Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. The term "Indian subcontinent" is more of a geophysical term whereas "South Asia" is more geopolitical. Although the terms are often used interchangeably to denote a wider region which includes Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the "Indian subcontinent" is more of a geophysical term. "South Asia" frequently also includes Afghanistan, which is not considered part of the subcontinent even in extended usage.
Historically, the region surrounding and southeast of the Indus River was often simply referred to as India in many historical sources. Even today, historians use this term to denote the entire Indian subcontinent when discussing history up until the era of the British Raj. Over time however, "India" evolved to refer to a distinct political entity that eventually became a nation state known today as the Republic of India. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term subcontinent signifies a subdivision of a continent which has a distinct geographical, political or cultural identity. Its use to signify the Indian subcontinent is evidenced from the early twentieth century when most of the territory was either part of the British Empire or allied with them. The term has been particularly common in the British Empire and its successors while the term South Asia is the more common usage in Europe and North America as well as in most countries in South Asia itself sometimes. Since the Partition of India, citizens of Pakistan which became independent of British India in 1947 and Bangladesh which became independent of Pakistan in 1971 often perceive the use of the Indian subcontinent as offensive and suspicious because of the dominant placement of India in the term. As such it is being increasingly less used in those countries.
Before the Indian plate rifted from Gondwana and drifted northward toward Eurasia, two other landmasses, the Qiangtang terrane and Lhasa terrane, had accreted to Eurasia. The collision of India with Eurasia closed the Neo-Tethys Ocean. The suture zone which marks India's welding to Eurasia is called the Indus-Yarlung suture zone. It lies north of the Himalayas. The headwaters of the Indus River and the Yarlung Tsangpo flow along this suture zone. These two Eurasian rivers whose courses were continually diverted by the rising Himalayas define the western and eastern limits respectively of the Himalayan mountain range. Ladakh is today in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir and Kohistan in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan both on the Indian subcontinent. Magmatic activity along the southern flank produced the Gangdese batholith in what is today the Tibetan trans-Himalaya. Another subduction zone opened to the west in the ocean basin above the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc. This island arc formed by one oceanic plate subducting beneath another its magma rising and creating continental crust drifted north closed its ocean basin and collided with Eurasia.
The region has been divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan since the Partition of India. Citizens of Pakistan became independent of British India in 1947 while Bangladesh became independent of Pakistan in 1971. Since the Partition of India citizens of Pakistan which was carved out of India in 1947 and has had recurring conflicts with India since then often perceive the use of the Indian subcontinent as offensive and suspicious because of the dominant placement of India in the term. The political leadership and the policy-makers in these two countries do not wish to be reminded of this common heritage. Any highlighting of this common heritage by Indian analysts is viewed by them with suspicion as indicating a hidden desire to reverse history and undo the 1947 partition. Meanwhile many Indian analysts prefer to use the term because of the socio-cultural commonalities of the region. The region has also been called the Asian subcontinent the South Asian subcontinent as well as India or Greater India in the classical and pre-modern sense.
The complex culture of the Indian subcontinent presents a tradition comparable to Confucianism. According to historians Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal the Indian subcontinent has come to be known as South Asia in more recent and neutral parlance. Indologist Ronald B. Inden argues that the usage of the term South Asia is becoming more widespread since it clearly distinguishes the region from East Asia. While South Asia a more accurate term that reflects the region's contemporary political demarcations is replacing the Indian subcontinent a term closely linked to the region's colonial heritage as a cover term the latter is still widely used in typological studies. The term South Asian refers to populations originating from the Indian subcontinent effectively India Pakistan Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The term sub-continent is used less and less in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The political leadership and the policy-makers in these two countries do not wish to be reminded of this common heritage.
The sport of cricket introduced to the region by the British is notably popular in India Pakistan Sri Lanka Nepal Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Within a cricket context these countries are sometimes referred to simply as the subcontinent for example Australia's tour of the subcontinent. The term is also sometimes used adjectivally in cricket for example subcontinental conditions. Cricket serves as a unifying force across the diverse nations of the region despite their political differences. The popularity of the game spans from the northernmost reaches of Kashmir to the southern tip of Sri Lanka creating a shared cultural experience among millions of fans.
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Common questions
What is the Indian subcontinent and where is it located?
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
When did Pakistan become independent from British India?
Citizens of Pakistan became independent of British India in 1947 while Bangladesh became independent of Pakistan in 1971. Since the Partition of India citizens of Pakistan often perceive the use of the Indian subcontinent as offensive and suspicious because of the dominant placement of India in the term.
How does the Indian subcontinent differ from South Asia geographically and politically?
The term Indian subcontinent is more of a geophysical term whereas South Asia is more geopolitical. Although the terms are often used interchangeably to denote a wider region which includes Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian subcontinent excludes Afghanistan even in extended usage.
Why do some people find the name Indian subcontinent offensive today?
Since the Partition of India citizens of Pakistan which was carved out of India in 1947 and has had recurring conflicts with India since then often perceive the use of the Indian subcontinent as offensive and suspicious because of the dominant placement of India in the term. The political leadership and the policy-makers in these two countries do not wish to be reminded of this common heritage.
Which countries consider cricket a unifying force within the Indian subcontinent?
Cricket introduced to the region by the British is notably popular in India Pakistan Sri Lanka Nepal Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Within a cricket context these countries are sometimes referred to simply as the subcontinent for example Australia's tour of the subcontinent.