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South Asia is a subregion of Asia comprising the modern states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. It covers about 4,480,000 km, or 10 percent of the continent and is also known as the Indian subcontinent.
Subregions of South Asia include:
- Himalayan States - Northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh
- Indian Ocean Island Nations - Sri Lanka, the Maldives
- Southern India, Pakistan
South Asia ranks among the world's most crowded places. About 1 1/3 billion people live there—about a third of all Asians and a fifth of all the people in the world. The region's population density of 305 persons per km is more than seven times the world average.
The region has a long history. Ancient civilisations developed in the Indus River Valley. The region was at its most prosperous before the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire held sway in the north; European colonialism lead to a new conquering of the region, by Portugal and Holland, and later Britain and to a lesser degree France. Most of the region gained independence from Europe in the late 1940s.
- See also: History of South Asia
Southern Asia sometimes refers to all of Asia that was not part of the Soviet Union.