Question

India is often referred to as a subcontinent. Give reason.

Answer 1

The Indian Subcontinent is a southern region of Asia mostly situated on the Indian Plate and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geologically, the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian Plate nearly 55 million years ago. It is the Peninsular Region in South-Central Asia delineated by the highest mountain ranges as “Himalayas” in the North, the “Hindu Kush” in the West, and the “Arakanese” in the East.

Politically, the Indian subcontinent usually includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Sometimes, the term South Asia is used interchangeably with 'Indian subcontinent'. There is no consensus about which countries should be included in either of these.