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South Asia or '''Southern Asia''' is a South ern Geopolitical Region of the Asia n Continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the Indian Subcontinent . It is surrounded by (from West to East ) Western Asia , Central Asia , Eastern Asia , and Southeastern Asia . The terms with Cardinal Direction s are often equated with the Indian subcontinent, but they are not synonymous. Definitions and usage [[Image:South_Asia_(ed).PNG|left|thumb|250px| ]] South Asia consists of the following territories: The United Nations Subregion of Southern Asia includes the above plus Afghanistan and Iran . The term is also sometimes used to describe the whole of Asia south of the former Soviet Union . The term ''Indian subcontinent'' aptly describe those regions which geophysically lie on the , for instance, is sometimes grouped in this region due to sociopolitical ties to neighbouring Pakistan, and because it was apart of the Indian Maurya and Mughal empires. Demography and history The peoples of the region possess several distinguishing features that set them apart anthropologically from the rest of Asia; the dominant peoples and cultures are Indo-Aryan and Dravidian , and have a greater affinity with Europe than with most other regions of Asia, excepting the Iranian Plateau and the Caucasus . South Asia ranks among the World 's most densely-populated regions. About 1.6 billion people live there — about a quarter of all the people in the world. The region's Population Density of 305 persons per square kilometre is more than seven times the world average. The region has a long history. Ancient civilizations developed in the Dwaraka region and the Indus River Valley. The region was at its most prosperous before the 18th century, when the Mughal Empire held sway in the north; European Colonialism led to a new conquering of the region, by Portugal and Holland , and later Britain and to a lesser degree France . Most of the region gained independence from Europe in the late 1940s . See also
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