Northern South Asia

Northern South Asia is a geographical area in South Asia, and includes the country of Afghanistan, the Himalayas, parts of the Tibetan plateau and the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. The Indo-Gangetic Plain forms the dominant feature. Depending on definition, it covers some or all of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India (specifically North India and Northeast India), and Pakistan. Ethnolinguistically, northern South Asia is predominantly Indo-Aryan, along with Iranic populations in Afghanistan and Balochistan, and diverse linguistic communities near the Himalayas. Until the Partition of India in 1947, northern South Asia had a significant degree of cultural and political unity; the 1947 partition, along with the 1971 secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan, resulted in significant inter-migration in the region. Since the end of colonial rule in the region, some of its borders have been heavily contested (primarily between India and its neighbours Pakistan and China, as well as separatist movements in Northeast India), resulting in a significant military presence in the region and negative consequences for local peoples. This tension in the region has also contributed to difficulties in sharing river waters among Northern South Asian countries; climate change is projected to contribute significantly to this and other problems.

Dominated by the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the region is home to about half a billion people and is the poorest region of the subcontinent.