South Asia

Southern part of Asia continent is popularly known as South Asia. There are some controversies about the exact demarcation and number of countries and territories. Most of these controversies are political in nature. There are also some controversies on the basis of geography. Despite all these, the common perception is that this southern region of the Asian continent is comprised of sub-Himalayan countries and the regions on their west. However, some of the authorities include some parts of the east as well. It is surrounded clockwise from east to west by East Asia Southeast Asia West Asia and Central Asia.

The whole of South Asia is politically divided as following countries.
Bangladesh Bhutan India The Maldives Nepal Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These countries have a total area of 4,386,906 sq kms.

Territories of the region: British Indian Ocean Territory.

The principal languages of this region are Assamese or Asomiya, Bengali, Bodo, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, Dhivehi, Dogri, Dzongkha, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Manipuri, Nepali, Oriya, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Sinhala, Siraiki, Tamil, Telugu, and Tibetan.

This region is the most densely populated regions of the world. Indo Aryan Culture, Dravidian Culture and Islamic Culture play important roled in giving a particular shape to the civilization of this region.

History of South Asia is very old. This is the land of the oldest civilization called Indus Valley Civilization.

Major religions of this region are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam.

South Asia is also knows as the region of garland countries. There is a common mixed culture and ethos that bind these countries together as a people of one great heritage. That is why these countries embraced the idea of forming SAARC - South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, an organization that has now included counties bordering this region.

The white coral beaches, blue lagoons and well-designed gardens and Buddhist temples of Sri Lanka; the lush riverine beauty and sensuous arts of Bangladesh; the splendour of India's historical heritage and its architectural grandeur; Nepals Everest and the city of antiquity Kathmandu; Pakistan's Kaakoram summit, archaeological wonders and Mughal legacy etc are but only few things to mention that attracts people from all over the world.

Despite poverty, decay, dirt and sporadic violence, the whole of South Asia has a vibrant culture and civilization.