South Asia

South Asia, also known as the Indian subcontinent (or "the subcontinent"), is a triangular landmass bordered by the Himalayas in the north, the Indian Ocean in the south, and the Ganges and Indus river valleys in east and west. Home to 2.08 billion people, South Asia has the world's tallest mountains, and is the origin of some of the world's oldest civilisations and the wellspring of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sanamahism, Sikhism, and Jainism.

Bangladesh A Muslim-majority nation famous for its rivers. While not a major tourist destination, Bangladesh possesses a mix of beautiful beaches, wildlife, history and culture.

Bhutan A Buddhist-majority country influenced by Tibetan culture and its way of life. Tourism is strictly regulated.

India the largest country in the region consisting of ancient and rich cultural heritage with the Himalayan Mountains in the north, the Thar Desert in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south; the most populous nation offers the traveller a view of fascinating religions and ethnography, a smorgasbord of languages, diverse food, and architectural masterpieces that were built millennia ago and remain intact today

Maldives Home to gorgeous beaches, with a culture influenced by India and the Middle East.

Nepal Home to Mount Everest and the birthplace of the Buddha, popular with adventure tourists, and a place of many rare animals and pure hospitality.

Pakistan The only country created in the name of Islam, it is very rich in culture and history, with varying climates and terrains from hot deserts to snowy mountains, and home to five of the fourteen 8,000-metre mountains on earth.

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's Buddhist majority, and significant Hindu and Muslim minorities, combined with the legacies of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonisation, have created a rich cultural heritage which is echoed in the island's diverse attractions. These are as varied as stunning beaches, rugged mountains, scenic rail journeys, delicious food, safaris, and ancient monuments.

The following destinations are sometimes considered part of South Asia, although they are categorised elsewhere in Wikivoyage:

• Afghanistan can be considered part of the region; although it is mostly considered to be part of Central Asia, it often involves itself in South Asian regional organisations.
• The British Indian Ocean Territory is a group of islands administered by Britain, south of the Maldives. However, it is off-limits for most people.
• Iran is occasionally considered part of the region, but more often considered to be in the Middle East or Central Asia.
• Myanmar (formerly Burma) may be considered part of South Asia due to its history as part of British India, but it is usually considered part of Southeast Asia.
• Tibet is sometimes considered to be part of South Asia, and shares close cultural ties with Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, Sikkim and North-Eastern India.

• 6.92666779.8605561 Colombo — largest city of Sri Lanka
• 28.61388977.2088892 Delhi — a culturally diverse city of India, home to the country's capital New Delhi
• 23.72888990.3944443 Dhaka — thriving cultural melting pot that is Bangladesh's capital
• 33.69888973.0369444 Islamabad — capital of Pakistan
• 27.7185.325 Kathmandu — capital of Nepal
• 24.8667.016 Karachi — a culturally diverse and cosmopolitan city in Pakistan's south
• 4.17573.5083337 Malé — densely packed island city, gateway to the Maldives
• 19.07583372.87758 Mumbai — most eclectic and cosmopolitan city of India, famous for the Bollywood film industry
• 27.4713589.633679 Thimphu — capital of Bhutan, surrounded by mountains

• 21.892.41 Bandarban — hill district in Bangladesh with trekking through unspoilt forests
• 21.58333392.0166672 Cox's Bazar — one of the longest sea beaches in the world
• 31.7081776.931373 Himalayan North — the northern Himalayan region of India
• 36.31666774.654 Hunza Valley — one of the more stunning and popular parts of Pakistan's high mountain areas
• 8.09111177.5416675 Kanyakumari — the southernmost point of mainland India
• 27.32916768.1388896 Mohenjo-daro — a spectacular, fascinating and important archaeological site of ruins of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation
• 27.98805686.9257 Mount Everest — the world's tallest mountain straddling the border of China and Nepal
• 21.7588.758 Sundarbans — one of the best places in South Asia to see tigers
• 27.17578.0419449 Taj Mahal — the incomparable marble tomb in Agra

See Islands of the Indian Ocean.

South Asia is the origin of four major religions: namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Islam was introduced by invading Arabs starting around the 7th century and rose to prominence during the Mughal Empire. There are also ancient Jewish and Christian communities in India that date back some 2,000 years, and there has been a Parsi (Zoroastrian) presence in the Subcontinent since at least the 10th century. An additional layer of South Asian cultural unification derives from the influence of British culture, and especially the frequent and growing use of the English language, as a result of India having formed the "Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire.

Unfortunately, the Jewel was partitioned into the Hindu-majority state of India and the Muslim-majority state of Pakistan in 1947, and the orgy of Hindu-Muslim bloodletting that followed the partition led to the deaths of at least half a million and the migration of 12–14 million people. The two new countries have fought four wars, three of them over the status of Kashmir. The third war in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming Bangladesh.

The British ruled the island of Ceylon and the Maldives separately from India, and they became independent in 1948 and 1965, respectively. Ceylon became a republic as Sri Lanka in 1972, while the monarchy of the Maldives was abolished in 1968.

Nepal and Bhutan were never formally colonised by the British, but were nevertheless under British suzerainty during the age of colonialism. Nepal's Gurkhas provided soldiers to the British Army throughout the colonial age, and continue to do so today. In addition, there are Gurkha regiments in the Indian and Bruneian armies, as well as a Gurkha unit in the Singapore Police Force. Bhutan had its foreign policy controlled by the British throughout the colonial era, a role that was passed on to India following Indian independence.

Apart from the Himalayas, the climate is tropical, with monsoon in summer and dry winter. However, you have the extremes of this climate, i.e. in western Pakistan, monsoon is quite non-existent, and in Southern India, it lasts for six months. Sri Lanka even has two monsoons, one in May, one in October/November.

