Indian subcontinent




Peninsular region in south-central Asia south of the Himalayas

"The Subcontinent" redirects here. For other uses, see Continent § Subcontinents.





























Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent.JPG
Area 4.4 million km2 (1.7 million sq mi)
Population 1.710 billion (2015)[1]
Population density 389/km2
Demonym
Subcontinental
Indian
Bharatiya
Hindustani
Pakistani
Countries
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

The Indian subcontinent is a southern region and peninsula of Asia, mostly situated on the Indian Plate and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geologically, the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago.[2]Geographically, it is the peninsular region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east.[3] Politically, the Indian subcontinent includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.[4][5][6]


Sometimes, the geographical term 'Indian subcontinent' is used interchangeably with 'South Asia',[7] although that last term is used typically as a political term and is also used to include Afghanistan.[8] Which countries should be included in either of these remains the subject of debate.[9][10][11]




Contents






  • 1 Name


  • 2 Definition


    • 2.1 Geology


    • 2.2 Socio-cultural sphere




  • 3 Past and future population


  • 4 Land and water area


  • 5 See also


  • 6 References





Name


According to Oxford English Dictionary, the term "subcontinent" signifies a "subdivision of a continent which has a distinct geographical, political, or cultural identity" and also a "large land mass somewhat smaller than a continent". It is first attested in 1845 to refer to the North and South Americas, before they were regarded as separate continents. Its use to refer to the Indian subcontinent is seen from the early twentieth century. It was especially convenient for referring to the region comprising both British India and the princely states under British Paramountcy.[12][13]


The term Indian subcontinent also has a geological significance. Similar to various continents, it was a part of the supercontinent of Gondwana. A series of tectonic splits caused formation of various basins, each drifting in various directions. The geological region called "Greater India" once included Madagascar, Seychelles, Antarctica and Austrolasia along with the Indian subcontinent basin. As a geological term, Indian subcontinent has meant that region formed from the collision of the Indian basin with Eurasia nearly 55 million years ago, towards the end of Paleocene.[2][14]


The Indian subcontinent has been a term particularly common in the British Empire.[7][not in citation given]


The geographical region has historically simply been known as "India" (in antiquity referring to the Indus Valley region, not the entire subcontinent). Other related terms are Greater India and South Asia.[15][16]
And the terms "Indian subcontinent" and "South Asia" are sometimes used interchangeably.[7] There is no globally accepted definition on which countries are a part of South Asia or the Indian subcontinent.[9][11][10]
The less common term "South Asian subcontinent" has seen occasional use since the 1970s.[17]



Definition




Orthographic projection of the Indian subcontinent



Geology


Geologically, the Indian subcontinent was first a part of so-called "Greater India",[14] a region of Gondwana that drifted away from East Africa about 160 million years ago, around the Middle Jurassic period.[2] The region experienced high volcanic activity and plate subdivisions, creating Madagascar, Seychelles, Antarctica, Austrolasia and the Indian subcontinent basin. The Indian subcontinent drifted northeastwards, colliding with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago, towards the end of Paleocene. This geological region largely includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.[2] The zone where the Eurasian and Indian subcontinent plates meet remains one of the geologically active areas, prone to major earthquakes.[18][19]


The English term "subcontinent" mainly continues to refer to the Indian subcontinent.[20][21]Physiographically, it is a peninsular region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east.[3][22] It extends southward into the Indian Ocean with the Arabian Sea to the southwest and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast.[4][23] Most of this region rests on the Indian Plate and is isolated from the rest of Asia by large mountain barriers.[24]


Using the 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 (1.7 million sq mi), which is 10% of the Asian continent or 3.3% of the world's land surface area.[25][26] Overall, it accounts for about 45% of Asia's population (or over 25% of the world's population) and is home to a vast array of peoples.[25][27][28]



Socio-cultural sphere




Historical transmission routes of Buddhism from India to Central Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia.


@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .tmulti>.thumbinner{width:100%!important;max-width:none!important}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{float:none!important;max-width:none!important;width:100%!important;text-align:center}}




NASA images of the Indian subcontinent during day and night.


