Indian subcontinent

This article is about the geophysical region in Asia. For geopolitical treatments, see South Asia.

Geographical map of the Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian tectonic plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those 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). However, it must be noted that in all other other countries of South Asia, except India, the terminology "Indian Subcontinent" is hardly ever used - "South Asia" or simply "The Subcontinent" are far more common in everyday usage.

Contents [hide] 1 Nomenclature and usage 2 Geography 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Nomenclature and usage

Although the term Indian subcontinent is often used geographically, it is not entirely a geographical term.^{[citation needed]} The approximately equivalent^{[dubious – discuss]} but more geopolitical term, South Asia or Southern Asia, however, sometimes includes territories found external (but proximal) to the Indian Plate—including Tibet and Myanmar (formerly Burma).^{[citation needed]} The subcontinent is surrounded by three water bodies: the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. By dictionary entries, 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]

[edit] Geography

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 Indus River and the Iranian Plateau, 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.

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. It was once a small continent before colliding with the Eurasian Plate about 50-55 million years ago and giving birth to the Himalayan range and the Tibetan plateau. 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.

[edit] See also

SAARC portal

• Etymology of the names of India
• India (disambiguation)

[edit] References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary 2nd edition. 1989. Oxford University Press.
2. ^ Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. 2002. Merriam-Webster. retrieved 11 March 2007.

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