Why is India called a Subcontinent? Name the Countries that form a Part of the Indian Subcontinent
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
India is called a subcontinent because it covers a wide area of land, which includes the Gangetic plain, the plateau region in the south, and the great Himalayan region in the north. It has a distinct geographical, political, and cultural identity. In addition, India is a country with a huge mass (somewhat less than a continent). The countries that form part of the Indian subcontinent are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bhutan.
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India as a Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large area of land that forms a subdivision of a continent. For example, Asia is a continent, whereas India is a subcontinent. India is represented by the Indian plate. India is considered geologically related to a landmass that was rifted from Gondwana nearly 55 million years ago.
According to anthropologist J. R. Lukas, India has occupied a large landmass in South Asia, whereas historian B. N. Mukherjee considered the Indian subcontinent to be an invisible geographical entity.
Countries that form a Part of the Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent’s borders are as follows:
- The Himalayas, the Karakoram, and Hindu Kush mountains in the North.
- Mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, Pab range, Brahui range, Kirthar Mountains, Sulaiman Mountains, and Spin Ghar in the west.
- Chin hills, Lushai, and Patkai Naga in the east.
- Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean in the southwest, southeast, and south.
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