Indian subcontinent 188832 225755725 2008-07-15T07:00:04Z Emperor Genius 7228660 /* See also */ {{Merge-multiple|Indianized kingdom|Greater India|Undivided India|Indies|discuss=Talk:Indies#Merge discussion|date=March 2008}} [[Image:south asia.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Map of South Asia (see [[:Image:South asia.jpg#note|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 [[Asia]]n [[continent]] consisting of countries lying substantially on the [[Indian Plate|Indian tectonic plate]]. These include countries on the [[continental crust]] ([[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]]), an [[Island#Continental islands|island]] country on the [[continental shelf]] ([[Sri Lanka]]), and an [[Island#Oceanic islands|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,<ref> ''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd edition. 1989. Oxford University Press.</ref> or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision of a continent."<ref>''Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged''. 2002. Merriam-Webster. [http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com retrieved 11 March 2007.]</ref> == Nomenclature and usage == 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&mdash;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]]. == Geography == {{see also|Geography of India|Geography of Pakistan|Geography of Bangladesh}} [[Image:Earthquake Information for Pakistan.gif|thumb|250px|The Indian and Eurasian land plates run through Pakistan and Kashmir and often cause earthquakes in the region such as the October 2005 [[2005 Kashmir earthquake|Kashmir Quake]].]] Geographically, the Indian subcontinent is a [[peninsula]]r region south of the [[Himalaya]]s and [[Kuen Lun]] mountain ranges and east of the [[Hindu Kush]] mountain range and [[Balochistan (region)|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 is also home to an astounding variety of geographical features, such as [[glacier]]s, [[rainforest]]s, [[valley]]s, [[desert]]s, and [[grassland]]s that are typical of much larger continents. == Climate == {{seealso|Climate of India}} 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== [[Image:India Natural vegetation.svg|thumb|right|Natural vegetation in India:{{crlf}}{{crlf}} {| cellspacing="0" align="center" style="background:#F9F9F9; font-size:100%; width:100%; %border:1px #000000;" |- | {{legend|#fdf231|[[Tropical]] thorny vegetation}} || {{legend|#a4e0e6|[[Alpine]] & sub-alpine}} |- | {{legend|#86dae6|[[Himalayan]] dry [[temperate]]}} || {{legend|#0066ff|[[Himalayan]] moist temperate}} |- | {{legend|#fdd450|Sub-[[tropical]] coniferous}} || {{legend|#44aa00|[[Tropical]] moist [[deciduous]]}} |- | {{legend|#3f6f38|[[Tropical]] wet [[evergreen]]}} || {{legend|#2aff2a|[[Tropical]] semi [[evergreen]]}} |- | {{legend|#ffdd55|[[Tropical]] dry [[deciduous]]}} | |}]] 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.<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/facts/6_4_11_en.htm European Parliament Fact Sheets: The Countries of South Asia and the Indian Subcontinent]</ref> It is by far the largest country in the covering around three-fourths the land area of the subcontinent.<ref>[http://www.mrdowling.com/612india.html mrdowling.com: Subcontinent]</ref> It also has the largest population of around three times the combined population of the 6 other countries in the subcontinent.<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004379.html Infoplease: Area and Population of Countries (mid-2006 estimates]</ref> India is also the most populous [[democracy]] in the world<ref>[http://www.un.org/esa/population/pubsarchive/india/ind1bil.htm United Nations Population Division Department of Economic and Social Affairs]</ref> and is a [[List of states with nuclear weapons|nuclear power]]. [[Pakistan]] is the second largest country in the subcontinent with the second largest population. ==See also== {{portal|SAARC|Logo of SAARC.svg}} *[[South Asia]] *[[History of South Asia]] *[[History of India]] *[[Indosphere]] *[[Indology]] *[[Etymology of the names of India]] *[[India (disambiguation)]] *[[Plate tectonics]] *[[Continental drift]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Regions of the world}} [[Category:Geography]] [[Category:Geology]] [[Category:Peninsulas]] [[Category:Continents]] [[Category:Regions of Asia]] [[Category:South Asia]] [[ar:شبه القارة الهندية]] [[bg:Индийски субконтинент]] [[bn:ভারতীয় উপমহাদেশ]] [[ca:Subcontinent indi]] [[cs:Indický subkontinent]] [[cy:Is-gyfandir India]] [[da:Det indiske subkontinent]] [[de:Indischer Subkontinent]] [[dv:ބައްރެސަޣީރު]] [[et:Hindustani poolsaar]] [[es:Subcontinente Indio]] [[eo:Hinda subkontinento]] [[eu:Indiako azpikontinentea]] [[fr:Sous-continent indien]] [[ko:인도아대륙]] [[is:Indlandsskagi]] [[it:Subcontinente indiano]] [[he:תת היבשת ההודית]] [[sw:Bara Hindi]] [[lv:Indijas subkontinents]] [[ms:Subbenua India]] [[nl:Indisch Subcontinent]] [[ne:दक्षिण एशिया]] [[ja:インド亜大陸]] [[no:Det indiske subkontinent]] [[nn:Det indiske subkontinentet]] [[pl:Subkontynent indyjski]] [[pt:Subcontinente indiano]] [[ro:Subcontinentul Indian]] [[ru:Индийский субконтинент]] [[simple:Indian subcontinent]] [[sl:Indijska podcelina]] [[sr:Индијски потконтинент]] [[sv:Indiska halvön]] [[th:อนุทวีปอินเดีย]] [[wo:Ron-goxu End]] [[zh:印度次大陸]]