9/24/2019 South Asia University
South Asia Studies acquaints students with South Asian civilizations through an interdisciplinary study of the languages, literatures, histories, religions, arts,. The study of South Asia at the University of Pennsylvania has a history that stretches back over a century. Generations of the country’s top scholars of South Asian literature, society, history, art and religion have been trained at Penn. Sanskrit was studied at Penn as early as the 1890s and a full time Sanskrit position was first established in 1912 with the appointment of Franklin Edgerton.
List.034 – Southern Asia142 –001 –South Asia, or Southern Asia, is the of the, which comprises the countries and, adjoining countries to the west and east. Topographically, it is dominated by the, which rises as and northern parts of situated south of the and the.
South Asia is bounded on the south by the and on land (clockwise, from ) by, and.The current territories of, and form South Asia. The (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 km 2 (2 million mi 2), 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 and the 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 population of,. It alone accounted for 98.47% population of global Hindus and 90.5% of global Sikhs.
It also has the largest population of in the region which forms one third global Muslim population as well as over 35 million and 25 million. Map of South Asia. However, the United Nations does not endorse any definitions or area boundaries.The total area of South Asia and its geographical extent is not clear cut as systemic and foreign policy orientations of its constituents are quite asymmetrical. Aside from the central region of South Asia, formerly part of the, there is a high degree of variation as to which other countries are included in South Asia.Modern definitions of South Asia are consistent in including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives as the constituent countries.
Is included by some scholars in South Asia, but in Southeast Asia by others. Some do not include Afghanistan, others question whether Afghanistan should be considered a part of South Asia or the Middle East.The current territories of, and, which were the core of the from 1857 to 1947, form the central region of South Asia, in addition to Afghanistan, which was a British protectorate until 1919, after the Second Anglo-Afghan war. The mountain countries of and, and the island countries of and are generally included as well. (formerly Burma) is often added, and by various deviating definitions based on often substantially different reasons, the and the are included as well.The common concept of South Asia is largely inherited from the administrative boundaries of the, with several exceptions.
The, and, though administered at various times under the Raj, have not been proposed as any part of South Asia. Additionally was administered as part of the Raj until 1937, but is now considered a part of Southeast Asia and is a member state of. The 562 that were protected by but not directly ruled by the Raj became administrative parts of South Asia upon joining or., it had formed the whole territory of,The (SAARC), a contiguous block of countries, started in 1985 with seven countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – and added as an eighth member in 2007. And Myanmar have also applied for the status of full members of SAARC.
This bloc of countries include two independent countries that were not part of the British Raj – Nepal, and Bhutan. Afghanistan was a British protectorate from 1878 until 1919, after the Afghans lost to the British in the Second Anglo-Afghan war., based on geo-politics, people, and economy defines South Asia as comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Territory, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The incorporated Afghanistan in 2011, and the grouping of countries in the region also includes all eight members comprising South Asia and SAARC as well, and the same goes for the (UNICEF). When the at the was established, in 1964, it promoted the study of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Himalayan Kingdoms (, and Sikkim ), and Burma (now Myanmar).
It has since included, the and.The Centres for South Asian Studies at both the and the include Tibet along with the eight members of SAARC in their research programs, but exclude the Maldives. The South Asian Studies Program of and the Centre for South Asia Studies also include the Maldives.The South Asian Studies Program of defines the region as comprising 'India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and in certain contexts Afghanistan, Burma, Maldives and Tibet'.
The similar program of includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in their study and excludes Burma. See also:The United Nations Statistics Division's include all eight members of the SAARC as part of Southern Asia, along with only for statistical purposes. Population Information Network (POPIN) includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as part of South Asia. Maldives, in view of its characteristics, was admitted as a member Pacific POPIN subregional network only in principle. The of the for the region includes only the original seven signatories of SAARC.The is connected to the region by a publication of for security considerations. The region may also include the disputed territory of, which was part of the British Indian princely state of, but is now administered as part of the autonomous region of.The inclusion of Myanmar in South Asia is without consensus, with many considering it a part of Southeast Asia and others including it within South Asia.
