Indijski potkontinent jest fiziografska regija u južnoj Aziji, uglavnom smještena na Indijskoj ploči, koja se sa Himalaja pruža prema jugu u Indijski okean. Geopolitički, obuhvata velike kopnene mase zemalja Bangladeša, Butana, Indije, Maldiva, Nepala, Pakistana, i Šri Lanke."Indian subcontinent". New Oxford Dictionary of English () New York: Oxford University Press, 2001; p. 929: "the part of Asia south of the Himalayas which forms a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Historically forming the whole territory of Greater India, the region is now divided into three countries named Bangladesh, India and Pakistan." Iako se termini "indijski potkontinent" i "južna Azija" često koriste naizmjenično za označavanje regiona, geopolitički termin Južne Azije često uključuje Afganistan, što se ne smatra dijelom potkontinenta.John McLeod, The history of India, page 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, ; note: McLeod does not include Afghanistan in Indian subcontinent or South Asia;Jim Norwine & Alfonso González, The Third World: states of mind and being, pages 209, Taylor & Francis, 1988, Quote: ""The term "South Asia" also signifies the Indian Subcontinent""Raj S. Bhopal, Ethnicity, race, and health in multicultural societies, pages 33, Oxford University Press, 2007, ; Quote: "The term South Asian refers to populations originating from the Indian subcontinent, effectively India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka;Lucian W. Pye & Mary W. Pye, Asian Power and Politics, pages 133, Harvard University Press, 1985, Quote: "The complex culture of the Indian subcontinent, or South Asia, presents a tradition comparable to Confucianism."Mark Juergensmeyer, The Oxford handbook of global religions, pages 465, Oxford University Press US, 2006, Sugata Bose & Ayesha Jalal, Modern South Asia, page 3, Routledge, 2004,
Geološki, potkontinent potiče iz Indijskog ostrva, izolovane kopnene mase koja se odvojila od superkontinenta Gondvane tokom krede i spojila se sa kopnom Evroazije prije skoro 55 miliona godina, formirajući Himalaje. Historijski gledano, kao i do danas, to je i bio i idalje jeste najnaseljenija regija na svijetu, u kojoj živi otprilike 20-25% globalne populacije u svim vremenima u historiji. Geografski, to je poluostrvo u južnoj Aziji smješteno ispod Trećeg pola, ocrtano Himalajima na sjeveru, Hindukušom na zapadu i Indo-Burmanskim planinskim lancima na istoku. Susjedne geografske regije oko potkontinenta uključuju Tibetansku visoravan na sjeveru, Indokinesko poluostrvo na istoku, Iransku visoravan na zapadu i Indijski okean na jugu.
Etimologija U mnogim historijskim izvorima, regija koja okružuje i jugoistočno od rijeke Ind nazivana je jednostavno "Indija". Historičari idalje koriste ovaj izraz za označavanje cijelog indijskog potkontinenta u raspravama o historiji sve do ere Britanske Indije. Tokom ovog perioda, "Indija" se odnosila na poseban politički entitet koji je kasnije postao nezavisna država.
Prema Oksfordskom rječniku engleskog jezika, izraz potkontinent označava "podjelu kontinenta koja ima poseban geografski, politički ili kulturni identitet" i također "veliku kopnenu masu nešto manju od kontinenta".Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, Merriam-Webster, 2002. Retrieved 6 December 2016; Quote: "a large landmass smaller than a continent; especially: a major subdivision of a continent ! e Indian subcontinent | "Subcontinent, Oxford English Dictionaries (2012). Retrieved 6 December 2016; Quote: "A large distinguishable part of a continent..." Njegova upotreba za označavanje indijskog potkontinenta dokazana je od ranog dvadesetog vijeka kada je većina teritorije bila ili dio Britanskog carstva ili u savezu s njima.Milton Walter Meyer, South Asia: A Short History of the Subcontinent, pages 1, Adams Littlefield, 1976, "Indian subcontinent" is used by Henry D. Baker, British India With Notes On Ceylon Afghanistan And Tibet (1915), p. 401. Bio je prikladan izraz za označavanje regije koja se sastoji od Britanske Indije i kneževskih država.
Termin je posebno bio uobičajen u Britanskoj imperiji i njenim nasljednicima,Milton Walter Meyer, South Asia: A Short History of the Subcontinent, pages 1, Adams Littlefield, 1976, Jim Norwine & Alfonso González, The Third World: states of mind and being, pages 209, Taylor & Francis, 1988, Judith Schott & Alix Henley, Culture, Religion, and Childbearing in a Multiracial Society, pages 274, Elsevier Health Sciences, 1996, Raj S. Bhopal, Ethnicity, race, and health in multicultural societies, pages 33, Oxford University Press, 2007, Lucian W. Pye & Mary W. Pye, Asian Power and Politics, pages 133, Harvard University Press, 1985, Mark Juergensmeyer, The Oxford handbook of global religions, pages 465, Oxford University Press US, 2006, dok je izraz Južna Azija češća upotreba u Evropi i Sjevernoj Americi.Judith Schott & Alix Henley, Culture, Religion, and Childbearing in a Multiracial Society, pages 274, Elsevier Health Sciences, 1996, Raj S. Bhopal, Ethnicity, race, and health in multicultural societies, pages 33, Oxford University Press, 2007, Prema historičarima Sugata Bose i Ayesha Jalal, indijski potkontinent je postao poznat kao Južna Azija "u novijem i neutralnom jeziku". Indolog Ronald B. Inden tvrdi da upotreba termina Južna Azija postaje sve raširenija jer jasno razlikuje region od Istočne Azije.Ronald B. Inden, Imagining India, page 51, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000, Dok Južna Azija, precizniji izraz koji odražava savremena politička razgraničenja regije, zamjenjuje indijski potkontinent, termin koji je usko povezan s kolonijalnim naslijeđem regije, kao naslovni termin, potonji se još uvijek široko koristi u tipološkim studijama.
