Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas. It stretches into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. Today, it includes Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

The words Indian subcontinent and South Asia are sometimes used to mean the same thing, but they are different. The Indian subcontinent describes a natural area shaped by Earth's surface. South Asia is a geopolitical term that includes more countries, such as Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes, South Asia also includes Afghanistan, though Afghanistan is not geographically part of the subcontinent.

This area has a rich history, many cultures, and many languages, making it an important part of the world.

Name

Historically, the area around the Indus River was called India. Historians still use this name when talking about the past of the Indian subcontinent before the British Raj.

The word subcontinent means a large piece of land that is smaller than a whole continent. People began using this term in the early 1900s when this area was part of the British Empire. Today, some people use the term South Asia instead, to make it clear they are talking about this region.

Geology

See also: Indian plate and Himalayas § Geology

The Indian subcontinent was once part of a large ancient land called Gondwana. Over many years, it moved north and bumped into another land called Eurasia. This bump made the tall Himalayas mountains and changed the shape of the land.

Before this, two smaller lands called the Qiangtang terrane and Lhasa terrane had joined Eurasia. These lands are now parts of countries like Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China, and others. The moving of these lands changed the oceans and made new shapes, including places we now know as Ladakh in Kashmir and Kohistan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.