South Asia

South Asia is the southern area of Asia, which may be characterised both in terms of geography and ethnoculture. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are among the nations that make up this area of the world. According to its geological makeup and boundaries, it is dominated by the Indian Plate and delimited primarily by the Indian Ocean to its south and the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Pamir ranges to its north. Located north of the Hindu Kush, the Amu Darya River forms part of the country's northern boundary with Afghanistan. South Asia is bordered on the land (clockwise) by Western Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. On the sea (clockwise), South Asia is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.

A regional economic cooperation organisation in the area that was created in 1985 and comprises all eight countries that make up South Asia, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) may be found at www.saarc.org. Approximately 5.2 million km2 (2.0 million sq mi) of land surface area is occupied by South Asia, accounting for 11.71 percent of the Asian continent and 3.5 percent of the world's land surface area. South Asia has a population of around 1.891 billion people, accounting for almost one-fourth of the world's total population, making it both the most populous and densely inhabited geographical area on the planet. Generally speaking, it is home to a diverse range of people and accounts for around 39.49 percent of the population of Asia and over 24 percent of the globe.

South Asia was home to the world's greatest populations of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Zoroastrians in 2010, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 98.47 percent of Hindus live in South Asia, 90.5 percent of Sikhs live in the same region, and 31 percent of Muslims live in the region, together with 35 million Christians and 25 million Buddhists.