South Asia

A geographical and political region of Asia bounded roughly by the Hindu Kush Mountains in the west, Indian Ocean in the south, Himalayas in the North and the Brahmaputra River in the east. Dominated by the Indian Peninsula it is also known as the Indian subcontinent. Politically it comprises the dominions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma. The island nations of Sri Lanka and Maldives are also part of the same region. Since the last century the primary export of the region has been skilled and unskilled labor which has found ground in several Western countries. A heavily populated and generally underdeveloped or developing region of South Asia commonly makes headlines for unrest, poverty and recently, terrorism. Plagued by illiteracy, corruption and extremism the society is characterized by large proportions of poor rural population and middle-class underpaid white collar workers concentrated in urban areas. Yet in terms of political, financial and social power, a handful of ultra-rich, businessmen, industrialist and feudal lords call the shots. Although the south Asian community in several western countries face episodes of racism, in reality most south Asians are racist themselves with deep-rooted grudges and stereotypes for all the different ethnicities and religions in the South Asian region and beyond.