South Asia is one of the world's most densely populated regions. About a billion and a half people, or roughly a quarter of humanity, call South Asia home. The average population density of 305/km² (790/sq mi) is 7 times the world average. It is very common to find narrow alleys in many cities, with the buildings being wrapped in electric wires.

Although English is widely understood due to nearly two centuries of British rule in South Asia, picking up at least one of the local languages is useful for longer stays. In the major cities and tourist destinations, you will be able to get by with English with varying degrees of difficulty.

There are mainly four language groups:

• Indo-Aryan — Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Sindhi and other related languages are spoken across India and Pakistan. Hindi and Urdu are mutually intelligible, so pick one of these if you have to learn one before visiting. Also includes Bengali, which is spoken in Bangladesh and West Bengal, as well as Nepali, which is spoken in Nepal and parts of India such as Darjeeling and Sikkim.
• Dravidian — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu are spoken in Southern India and northern Sri Lanka.
• Iranian — Balochi and Pashto are spoken in western Pakistan. They are related to Persian, once the court language of the Mughal Empire.
• Sino-Tibetan — Tibetan is widely spoken in and the Himalayas of Nepal, as well as among the Tibetan diaspora in India. Tibetan dialects like Dzongkha and Ladakhi are spoken in Bhutan and Ladakh respectively. Also includes Manipuri, spoken by the Meitei ethnic group in Manipur.

It is very rare for a young local in South Asia to be conversant in any Western European language other than English. Some of the elderly in Pondicherry who grew up during French colonial rule (French India) still know French, but this number is dwindling nowadays, and in the recent years, English has replaced French as the common second language in Pondicherry. You may also notice elderly Portuguese speakers in Goa (who have grown up during Portuguese colonial rule over Goa, especially pre-1961).

Major international airports include:

• Bangladesh — Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet
• Bhutan — Paro (near Thimphu)
• India — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru
• Maldives — Male
• Nepal — Kathmandu
• Pakistan — Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad
• Sri Lanka — Colombo

Many flights from the west coast of North America arrive via Singapore and Bangkok, while flights originating on the east coast usually have a stopover somewhere in Europe or the Middle East depending on the airline. Flights from Europe may also arrive via Middle Eastern hubs.

Some cruise ships visit the region. It is also possible to enter on smaller vessels, but make sure to do your research thoroughly before planning a trip, because part of the region overlaps with the area frequented by Somali pirates. An encounter with them is to be avoided at all costs.

Getting in overland to South Asia can be a challenging task.

In the northwest, South Asia borders Afghanistan which has been a war zone for several decades. Entry from China is possible either along the Karakoram Highway or to Nepal, though you will need a special permit to travel through Tibet. Quite a lot of bureaucracy is reportedly required to travel overland from Myanmar.

South Asia's rail network varies from country to country. The Indian Railways has some of the world's most extensive rail networks, whereas the one in Pakistan is largely undeveloped, and Bangladesh is famous for its overcrowded trains. Sri Lanka's rail network is efficient and cheap, and includes routes with beautiful hill country and tea plantation scenery.

Although there's an interconnected rail network across mainland South Asia, developed mainly under the British rule, international rail services are rare. There's no rail services between India and Pakistan, and services from Bangladesh and Nepal are limited at best.

A car may get you pretty much anywhere in South Asia, especially for destinations outside the rail network. However, the traffic culture is dangerous, with not too much respect of rules, and unless you are accustomed to driving in extremely chaotic streets, you probably will not want to drive in urban areas.

South Asian countries drive on the left. Road distances are in kilometres (8 km is about 5 miles), and speed limits are in kilometres per hour (100 km/h is about 62 mph).

Controlled-access highways are called expressways in Bangladesh and India, and motorways in Pakistan.

• Sites from the empires and kingdoms making up South Asian history can be seen.

With the world's tallest mountains, as well as coastal regions with the world's highest rainfall, South Asia's nature is dramatic, but pressured by demographic and economic growth. South Asia is part of the Indomalayan wildlife region, with iconic species such as Asian elephants, tigers and peacocks.

Especially Nepal and Kashmir are world renowned for mountaineering.

South Asian religious movements such as Hinduism, Buddhism have a long history, and an intercontinental appeal since the 20th century. Many visitors come to South Asia to learn yoga, a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices from ancient India.

• Istanbul to New Delhi overland
• On the trail of Kipling's Kim
• Grand Trunk Road
• Karakoram Highway
• World Heritage Sites Tour in Sri Lanka

• British Raj
• Mughal Empire
• Shimla
• Jaipur

• Cricket is a huge business in South Asia, with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka boasting world class national teams.
• Football (soccer) is not as popular as cricket, but has a niche following in parts of South Asia, especially in the city of Kolkata
• Field hockey is popular in India and Pakistan

• Polo in Manipur
• Scuba diving in Asia
• Trekking in Nepal

For most countries in the region, bargaining is essential while shopping.

Both India and Pakistan have a long history of carpet manufacture. The region produces a huge range of other arts and crafts items, often at attractive prices because of low labour cost. See the country articles for details.

You will not be able to experience the best of South Asian culture until you have consumed its flavourful food. India alone has some of the best cuisines in the world; however, you can find something that will suit your taste buds anywhere throughout the region.

Tea (chai) is a common beverage consumed throughout the region. In addition, while alcohol is banned or restricted in Muslim communities and some Hindu-majority areas of India such as Gujarat, fruit juices are ubiquitous.

Much of the region is considered a safe place to visit, with the exceptions of Northwest Pakistan close to the border of Afghanistan and parts of Kashmir. Northwest Pakistan is a war-zone and is often controlled by extremist militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban; it should be avoided as much as possible.