Afghanistan was of importance to the British colonial empire, especially after the over 1878–1880. Afghanistan remained a British protectorate until 1919, when a treaty with Vladimir Lenin included the granting of independence to Afghanistan. Following, Afghanistan has generally been included in South Asia, with some considering it a part of Southwest Asia. During the (1979–1989) American foreign policy considered Pakistan and Afghanistan in Southwest Asia, while others included it as a part of South Asia. There is no universal agreement among scholars on which countries should be included within South Asia.In the past, a lack of a coherent definition for South Asia resulted in not only a lack of academic studies, but also in a lack interest for such studies. The confusion existed also because of the lack of a clear boundary – geographically, geopolitical, socio-culturally, economically or historically – between South Asia and other parts of Asia, especially the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Identification with a South Asian identity was also found to be significantly low among respondents in an older two-year survey across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
However, modern definitions of South Asia are very consistent in including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives as the constituent countries. Main article:According to the, the term 'subcontinent' signifies a 'subdivision of a continent which has a distinct geographical, political, or cultural identity' and also a 'large land mass somewhat smaller than a continent'.
Historians Catherine Asher and Cynthia Talbot state that the term 'Indian subcontinent' describes a natural physical landmass in South Asia that has been relatively isolated from the rest of Eurasia. The Indian subcontinent is also a geological term referring to the land mass that drifted northeastwards from ancient, colliding with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago, towards the end of Palaeocene.
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This geological region largely includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.The use of the term Indian subcontinent began in the British Empire, and has been a term particularly common in its successors. This region has also been labelled as 'India' (in its classical and sense), 'Greater India', or as South Asia.According to anthropologist, 'the Indian Subcontinent occupies the major landmass of South Asia', while the political science professor states, 'the seven countries of South Asia constitute geographically a compact region around the Indian Subcontinent'. According to Chris Brewster, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan constitute the Indian subcontinent; with Afghanistan and Maldives included it is more commonly referred to as South Asia. The geopolitical boundaries of Indian subcontinent, according to Dhavendra Kumar, include 'India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and other small islands of the Indian Ocean'.
Maldives, the country consisting of a small southwest of the peninsula, is considered part of the Indian subcontinent.The terms 'Indian subcontinent' and 'South Asia' are sometimes used interchangeably. The South Asia term is particularly common when scholars or officials seek to differentiate this region from East Asia. According to historians and, the Indian subcontinent has come to be known as South Asia 'in more recent and neutral parlance.' This 'neutral' notion refers to the concerns of Pakistan and Bangladesh, particularly given the recurring conflicts between India and Pakistan, wherein the dominant placement of 'India' as a prefix before the subcontinent might offend some political sentiments.There is no globally accepted definition on which countries are a part of South Asia or Indian subcontinent. While Afghanistan is not considered as a part of the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan is often included in South Asia.
Similarly, is included by some scholars in South Asia but not in Indian subcontinent. Main articles: and Ancient era The history of core South Asia begins with evidence of human activity of, as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including from about 500,000 years ago. The, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of South Asia from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE in present-day, India and, was the first major civilization in South Asia. A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE.The earliest prehistoric culture have roots in the mesolithic sites as evidenced by the rock paintings of dating to a period of 30,000 BCE or older, as well as neolithic times. According to anthropologist, the provides a logical, if somewhat arbitrary, starting point for South Asian religions, but these links from the Indus religion to later-day South Asian traditions are subject to scholarly dispute. Turco-Mongol conqueror defeats the, Nasir-u Din Mehmud, in the winter of 1397–1398Islam came as a political power in the fringe of South Asia in 8th century CE when the Arab general conquered and in southern in modern-day Pakistan.
By 962 CE, Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms in South Asia were under a wave of raids from Muslim armies from Central Asia. Among them was, who raided and plundered kingdoms in north India from east of the Indus river to west of Yamuna river seventeen times between 997 and 1030. Mahmud of Ghazni raided the treasuries but retracted each time, only extending Islamic rule into western Punjab.The wave of raids on north Indian and western Indian kingdoms by Muslim warlords continued after Mahmud of Ghazni, plundering and looting these kingdoms. The raids did not establish or extend permanent boundaries of their Islamic kingdoms. The Ghurid Sultan began a systematic war of expansion into North India in 1173. He sought to carve out a principality for himself by expanding the Islamic world.
Mu'izz sought a kingdom of his own extending east of the Indus river, and he thus laid the foundation for the Muslim kingdom that became the. Some historians chronicle the Delhi Sultanate from 1192 due to the presence and geographical claims of Mu'izz al-Din in South Asia by that time.