The Indian subcontinent is a natural physical landmass in South Asia, geologically the dry-land portion of the Indian Plate, which has been relatively isolated from the rest of Eurasia.[29]
Given the difficulty of passage through the Himalayas, the sociocultural, religious and political interaction of the Indian subcontinent has largely been through the valleys of Afghanistan in its northwest,[30] the valleys of Manipur in its east, and by maritime routes.[29] More difficult but historically important interaction has also occurred through passages pioneered by the Tibetans. These routes and interactions have led to the spread of Buddhism out of the Indian subcontinent into other parts of Asia. And the Islamic expansion arrived into the Indian subcontinent in two ways, through Afghanistan on land and to Indian coast through the maritime routes on the Arabian Sea.[29]


Whether called the Indian subcontinent or South Asia, the definition of the geographical extent of this region varies. Geopolitically, it had formed the whole territory of Greater India.[15][16]
In terms of modern geopolitical boundaries, the Indian subcontinent comprises the Republic of India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, besides, by convention, the island nation of Sri Lanka and other islands of the Indian Ocean,[5] such as the Maldives.[6][31][32]
The term "Indian continent" is first introduced in the early 20th century, when most of the territory was part of British India.[33]


The Hindu Kush, centered on eastern Afghanistan, is the boundary connecting the Indian subcontinent with Central Asia to the northwest, and the Persian Plateau to the west. The socio-religious history of Afghanistan are related to the Turkish-influenced Central Asia and northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, now known as Pakistan.[34][35] Others state Afghanistan being a part of Central Asia is not an accepted practice, and it is "clearly not part of the Indian subcontinent".[9]


The precise definition of an "Indian subcontinent" vs. "South Asia" in geopolitical context is somewhat contested.[9][11][36]



Past and future population


Main articles: List of countries by past and future population and List of countries by future population (United Nations, medium fertility variant)

  • The list of countries by past and future population provides 1950, 2000 and 2050 population while List of countries by future population (United Nations, medium fertility variant) provide 2100 population.


















































































Rank Country Area (km2) 1950 2000 2050 2100
1
 India
 3,287,263 369,881,000 1,006,301,000 1,656,554,000 1,659,786,000
2
 Pakistan
 881,913 40,383,000 152,430,000 300,848,000 364,283,000
3
 Bangladesh
 147,570 45,646,000 132,151,000 201,249,000 169,541,000
4
   Nepal
 147,181 8,990,000 24,819,000 36,107,000 29,677,000
5
 Sri Lanka
 65,610 7,534,000 19,042,000 25,167,000 14,857,000
6
 Bhutan
 38,394 164,000 606,000 952,000 793,000
7
 Maldives
 298 80,000 300,000 445,000 438,000
Total 4,568,229 480,829,000 1,358,111,000 2,294,996,000
2,297,013,000


Land and water area


Main articles: Exclusive economic zone and Indian Ocean

This list includes dependent territories within their sovereign states (including uninhabited territories), but does not include claims on Antarctica. EEZ+TIA is exclusive economic zone (EEZ) plus total internal area (TIA) which includes land and internal waters.










































































Rank Country Area (km2) EEZ Shelf EEZ+TIA
1
 India
 3,287,263 2,305,143 402,996 5,592,406
2
 Pakistan
 881,913 290,000 51,383 1,117,911
3
 Bangladesh
 147,570 86,392 66,438 230,390
4
   Nepal
 147,181 0 0 147,181
5
 Sri Lanka
 65,610 532,619 32,453 598,229
6
 Bhutan
 38,394 0 0 38,394
7
 Maldives
 298 923,322 34,538 923,622
Total 4,568,229 4,137,476 587,808
9,300,997


See also


  • Geography of South Asia


References





  1. ^ "World Population Prospects". United Nations: Population Division. 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ abcd Robert Wynn Jones (2011). Applications of Palaeontology: Techniques and Case Studies. Cambridge University Press. pp. 267–271. ISBN 978-1-139-49920-0.


  3. ^ ab Baker, Kathleen M.; Chapman, Graham P. (11 March 2002), The Changing Geography of Asia, Routledge, pp. 10–, ISBN 978-1-134-93384-6, This greater India is well defined in terms of topography; it is the Indian sub-continent, hemmed in by the Himalayas on the north, the Hindu Khush in the west and the Arakanese in the east.


