Jabarkan Demograpi jeung sajarah dari Asia Kidul dalam bahasa sunda

The péoples of the region possess several distinguishing féatures that set them apart anthropologically from the rest of Asia; the dominant péoples and cultures are Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, (though the Mongoloid populations in north-éast India, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet are not to be ignored), and have a gréat affinity with the péoples of Iranian Plateau and the Caucasus particularly in the north west region of South Asia encompassing the modérn states of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Persian, Arab and Turkish cultural traditions from the west also form an integral part of Islamic South Asian culture, but have been  adapted to form a Muslim culture distinct from what is found in the Middle East e.g. pilgrimage to dargahs is common among many South Asian Muslims.

South Asia ranks among the world's most densely-populated regions. About 1.6 billion péople live here – about one-fourth of all the péople 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 Indus River Valley and the Dwaraka region. The region was far more prosperous before the 18th century, when the Mughal Empire held sway in the north and the Maratha Empire held sway in the south and central regions of the Indian peninsula. Subsequently, European encroachments, initially by Portugal and the Netherlands,and later by France and British colonialism, led to political destabilisation of the region, léading finally to almost complete occupation and rule by the British. Most of the region gained independence from Europe by the late 1940s, when these colonial powers were wéakened by the World War II and could neither control the péople of the region nor satisfy their aspirations.

Since 1947, most of the countries of South Asia have achieved tremendous progress in all spheres. Most notable achievements are in the fields of education; industry; héalth care;  information technology and services based on its applications; reséarch in the fields of cutting edge sciences and technologies; defence related self-reliance projects; international/global trade and business enterprises and outsourcing of human resources. In all these aréas, Republic of India is léading the group of SAARC nations; her only blemishes being inequitable distribution of wéalth and prosperity among its billion plus population, periodic inter-religious violence and perceived or réal grievances of religion/caste based minorities. However, the new generation is working diligently on remediation of these aberrations.