The Delhi Sultanate covered varying parts of South Asia, and was ruled by a series of dynasties, called Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties. Came to power in 1325, launched a war of expansion and the Delhi Sultanate reached it largest geographical reach over the South Asian region during his 26-year rule. A Sunni Sultan, Muhammad bin Tughlaq persecuted non-Muslims such as Hindus, as well as non-Sunni Muslims such as Shia and Mahdi sects.Revolts against the Delhi Sultanate sprang up in many parts of South Asia during the 14th century. After the death of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Bengal Sultanate came to power in 1352 CE, as the Delhi Sultanate began disintegrating.
The Bengal Sultanate remained in power through the early 16th century. It was reconquered by the armies of the Mughal Empire. The state religion of the Bengal Sultanate was Islam, and the region under its rule, a region that ultimately emerged as the modern nation of Bangladesh, saw a growth of a syncretic form of Islam. In the Deccan region, the Hindu kingdom came to power in 1336 and remained in power through the 16th century, after which it too was reconquered and absorbed into the Mughal Empire.About 1526, the Punjab governor Dawlat Khan Lodī reached out to the Mughal and invited him to attack Delhi Sultanate.
Defeated and killed Ibrahim Lodi in the in 1526. The death of Ibrahim Lodi ended the Delhi Sultanate, and the replaced it. Modern era. Emperor and Prince in Mughal Court, 1650The period of South Asia, that is 16th-century onwards, witnessed the start of the Central Asian dynasty named the Mughals, with Turkish-Mongol roots and Sunni Islam theology.
The first ruler was Babur, whose empire extended the northwest and regions of South Asia. The Deccan and northeastern region of the South Asia was largely under Hindu kings such as those of Vijayanagara Empire and, with some regions such as parts of modern and under local Sultanates such as the Shia Islamic rulers of. British Indian Empire in 1909.
Is shaded pink, the yellow.The Mughal Empire continued its wars of expansion after Babur's death. With the fall of the Rajput kingdoms and Vijayanagara, its boundaries encompassed almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. The Mughal Empire was marked by a period of artistic exchanges and a Central Asian and South Asian architecture synthesis, with remarkable buildings such as the.
At its height, the empire was the world's largest economy, worth almost 25% of global GDP, more than the entirety of.However, this time also marked an extended period of. Two of the religious leaders of, and were arrested under orders of the Mughal emperors, asked to convert to Islam, and executed when they refused. Religious taxes on non-Muslims called jizya were imposed. Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh temples were desecrated. The Indian peninsula, and the on the northeast, is the result of the collision of the Indian Plate with the through between 20 and 50 million years ago.According to Saul Cohen, early colonial era strategists treated South Asia with East Asia, but in reality the South Asia region excluding Afghanistan is a distinct region separated from other nearby geostrategic realms, one that is geographically diverse.
The region is home to a variety of geographical features, such as, and that are typical of much larger continents. It is surrounded by three water bodies – the, the and the – and has acutely varied climate zones. The tip of the Indian Peninsula had the highest quality pearls. Boundary. While South Asia had never been a coherent region, it has a distinct geographical identityThe boundaries of South Asia vary based on how the region is defined. South Asia's northern, eastern, and western boundaries vary based on definitions used, while the is the southern periphery. Most of this region rests on the and is isolated from the rest of Asia by mountain barriers.
Much of the region consists of a in south-central Asia, rather resembling a diamond which is delineated by the Himalayas on the north, the in the west, and the in the east, and which extends southward into the Indian Ocean with the to the southwest and the to the southeast.According to Robert M. Cutler – a scholar of Political Science at, the terms South Asia, Southwest Asia and Central Asia are distinct, but the confusion and disagreements have arisen due to the geopolitical movement to enlarge these regions into Greater South Asia, Greater Southwest Asia and Greater Central Asia. The frontier of Greater South Asia, states Cutler, between 2001–2006 has been geopolitically extended to eastern Iran and western Afghanistan in the west, and in the north to northeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan, and southern. Indian plate. Main article:Most of this region is resting on the, the northerly portion of the, separated from the rest of the. The Indian Plate includes most of South Asia, forming a land mass which extends from the into a portion of the basin under the, including parts of and Eastern, as well as and ranges, and extending up to but not including, the range. It may be noted that the in Tibet is situated at the outside of the border of the regional structure, while the in are situated inside that border.It was once a small before colliding with the about 50–55 million years ago and giving birth to the and the.
