South Asia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
South Asia

Area	5,134,641 km2 (1,982,496 sq mi)
Population	1,814,014,121 (2018) (1st)
Population density	362.3/km2 (938/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	$3.461 trillion (2018)
GDP (PPP)	$12.752 trillion (2018)
GDP per capita	$1,908 (nominal) $7,029 (PPP)
HDI	0.642 (medium)
Ethnic groups	Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan, Austroasiatic, etc.
Religions	Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism
Demonym	South Asian
Countries	8 states  Afghanistan  Bangladesh  Bhutan  India  Maldives  Nepal  Pakistan  Sri Lanka
Dependencies	British Indian Ocean Territory
Languages	Official languages Bangla Dari (Persian) Dzongkha English Hindi Maldivian Telugu Nepali Pashto Sinhala Tamil Urdu Other languages Afro-Asiatic: Arabic Austroasiatic: Khasi Santali Austronesian: Ja Basawa Dravidian: Beary Gondi Kannada Kodava Malayalam Tamil Telugu Tulu Indo-European: Asamiya Balochi Bhili Dogri Garhwali Gujarati Hindustani dialects Kashmiri Konkani Kumaoni Kutchi Lahnda Maithili Marwari Odia Punjabi Rangpuri Sanskrit Saraiki Satgaiya Sindhi Sylheti Sino-Tibetan: Tamang Turkic: Turkmen Uzbek
Time zones	5 time zones UTC+04:30: Afghanistan UTC+05:00: Maldives Pakistan UTC+05:30: India Sri Lanka UTC+05:45: Nepal UTC+06:00: Bangladesh Bhutan
Internet TLD	.af, .bd, .bt, .in, .lk, .mv, .np, .pk
Calling code	Zone 8 & 9
Largest cities	List Ahmedabad Bangalore Chennai Colombo Delhi Dhaka Hyderabad Karachi Kolkata Lahore Mumbai Pune
UN M49 code	034 – Southern Asia 142 – Asia 001 – World

South Asia or Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan SAARC countries and, for some authorities, adjoining countries to the west and east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate, which rises above sea level as Nepal and northern parts of India situated south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. South Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land (clockwise, from west) by Western Asia, Central Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia.

The current territories of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka form South Asia. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic cooperation organisation in the region which was established in 1985 and includes all eight nations comprising South Asia.

South Asia covers about 5.2 million km² (2 million mi²), which is 11.71% of the Asian continent or 3.5% of the world's land surface area. The population of South Asia is about 1.891 billion or about one fourth of the world's population, making it both the most populous and the most densely populated geographical region in the world. Overall, it accounts for about 39.49% of Asia's population, over 24% of the world's population, and is home to a vast array of people.

In 2010, South Asia had the world's largest populations of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Zoroastrians. South Asia alone accounts for 98.47% population of global Hindus, 90.5% of global Sikhs, 31% of global Muslims, 35 million Christians and 25 million Buddhists.

Natural resources

The natural resource most used by the people is the rich land. Most of the people living there are farmers. They make lots of cashews, millets, peanuts, sesame seeds, and tea. Lots of natural gas are there, but these resources are usually underdeveloped. Many people there raise cattle and sheep. The cattle are raised for their milk or to carry things in Hindu areas.

Climate

The climate of South Asia can be divided into three basic kinds: tropical, dry, and temperate. The northeast is from tropical to subtropical (temperate). Moving west the moisture and elevation change, causing a steppe and a desert climate that is like the Middle East. There is also a part of steppe climate in the center of the lower peninsula. Two parts of the South Asia climate especially affect the people. One is the monsoons. These changing winds bring lots of the area's rain, so when they do not come early, the land becomes very dry. Hurricanes also happen every year and sometimes destroy many things. In the extreme north of India and Pakistan, the climate is affected by the mountains. There is a mild climate near the Indus river where farmers grow crops like rice and tea.

Related pages

• Central Asia
• East Asia
• Southeast Asia
• West Asia

Images for kids

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  Various definitions of South Asia, including the definition by UNSD which was created for "statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories."

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  United Nations cartographic map of South Asia. However, the United Nations does not endorse any definitions or area boundaries.

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  While South Asia had never been a coherent geopolitical region, it has a distinct geographical identity

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  Indus Valley civilisation during 2600–1900 BCE, the mature phase

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  The Trimurti is the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, typically Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer

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  Timur defeats the Sultan of Delhi, Nasir-u Din Mehmud, in the winter of 1397–1398

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  Emperor Shah Jahan and his son Prince Aurangzeb in Mughal Court, 1650

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  British Indian Empire in 1909. British India is shaded pink, the princely states yellow.

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  Ethno-linguistic distribution map of South Asia

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  Mumbai is the financial capital of India with GDP of $400 billion

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  Durbar High School, oldest secondary school of Nepal, established in 1854 CE

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  Lower class school in Sri Lanka

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  College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan

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  IInstitute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Nepal