon climate. It is quite opposite of the Mediterranean climate. For the monsoon climate, the weather in this region remains humid during summer and dry during winter. Instead of four seasons, it basically has two main seasons, the wet and dry. The monsoon climate favors the cultivation of jute, tea, rice, and various vegetables in this region. South Asia's climate varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north.

In the Eocene period the Indian subcontinent was an island continent in the Indian Ocean. It was originally part of Gondwanaland. See Continental drift.

India, the largest democracy, is the dominant political power in the region followed by Pakistan.

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• India (disambiguation)
• Plate tectonics
• Continental drift

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