Everything about Indian Subcontinent totally explained
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» 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, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision of a continent."
Nomenclature and usage
Although the term
Indian subcontinent is often used
geographically, it isn't 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
Afghanistan,
Tibet and
Myanmar (formerly
Burma). The subcontinent is surrounded by three water bodies: the
Bay of Bengal, the
Indian Ocean and the
Arabian Sea. Bhutan and Nepal were the only two countries in the region which were never a part of the
British Raj.
Geography
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.
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's also home to an astounding variety of geographical features, such as
glaciers,
rainforests,
valleys,
deserts, and
grasslands that are typical of much larger continents.
Climate
The climate of the subcontinent 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.
Geological history
In the
Eocene period the Indian subcontinent was an island continent in the Indian Ocean. It was originally part of
Gondwanaland. See
Continental drift.
Politics
India is the dominant political power in the region. It is by far the largest country in the covering around three-fourths the land area of the subcontinent. It also has the largest population of around three times the combined population of the 6 other countries in the subcontinent. India is also the largest
democracy in the world and is a
nuclear power.
Pakistan is the second largest country in the subcontinent with the second largest population, which is also a nuclear power.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Indian Subcontinent'.
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