It is the region south of the and mountain ranges and east of the and the, extending southward into the Indian Ocean between the (to the southwest) and the (to the southeast).Climate. The climate of this vast region varies considerably from area to area from tropical monsoon in the south to temperate in the north. The variety is influenced by not only the altitude, but also by factors such as proximity to the sea coast and the seasonal impact of the.
Southern parts are mostly hot in summers and receive rain during monsoon periods. The northern belt of also is hot in summer, but cooler in winter. The mountainous north is colder and receives snowfall at higher altitudes of Himalayan ranges.As the block the north-Asian bitter cold winds, the temperatures are considerably moderate in the plains down below. See also: andPopulation of South Asian countries in 1950, 1975, 2000, 2025, 2050, 2075 and 2100 projection from the United Nations. The population projections use medium fertility index. With India and Bangladesh approaching fast, population growth in South Asia is facing steep decline and may turn negative in mid 21st century.
Population is given in thousands. RankCountry76,3,056,5761,445,0121,639,1761,609,0411,450,46,842,294,237,27,692,551,2,3, 6,8,3,5,3,3,1,9,90Total476,2,390,9461,958,0462,293,0692,313,272,120,014Land and water area.
See also: andThis list includes within their (including uninhabited territories), but does not include claims on. Ethno-linguistic distribution map of South Asia.There are numerous languages in South Asia. The spoken languages of the region are largely based on geography and shared across religious boundaries, but the written script is sharply divided by religious boundaries. In particular, Muslims of South Asia such as in Afghanistan and Pakistan use the Arabic alphabet and Persian. Till 1971, Muslim Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) too mandated only the Nastaliq script, but thereafter has adopted regional scripts and particularly Bengali. Non-Muslims of South Asia, and some Muslims in India, on the other hand use their traditional ancient heritage scripts such as those derived from for Indo-European languages and non-Brahmi scripts for and others.The has been the of the traditional South Asian scripts.
The Devanagari script is used for over 120 South Asian languages, including, and among other languages and dialects, making it one of the most used and in the world. The Devanagari script is also used for classical Sanskrit texts.The largest spoken language in this region is, followed by Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. In the modern era, new syncretic languages developed in the region such as that is used by Muslim community of northern south Asia (particularly Pakistan and northern states of India). The Punjabi language spans three religions: Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. The spoken language is similar, but it is written in three scripts.
The Sikh use, Punjabis in use the Nastaliq script, while Punjabis in India use the Gurmukhi. The Gurmukhi and Nagari scripts are distinct but close in their structure, but the Persian Nastaliq script is very different.English, with British spelling, is commonly used in urban areas and is a major economic of South Asia.
Religions. A map ofIn 2010, South Asia had the world's largest population of, and, about 510 million, as well as over 25 million and 35 million. Hindus make up about 68 percent or about 900 million and Muslims at 31 percent or 510 million of the overall South Asia population, while Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Sikhs constitute most of the rest. The Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and Christians are concentrated in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, while the Muslims are concentrated in Afghanistan (99%), Bangladesh (90%), Pakistan (96%) and Maldives (100%).are the religions that originated in the India; namely,. The Indian religions are distinct yet share terminology, concepts, goals and ideas, and from South Asia spread into East Asia and southeast Asia. Early Christianity and Islam were introduced into coastal regions of South Asia by merchants who settled among the local populations. Later, and parts of the saw conquest by the along with an influx of Muslims from Persia and Central Asia, which resulted in spread of both Shia and Sunni Islam in parts of northwestern region of South Asia.
Subsequently, under the influence of Muslim rulers of the Islamic sultanates and the Mughal Empire, Islam spread in South Asia. Countries under theIndia is the largest and fastest growing economy in the region (US$2.957 trillion) and makes up almost 80% of the South Asian economy; it is the in nominal terms and by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates (US$10.385 trillion). India is the only member of powerful and from the region. It is the fastest growing major economy in the world and one of the world's fastest registering a growth of 7.3% in FY 2014–15.Followed by Bangladesh, which has a GDP of ($314.656 billion) and a GDP per capita of $1888 which is 4th in the region. It has the fastest GDP growth rate in Asia. It is one of the of the world and It is also listed among the countries.
It is also one of the fastest growing middle-income countries. It has the GDP in nominal terms and is the by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates ($829.272 billion). Bangladesh's economic growth crossed 7% in fiscal 2015–2016 after almost a decade in the region of 6%, It's expected to grow by 8.13% in 2019–2020.Followed by Pakistan, It has an economy of ($314 billion) and ranks 5th in GDP per capita in the region.Then by which has the 2nd highest per capita and is the 4th largest economy in the region.