  4. ^ ab "Indian subcontinent". New Oxford Dictionary of English (
    ISBN 0-19-860441-6) New York: Oxford University Press, 2001; p. 929: "the part of Asia south of the Himalayas which forms a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Historically forming the whole territory of Greater India, the region is now divided into three countries named Bangladesh, India and Pakistan."


  5. ^ ab Dhavendra Kumar (2012). Genomics and Health in the Developing World. Oxford University Press. p. 889. ISBN 978-0-19-537475-9.


  6. ^ ab Mariam Pirbhai (2009). Mythologies of Migration, Vocabularies of Indenture: Novels of the South Asian Diaspora in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific. University of Toronto Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-8020-9964-8.


  7. ^ abc John McLeod, The history of India, page 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002,
    ISBN 0-313-31459-4; note: McLeod does not include Afghanistan in Indian subcontinent or South Asia;
    Jim Norwine & Alfonso González, The Third World: states of mind and being, pages 209, Taylor & Francis, 1988,
    ISBN 0-04-910121-8
    Raj S. Bhopal, Ethnicity, race, and health in multicultural societies, pages 33, Oxford University Press, 2007,
    ISBN 0-19-856817-7; Quote: "The term South Asian refers to populations originating from the Indian subcontinent, effectively India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka;
    Lucian W. Pye & Mary W. Pye, Asian Power and Politics, pages 133, Harvard University Press, 1985,
    ISBN 0-674-04979-9
    Mark Juergensmeyer, The Oxford handbook of global religions, pages 465, Oxford University Press US, 2006,
    ISBN 0-19-513798-1
    Sugata Bose & Ayesha Jalal, Modern South Asia, pages 3, Routledge, 2004,
    ISBN 0-415-30787-2


  8. ^ As for example it is in the South Asian Games and the 8-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), an economic cooperation organisation in the region, established in 1985, and ; SAARC Summit. "SAARC". SAARC Summit. Retrieved 17 December 2013.


  9. ^ abcd Ewan W. Anderson; Liam D. Anderson (2013). An Atlas of Middle Eastern Affairs. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-136-64862-5., Quote: "To the east, Iran, as a Gulf state, offers a generally accepted limit to the Middle East. However, Afghanistan, also a Muslim state, is then left in isolation. It is not accepted as a part of Central Asia and it is clearly not part of the Indian subcontinent".


  10. ^ ab Michael Mann (2014). South Asia’s Modern History: Thematic Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. pp. 13–15. ISBN 978-1-317-62445-5.


  11. ^ abc Jona Razzaque (2004). Public Interest Environmental Litigation in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Kluwer Law International. pp. 3 with footnotes 1 and 2. ISBN 978-90-411-2214-8.


  12. ^ "subcontinent". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)


  13. ^ "Indian subcontinent". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)


  14. ^ ab Hinsbergen, D. J. J. van; Lippert, P. C.; Dupont-Nivet, G.; McQuarrie, N.; Doubrovine; et al. (2012). "Greater India Basin hypothesis and a two-stage Cenozoic collision between India and Asia". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109 (20): 7659–7664, for geologic Indian subcontinent see Figure 1. doi:10.1073/pnas.1117262109. PMC 3356651.CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link)


  15. ^ ab Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby, Religions of South Asia: An Introduction, page 3, Routledge, 2006,
    ISBN 9781134593224


  16. ^ ab Kathleen M. Baker and Graham P. Chapman, The Changing Geography of Asia, page 10, Routledge, 2002,
    ISBN 9781134933846


  17. ^ [ Official Records: Proces-verbaux Officiels. Supplement. Supplement 1624-1683, United Nations, 1972, p. 38.


  18. ^ Bethany D. Rinard Hinga (2015). Ring of Fire: An Encyclopedia of the Pacific Rim's Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes. ABC-CLIO. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-1-61069-297-7.


  19. ^ Alexander E. Gates; David Ritchie (2006). Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Infobase. pp. 116–118. ISBN 978-0-8160-7270-5.