Od podjele Indije, građani Pakistana (koji je postao nezavisan od Britanske Indije 1947) i Bangladeša (koji je postao nezavisan od Pakistana 1971) često percipiraju korištenje indijskog potkontinenta kao uvredljivo i sumnjivo zbog dominantnog položaja Indije u pojam. Kao takav se sve manje koristi u tim zemljama. U međuvremenu, mnogi indijski analitičari radije koriste ovaj termin zbog sociokulturnih zajedništva u regionu.B.H. Farmer, An Introduction to South Asia, page 1, Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1983, , "The 'Indian sub continent' is a term that certainly recognises the dominant position of India in both area and population. Since the partition of Indian Empire, use of this term becomes offensive to the Pakistanis and the Bangladeshis."Jona Razzaque, Public Interest Environmental Litigation in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, page 3, Kluwer Law International, 2004, "Yet, because citizens of Pakistan (which was carved out of India in 1947 and has had recurring conflicts with India since then) and of Bangladesh (which became separated from Pakistan by civil war in 1971) might find offensive the dominant placement of India in the term "Indian subcontinent", many scholars today prefer the more recently adopted designation 'South Asia.'"Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby, Religions of South Asia: An Introduction, page 3, Routledge, 2006, S K Shah, India and Its Neighbours: Renewed Threats and New Directions, page 26, Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2017, "Indian analysts, who talk of the Indian sub-continent, wish to keep in mind, in their analyses, the common historical, political, religious and cultural heritage of these three countries. The term sub-continent is used less and less in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The political leadership and the policy-makers in these two countries do not wish to be reminded of this common heritage. Any highlighting of this common heritage by Indian analysts is viewed by them with suspicion—— as indicating a hidden desire to reverse history and undo the 1947 partition." Region se takođe naziva "azijski potkontinent",Lizzie Crouch and Paula McGrath, "Humanity's global battle with mosquitoes", Health check, BBC World ServiceK. Alan Kronstadt, Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India, and Implications for U. S. Interests, page 7, Diane Publishing, 2011, "južnoazijski potkontinent",Aijazuddin Ahmad, Geography of the South Asian subcontinent: A Critical Approach, page 17, Concept Publishing Company, 2009, K. D. Kapur, Nuclear Non-proliferation Diplomacy: Nuclear Power Programmes in the Third World, page 365, Lancers Books, 1993, |Daya Nath Tripathi (ed), Discourse on Indo European Languages and Culture, page 193, Indian Council of Historical Research, 2005, Muhammad Akram Khan, What Is Wrong with Islamic Economics?: Analysing the Present State and Future Agenda, page 183, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013, kao i "Indija" ili "Velika Indija" u klasičnim i premodernim smislima.John McLeod, The history of India, page 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, ISBN 0-313-31459-4; note: McLeod does not include Afghanistan in Indian subcontinent or South Asia;Jim Norwine & Alfonso González, The Third World: states of mind and being, pages 209, Taylor & Francis, 1988, ISBN 0-04-910121-8 Quote: ""The term "South Asia" also signifies the Indian Subcontinent""Raj S. Bhopal, Ethnicity, race, and health in multicultural societies, pages 33, Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 0-19-856817-7; Quote: "The term South Asian refers to populations originating from the Indian subcontinent, effectively India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka;Lucian W. Pye & Mary W. Pye, Asian Power and Politics, pages 133, Harvard University Press, 1985, ISBN 0-674-04979-9 Quote: "The complex culture of the Indian subcontinent, or South Asia, presents a tradition comparable to Confucianism."Mark Juergensmeyer, The Oxford handbook of global religions, pages 465, Oxford University Press US, 2006, ISBN 0-19-513798-1Sugata Bose & Ayesha Jalal, Modern South Asia, page 3, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0-415-30787-2Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby, Religions of South Asia: An Introduction, page 3, Routledge, 2006, Kathleen M. Baker and Graham P. Chapman, The Changing Geography of Asia, page 10, Routledge, 2002,
Geologija
desno|mini| Zbog tektonike ploča, Indijska ploča se odvojila od Madagaskara i sudarila (oko 55 miliona godina) sa Evroazijskom pločom, što je rezultiralo formiranjem Himalaja. Indijski potkontinent je ranije bio dio Gondvane, superkontinenta koji je nastao tokom kasnog neoproterozoika i ranog paleozoika. Gondvana je počela da se raspada tokom mezozoika, sa Indijskim ostrvom koji se odvojio od Antarktika prije 130-120 miliona godina i Madagaskara prije oko 90 miliona godina, tokom krede. Ostrvska Indija se kasnije povukla prema sjeveroistoku, sudarajući se s Evroazijskom pločom prije skoro 55 miliona godina, tokom eocena, formirajući Indijski potkontinent. Zona u kojoj se spajaju euroazijska i indijska potkontinentna ploča ostaje geološki aktivna, sklona velikim potresima.