See also: CountryCapitalForms of governmentHead of stateHead of governmentLegislatureOfficial languageCoat of arms / National Emblems, English,constitutional republic, Englishconstitutional republicconstitutional republic, Englishconstitutional republic, EnglishCountries and territories from extended definitions Country or regionCapitalAdministrative division typeHead of governmentArea (km 2)PopulationOfficial languageCoat of arms54,4002,500English676,57851,486,2531,228,4003,180,000,and are the dominant political powers in the region. India is by far the largest country in the area covering around three-fourths the land area of the South Asian region.
India has the largest population of around three times the combined population of the 6 other countries in the region. India is also the world's largest India's annual defence budget for 2013–14 is $39.2 billion which is equal to the whole Pakistan's Federal budget of $39.3 billion for 2014–15.Bangladesh is a. Bangladesh also stands out as one of the few Muslim-majority democracies.
'It is a moderate and generally secular and tolerant — though sometimes this is getting stretched at the moment — alternative to in a very troubled part of the world', said, the U.S. Ambassador to. Although Bangladesh's legal code is, more citizens are embracing a conservative version of, with some pushing for, analysts say. Experts say that the rise in conservatism reflects the influence of foreign-financed Islamic charities and the more austere version of Islam brought home by migrant workers in countries.Diplomacy among the countries of South Asia has been mainly driven by populist, with the centre-stage taken by - conflict ever since their independence in 1947, and then the creation of Bangladesh under tense circumstances in 1971. During the height of, the elite political leaders of Pakistan aligned with the, while India played crucial in forming the and while maintaining goodwill relations with the.Pakistan's governance is one of the most conflicted in the region.
The military rule and the unstable government in Pakistan has become a concern for the South Asian region. In, the governance has struggled to come in the side of democracy and it only showed signs in the recent past, basically in the 21st century, to support the democratic system. The political situation in has been dominated by an increasingly assertive nationalism, and the emergence of a separatist movement under, which was suppressed in May 2009. According to the UN cartographic section website disclaimers, 'DESIGNATIONS USED: The depiction and use of boundaries, geographic names and related data shown on maps and included in lists, tables, documents, and databases on this web site are not warranted to be error free nor do they necessarily imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.' ., p. 66: 'Much of what we now call Hinduism may have had roots in cultures that thrived in South Asia long before the creation of textual evidence that we can decipher with any confidence.
Remarkable cave paintings have been preserved from Mesolithic sites dating from c. 30,000 BCE in, near present-day Bhopal, in the Vindhya Mountains in the province of Madhya Pradesh.' ., p. xvii: 'Some practices of Hinduism must have originated in Neolithic times (c. The worship of certain plants and animals as sacred, for instance, could very likely have very great antiquity. The worship of goddesses, too, a part of Hinduism today, may be a feature that originated in the Neolithic.' . Michaels: 'They called themselves arya ('Aryans,' literally 'the hospitable,' from the Vedic arya, 'homey, the hospitable') but even in the Rgveda, arya denotes a cultural and linguistic boundary and not only a racial one.'
References Citations.
“An important volume that explores the intentions behind several major early collections of South Asian art made for appreciation outside South Asia. The lively interplay of cultural interests and attitudes that are revealed, the ways these have changed over time, and the attention given here to some lesser-known collections and objects greatly enrich understanding of both South Asia and the world beyond its borders.” —Milo Cleveland Beach, author of The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court“Provocative and timely. Focuses on the unwritten history of how South Asian objects came to exist in museum collections outside of South Asia. It is a story of progress, cosmopolitanism, and cultural exchange, in which East and West intermingle and enrich the general population’s understanding of the world’s cultural heritage.”—Risha Lee, former curator of exhibitions, Rubin Museum of ArtThis beautifully illustrated volume details how South Asian art has been acquired by public and private collectors in Europe, North America, and Singapore from the mid-nineteenth century onward. It traces the various journeys and colonial legacies of artwork from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.Contributors explore the removal of art objects from their countries of origin for external appreciation. They discuss British collecting practices during colonial rule in South Asia, when military officials and individuals associated with the East India Company transported various pieces to the Tower of London, the British Museum, and the Royal Ontario Museum.
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