  20. ^ McLeod, John (1 January 2002). "The History of India". Greenwood Publishing Group – via Google Books.


  21. ^ Milton Walter Meyer, South Asia: A Short History of the Subcontinent, pages 1, Adams Littlefield, 1976,
    ISBN 0-8226-0034-X


  22. ^ Dhavendra Kumar (2012). Genomics and Health in the Developing World. Oxford University Press. pp. 889–890. ISBN 978-0-19-537475-9.


  23. ^ John McLeod, The history of India, page 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002,
    ISBN 0-313-31459-4


  24. ^ "Asia" > Geologic history – Tectonic framework. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2009: "The paleotectonic evolution of Asia terminated some 50 million years ago as a result of the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Eurasia. Asia’s subsequent neotectonic development has largely disrupted the continents pre-existing fabric. The neotectonic units of Asia are Stable Asia, the Arabian and Indian cratons, the Alpide plate boundary zone (along which the Arabian and Indian platforms have collided with the Eurasian continental plate), and the island arcs and marginal basins."


  25. ^ ab Desai, Praful B. 2002. Cancer control efforts in the Indian subcontinent. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology. 32 (Supplement 1): S13-S16. "The Indian subcontinent in South Asia occupies 2.4% of the world land mass and is home to 16.5% of the world population...."


  26. ^ "Indian Subcontinent" in Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Macmillan Reference USA (Gale Group), 2006: "The area is divided between five major nation-states, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and includes as well the two small nations of Bhutan and the Maldives Republic... The total area can be estimated at 4.4 million square kilometres, or exactly 10 percent of the land surface of Asia... In 2000, the total population was about 22 percent of the world's population and 34 percent of the population of Asia."


  27. ^ "Asia" > Overview. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2009: "The Indian subcontinent is home to a vast diversity of peoples, most of whom speak languages from the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European family."


  28. ^ "Indian Subcontinent", in Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Macmillan Reference USA (Gale Group), 2006: "The total area can be estimated at 4.4 million square kilometres, or exactly 10 percent of the land surface of Asia... In 2000, the total population was about 22 percent of the world's population and 34 percent of the population of Asia."


  29. ^ abc Asher, Catherine B.; Talbot, Cynthia (2006-03-16), India Before Europe, Cambridge University Press, pp. 5–8, 12–14, 51, 78–80, ISBN 978-0-521-80904-7


  30. ^ John L. Esposito; Emad El-Din Shahin (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics. Oxford University Press. pp. 453–456. ISBN 978-0-19-063193-2.


  31. ^ John McLeod, The history of India, page 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002,
    ISBN 0-313-31459-4
    Stephen Adolphe Wurm, Peter Mühlhäusler & Darrell T. Tryon, Atlas of languages of intercultural communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas, pages 787, International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies, Published by Walter de Gruyter, 1996,
    ISBN 3-11-013417-9
    Haggett, Peter (2001). Encyclopedia of World Geography (Vol. 1). Marshall Cavendish. p. 2710. ISBN 0-7614-7289-4.


  32. ^ "the Indian Subcontinent occupies the major landmass of South Asia" John R. Lukacs, The People of South Asia: the biological anthropology of India, Pakistan, and Nepal, page 59, Plenum Press, 1984,
    ISBN 9780306414077.
    "the seven countries of South Asia constitute geographically a compact region around the Indian Subcontinent".Tatu Vanhanen Prospects of Democracy: A Study of 172 Countries, page 144, Routledge, 1997,
    ISBN 9780415144063


  33. ^ "Indian subcontinent" is used by Henry D. Baker, British India With Notes On Ceylon Afghanistan And Tibet (1915), p. 401.


  34. ^ Ira M. Lapidus (2014). A History of Islamic Societies. Cambridge University Press. pp. 269, 698–699. ISBN 978-0-521-51430-9.


  35. ^ Louis D Hayes (2014). The Islamic State in the Post-Modern World: The Political Experience of Pakistan. Ashgate. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-1-4724-1262-1.;
    Robert Wuthnow (2013). The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion. Routledge. pp. 11–. ISBN 978-1-136-28493-9.


  36. ^ Akhilesh Pillalamarri, South Asia or India: An Old Debate Resurfaces in California, The Diplomat, 24 May 2016;
    Ahmed, Mukhtar (2014), Ancient Pakistan – An Archaeological History: Volume II: A Prelude to Civilization, Foursome, p. 14, ISBN 978-1-4959-4130-6











-

Popular posts from this blog

Dragon Quest

Image
This article is about the video game franchise. For the first game in the series, see Dragon Quest (video game). For other uses, see Dragon Quest (disambiguation). "Dragon Warrior" redirects here. For other uses, see Dragon Warrior (disambiguation). Not to be confused with DragonQuest. Dragon Quest Genre(s) Role-playing Developer(s) Game design/scenario: Armor Project Character/monster design : Bird Studio Main series programming: ArtePiazza, Chunsoft, Heartbeat, Level-5, Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix (formerly Enix) Nintendo Creator(s) Yuji Horii Artist(s) Akira Toriyama Composer(s) Koichi Sugiyama Platform(s) MSX, Famicom/NES, Super Famicom/Super NES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, mobile phone, Android, arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita Platform(s) of origin Famicom/NES First release D...
Read more

AM broadcasting

Image
"AM Radio" redirects here. For the song by Everclear, see AM Radio (song). For the American musical group, see AM Radio (band). AM broadcasting is a radio broadcasting technology, which employs amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmissions, but also on the longwave and shortwave radio bands. The earliest experimental AM transmissions were begun in the early 1900s. However, widespread AM broadcasting was not established until the 1920s, following the development of vacuum tube receivers and transmitters. AM radio remained the dominant method of broadcasting for the next 30 years, a period called the "Golden Age of Radio", until television broadcasting became widespread in the 1950s and received most of the programming previously carried by radio. Subsequently, AM radio's audiences have a...
Read more

奥古斯特三世 (波兰)

Image
奥古斯特三世 （弗里德里希·奥古斯特二世） 波兰国王 萨克森选帝侯 立陶宛大公 奥古斯特三世（弗里德里希·奥古斯特二世） 在位 1734年 – 1763年10月5日 加冕 1734年1月17日 克拉科夫瓦维尔大教堂 頭銜 Augustus III, Dei Gratia rex Poloniae, magnus dux Lithuaniae, Russie, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Kijoviae,Volhyniae, Podoliae, Podlachiae, Livoniae, Smolensciae, Severiae, Czerniechoviae, nec non haereditarius dux Saxoniae princeps et elector etc 出生 1696年10月17日 德国萨克森德累斯顿 去世 1763年10月5日 德国萨克森德累斯顿 葬於 德累斯顿宫廷教堂王室墓地 前任 波兰国王：斯坦尼斯瓦夫 萨克森选王侯：弗雷德里克·奥古斯特一世 繼任 波兰国王：斯坦尼斯瓦夫·奥古斯特 萨克森选王侯：弗里德里希·克里斯蒂安 王后 玛丽亚·约瑟法 子嗣 弗里德里希·克里斯蒂安 西班牙王后玛利亚·阿玛利亚 巴伐利亚女选帝侯玛利亚·安娜·索菲亚 王子弗兰兹·泽维尔 法国王太子妃妃玛利亚·约瑟法 库尔兰公爵卡尔 公主，勒米尔蒙公主修道院院长玛利亚·克里斯蒂安， 特申公爵阿尔伯特 特里尔大主教克莱门斯·温斯拉 公主，托伦和埃森 公主修道院院长玛利亚·库尼贡德 更多 王室 韦廷王朝 父親 奥古斯特二世 母親 克里斯蒂安妮·埃伯哈汀妮 奥古斯特三世 ，有时被以绰号称为 撒克逊 或 臃肿者 （德語： August III. von Polen ; 波蘭語： August III. Sas, August III. Gruby ），在1733年到1763年间，为萨克森选王侯，称为 弗里德里希·奥古斯特二世 (德語： Kurfürst Friedrich August II. )，在1734年到1763年间，为波兰国王和立陶宛大公，綽號「肥胖王」...
Read more